Church of England weekly attendance dips below one million

[CopyBoy]

[ACNS] Some 2.4 million people attended a Church of England service at Christmas in 2014, a slight increase on the previous year; but overall, the latest attendance figures released by the C of E show that the number of people attending church services weekly has dipped below one million people for the first time, continuing a gradual year-on-year decrease of about one per cent.

The figures are based on an annual survey of churches which looks at attendance over four weeks in October. The results show that 980,000 people attended church each week: 830,000 adults and 150,000 children.

anglicannews.org/news/2016/01/church-of-england-weekly-attendance-dips-below-one-million.aspx

 

[JustaServant]

With respect to our British and Anglican friends, I’m surprised it’s that high.

 

[Reuben_J]

What would that amount to in proportion to the total number of Anglicans (which is a better indicator)?

My wife and I were travelling to different countries this Christmas season, and due to our tight schedule, we opted for early Sunday mass. The door of that big Catholic cathedral was not opened when we arrived. Except for the solitary guard, there was no car, nobody. We thought the mass was cancelled. And when the mass began, Father was alone, no altar boys, no choir. A nun read both readings and Father led in the singing. An IS fighter could come in and spray his machine gun, he would probably only hit a few scattered elderly parishioners in the pews. And goodness, it was Sunday. I thought any worse than that, they would have to sell the cathedral.

 

[liturgyluver]

Which Cathedral are you talking about? Certainly not Westminster, I often attend the 8am mass there on Sunday (7am in the week) and there are normally at least 100 and over 5000 over the course of all the Sunday masses.

 

[Reuben_J]

Which Cathedral are you talking about? Certainly not Westminster, I often attend the 8am mass there on Sunday (7am in the week) and there are normally at least 100 and over 5000 over the course of all the Sunday masses.

It was a Catholic cathedral. And no, it was not in England. Probably we were too early, and maybe people had not woke up yet. Perhaps there were more people in the 10 o’clock mass. But there was no mistake about it, the number was less than your usual daily mass.

 

[liturgyluver]

It was a Catholic cathedral. And no, it was not in England. Probably we were too early, and maybe people had not woke up yet. Perhaps there were more people in the 10 o’clock mass. But there was no mistake about it, the number was less than your usual daily mass.

Most churches in Europe have a Vigil Mass, a 9am 12 noon and Sun evening mass which are all sung, with High Mass at 10 30 or 11. Some places also offer an. 8am mass for those who still prefer to have an overnight fast. Interestingly this is still popular in the Church of England parishes. Hope you enjoyed your trip.

 

[katy]

If only they had gone back to the Catholic Church which Henry VIII wrenched the country away from so brutally.

 

[Aslan10]

If only they had gone back to the Catholic Church which Henry VIII wrenched the country away from so brutally.

Well, technically they did under Mary I (aka “Bloody Mary”), but afterwards the CoE was reformed under Elizabeth I’s religious settlement.