Attendance at Church of England services has plunged to its lowest level ever as the Archbishop of Canterbury warned it was battling to maintain its place in an increasingly “anti-Christian” culture.
Official figures – based on an annual pew count – show that only 1.4 per cent of the population of England now attend Anglican services on a typical Sunday morning.
Even the Church’s preferred “weekly” attendance figures, which include those at mid-week or extra services, has slipped below one million for the first time ever.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev Justin Welby, acknowledged the slump in an address to Anglican leaders around the world at a crisis meeting to discuss a split over homosexuality.
In a plea to archbishops and bishops from Africa and other parts of the “global south” not to break off communion permanently with more liberal branches of Anglicanism, he said it would be “easy to paint a very gloomy picture” about the Church of England’s prospects.
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Church of England attendance plunges to record low - Telegraph
Official figures – based on an annual pew count – show that only 1.4 per cent of the population of England now attend Anglican services on a typical Sunday morning.
Even the Church’s preferred “weekly” attendance figures, which include those at mid-week or extra services, has slipped below one million for the first time ever.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev Justin Welby, acknowledged the slump in an address to Anglican leaders around the world at a crisis meeting to discuss a split over homosexuality.
In a plea to archbishops and bishops from Africa and other parts of the “global south” not to break off communion permanently with more liberal branches of Anglicanism, he said it would be “easy to paint a very gloomy picture” about the Church of England’s prospects.
more
Church of England attendance plunges to record low - Telegraph