Churchgoing Today

Book excerpt: In this insightful booklet, Lynda Barely - Head of Research and Statistics for the Church of England - looks at trends in church attendance. It also challenges the Church to be accessible and relevant to modern-day living. Drawing on current research, Lynda Barley takes stock of the radical changes in Britain over the last century and offers insight on how churches can connect afresh with those outside the regular church community. Her analysis shows that although weekly Sunday attendance may be in decline, churches that run mid-week services, offer various styles and times of Sunday services, make good use of their buildings and generally adapt to the needs of the community are experiencing growth. There are further signs of hope in the thousands of fresh expressions of church springing up throughout the UK. Combining analysis with real-life stories, she encourages the Church to take seriously the need to adapt and enlarge its vision in order to stem the decline in church attendance.