From the Telegraph:
New congregations are being formed to take over old redundant church buildings or to provide more youth-friendly services, helping church membership numbers to rise.
The figures, to be published this week by Christian Research, also reveal that the Roman Catholic Church is continuing to enjoy a rise in attendance at Mass, that the number of Pentecostal worshippers is increasing rapidly and that Baptist churches are also enjoying a resurgence.
Church leaders said the study – the first of its kind for three years – showed that reports of Christianity's demise in the UK were premature.
Previous studies by Christian Research have shown a steady decline in Anglican congregations, a trend which would have led to as many as one in five churches becoming redundant by 2030.
However, between 2007 and 2008, the total number of Anglican congregations in the UK rose from 18,198 to 18,208 – the first increase for ten years.
Although the increase in numbers (average Sunday attendance in the Church of England is now 1, 145, 000 with 1.175 000 active members) is small, The Rev Lynda Barley, head of research for the Archbishops' council of The Church of England, said: "this shows it's too premature to say the Church is dying".
New congregations are being formed to take over old redundant church buildings or to provide more youth-friendly services, helping church membership numbers to rise.
The figures, to be published this week by Christian Research, also reveal that the Roman Catholic Church is continuing to enjoy a rise in attendance at Mass, that the number of Pentecostal worshippers is increasing rapidly and that Baptist churches are also enjoying a resurgence.
Church leaders said the study – the first of its kind for three years – showed that reports of Christianity's demise in the UK were premature.
Previous studies by Christian Research have shown a steady decline in Anglican congregations, a trend which would have led to as many as one in five churches becoming redundant by 2030.
However, between 2007 and 2008, the total number of Anglican congregations in the UK rose from 18,198 to 18,208 – the first increase for ten years.
Although the increase in numbers (average Sunday attendance in the Church of England is now 1, 145, 000 with 1.175 000 active members) is small, The Rev Lynda Barley, head of research for the Archbishops' council of The Church of England, said: "this shows it's too premature to say the Church is dying".
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