Church of England Attendance Change by Diocese, 2011-16

Oct 25, 2017 by Andrew Symes

From The Opinionated Vicar blog.

The latest Church of England attendance figures are out, and full marks to the CofE for producing them in Excel format as well as the usual pdfs. So much easier to play about with.

The good news, however, ends there.

You can always tell if it’s been an iffy year, because the press release accompanying the stats is on something other than whats happening in a normal church on a normal Sunday. This year it’s the social media profile.

I’ve been blogging for years on what’s happening in the Dioceses, and whether we are, at last turning the corner. Sad to report that the answer is no: at least, not based on the official stats. If anything, it’s getting worse.

In the last 5 years, only two dioceses have seen adult Sunday attendance grow – London continues to be the engine room of the CofE, but many of the Dioceses that were doing well last time round have seen a sharp drop in numbers. For numbers, read people (see Acts in the New Testament, does it all the time). The rate of decline across the CofE has increased, and to have 12 dioceses recording losses in double figures compares with 5 for 2009-14.

Read here

See also: With so few children attending church, is the C of E’s very existence in danger? by James MacIntyre, Christian Today