The UK Church is dying rapidly.
- In 2010, 3.6 million attended church on an average Sunday (6% of the population).
- In the previous 10 years this represented a decline of 800,000 fewer attendees (-18%).
- 39% of churches have no-one attending under 11 years of age
- 49% of churches have no-one attending between the ages of 11 and 14
- 59% of churches have no-one attending between the ages of 15 and 19.
The general scene: overall decline
In 2010, for all of those claiming the name Christian in the UK, there were:
- 48,000 churches
- 36,000 ministers
- Out of a total population of 62 million people:5.5 million are church members (i.e. people who say they are definitely attached to a Christian church, equivalent to 9% of the population) 3.6 million attend church on an average Sunday (6% of the population).
But when we compare this with general population trends, we discover that in the last ten years, along with a population increase of 2 million people (+3%), there are now:
- 400 fewer churches (-1%)
- 950 more ministers (+2%)
- 400,000 fewer church members (-6%)
- 800,000 fewer attendees (-18%).
Secondly, the number of ministers has grown. On the one hand, this is encouraging. What has certainly grown in the last ten years has been the proliferation of alternative ministry models in large denominations, where there are fewer traditional ‘full-time’ ministers, and more part-time ministers who hold down a job as well. There have also been growing numbers of paid youth and women’s workers, and apprenticeships. But I can’t help but wonder if the growing number of people in ministry is rising because of an increasing inability of ordinary congregational members to give themselves to ministry roles within the congregation. Does the rise in ministers mask the truth that less ministry is happening overall?
All this, of course, is the big picture. These general numbers include Catholicism, along with many other church traditions that are a long way from being evangelical and biblically based. What does the picture look like when we focus on where this decline is taking place? In some ways it is heartening, in other ways not.
The figures about youth are especially concerning. The general picture of a shrinking church with reduced influence in society is definitely accurate. It is worth bearing in mind that Seattle is often described as the most unchurched city in America, but the figures that claim the population is 4% evangelical there (much higher proportions would therefore presumably be churchgoers).The church is finished in the UK just yet, however. The article goes on to point out that there are segments of the UK church that are growing. Significantly the “liberal church” is declining the most rapidly. This probably explains why when evangelical leaders begin to promote ideas which would have previously been called liberal, they seem reluctant to embrace that label. The liberal church is in real danger of being eradicated in the UK.
What is very interesting is that the segments of the church that are growing all have one thing in common: they are passionate in their beliefs. In this day and age, there is also surely a massive overlap between conservatives and charismatics. Also, the distinction between pentecostals and charismatics has always been hard to maintain with much cross-over.
For some of you reading this, this article may even constitute something of a Macedonian call. Come over and help us! For us who are already here, there is a renewed challenge to faithfully follow Jesus and plant more churches.
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