Clergy warn of ‘doom spiral’ as church attendance drops off at record rate

Church attendance has more than halved since 1987 – iStockphoto/Getty

Sunday church attendance is just 80 per cent of what it was in 2019, Telegraph analysis has revealed, despite the Church of England claiming that it has “bounced back” after the pandemic.‌

The figures reveal that church attendance has more than halved since 1987, prompting clergy to warn: “This is a doom spiral of the church’s own choosing.”

‌In 2023 the Telegraph published an investigation which revealed that parishes are closing at a record rate, prompting fears that the Church had been “dealt a death knell”.

‌The investigation found that almost 300 parishes have disappeared in the past five years alone – the fastest rate since records began in 1960.

The figures came against the backdrop of claims that senior bishops and clergy were “putting a gun to people’s heads” to drive through controversial plans to cut costs, merge parishes and cut vicars.

They also came amid declining congregation numbers, leaving many clergy afraid to speak out for fear of losing their jobs.

Marcus Walker, the Rector at St Bartholomew the Great, said that the closures of parishes has led to decline in church attendance – Geoff Pugh

‌The Telegraph has analysed new data from the Church of England’s latest Statistics for Mission 2022 report, and has found that across the country, usual Sunday church attendance remains at just 81 per cent of 2019 levels, meaning that 133,200 regular parishioners had not returned to the church despite the end of Covid restrictions.

‌The Telegraph’s previous reporting on the reduction in regular parishioners in 2021 had been described as “misleading” by the Church, as some covid restrictions were still in place at the time the 2021 report was compiled.

‌However, the latest figures suggest that this is not the case.‌

Furthermore, the data show that a further 28 parishes were closed or merged in the past year, which has been controversial among church goers.

‌This, however, is below the record-breaking rate of reductions seen in the preceding five years when an average of 56 parishes ceased a year.

‌Across the country, 41 churches were closed, meaning 641 churches have been closed since 2000 or 4 per cent.

‌Responding to the analysis, Rev Marcus Walker, the chairman of the Save the Parish campaign group, said: “As sure as night follows day if you close parishes and reduce clergy, the number of people who are able to turn up to church will fall.”

‌The Rev, who is also Rector at St Bartholomew the Great in the City of London, who is also a member of the General Synod, the Church of England’s legislative body, added: “This is a doom spiral of the church’s own choosing. It has the money to turn this around, the question is: does it have the will?”

‌While The Telegraph’s latest analysis does suggest some minor post-covid rebounds in church attendance, as, year on year, average attendance has increased by seven per cent.

‌This means that since 1987, usual Sunday church attendance has more than halved (-52.8 per cent), declining from 1.2 million to 556,800.‌

In Durham, just three-quarters (73 per cent) of usual congregants have returned, whilst in St Edmundsbury and Ipswich, it is 89 per cent, the highest in the country.‌

According to the Church of England’s most recent data, contained in its Statistics for Mission, it claimed that nearly a million people were regular worshippers in 2023 as the Church “continued its post pandemic bounce back”.

‌Furthermore, over the past six years, usual Sunday church attendees have declined at a record rate with an average 32,616 fewer attendees per year.‌

In publishing its annual Statistics for Mission 2022, the Church of England said the number of regular worshippers across the whole week, not just Sundays, grew by nearly 20,000 people to 984,000 in 2022 compared to 966,000 in 2021; however, this figure is still down from 200,000 in 2019.

‌Dr Ken Eames, author of the Statistics for Mission 2022 report, from the Church of England’s Data Services team, said: “Churches did everything they could to return to normal life in 2022 following the huge disruption of 2020 and 2021 caused by the pandemic.

‌“But 2022 was not free of its impact, indeed official figures suggest that Covid rates were higher in October 2022 than in 2021.

‌“Although for many people things were getting back to normal, churches were still experiencing Covid-related disruption.”

‌Responding to The Telegraph’s latest analysis, a Church spokesman said: “The Church of England’s 2022 Statistics for Mission – the latest available – showed a welcome rise in attendance for the second year in a row with nearly a million regular worshippers in Church of England churches.

‌“Our parishes did everything they could to return to normal life in that year following the huge disruption of 2020 and 2021 caused by the pandemic.

‌“However we know that 2022 was not free of the impact of Covid, indeed official figures suggest that Covid rates were higher in October 2022 than in 2021.

‌“There is unprecedented investment in mission and ministry taking place in the Church of England of £3.6 billion up to 2031.”

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