by Anugrah Kumar, Christian Post
The Church of England is optimistic after experiencing a 268% rise in social media interest in its church services.
The institution’s dedicated church finder website, AChurchNearYou.com, has recorded over 11,000 church services and events shared on social media platforms, a sharp increase from previous levels.
According to the latest figures released by the denomination, total page views on the church finder website rose notably from 128.1 million in 2023 to 198.6 million in 2024.
The increased online engagement coincides with Holy Week, traditionally one of the busiest periods for parish churches, starting with special Palm Sunday services and culminating in Easter weekend.
Church of England’s Head of Digital Amaris Cole said that the increase in people looking for a local church via the denomination’s church-finder tool “shows the public are more interested than ever in connecting with one of our communities, whether for a service, an event, a family activity or one of the amazing projects our churches run.”
“Our churches regularly report newcomers who have found them through the site, so the rise in page hits is giving our editors confidence in inviting the public in to one of our 16,000 spaces,” Cole said in a statement.
“This month alone, churches have added around 20,000 calendar events that the public are invited to attended as we look to celebrate Easter.”