Logo

 

Banner Image:   National-News-banner-Purple
Template Mode:   Baptist Times
Icon
    Post     Tweet

London Church Attendance ‘Growing Fast’

Total attendance has jumped 16 per cent in seven years, from just over 620,000 in 2005 to just over 720,000 in 2012. Nowhere else in the UK has attendance grown so dramatically

 
While these numbers are across all denominations, the growth is especially seen in the Black Majority Church and immigrant churches.

The figures come from the London Church Census, commissioned by London City Mission and undertaken by the Brierley Consultancy.

However, the increase may not continue. Not all churches are growing, and over the next years total attendance could drop to just over 700,000.

Both of the main growing groups are doing so because many immigrants are coming to London, but not all immigrants stay in London.

Crossing London is the first united all-age London mission in the past 20 years for churches of all denominations, and responding to the figures Andy Frost its Mission Director, said, "We are very encouraged to see from this census that many hundreds of thousands of people still consider 'churchgoing' as an important part of their lives.

"We believe that there is a real spiritual hunger in London and indeed across the UK. While some models of 'church' and congregations might be changing as our culture changes, it remains vital for Christians to worship together, to share experiences and to support each other in their faith.”

He added, “Although the statistics show that church is still an important part of many lives, there is so much more to do, so many things we still need to pray about and work on if every man, woman and child in London is to be reached with the transforming message of Jesus.”

Questions:
  • How may church growth among immigrants best be encouraged in other UK cities and urban areas?
  • Why is the church growing more rapidly among BMC and immigrant churches than traditional English denominations?
    Post     Tweet
Project Violet: Council affirms commitments to action
Baptist Union Council receives and affirms the commitments to action on women’s experience of ministry made from across Baptists Together in response to the findings of Project Violet
Collaboration; contextual approaches - first Everyone Everywhere national conference
Collaboration in sharing the gospel and a recognition that contrasting, contextual approaches are all needed to help people encounter Jesus were key themes at the first Everyone Everywhere national conference
Prayer bulletin for very small Baptist churches
A number of small, often rural, Baptist churches are being strengthened in their ministry by an initiative which sees them praying for each other on a regular basis
The Centre for Baptist Ministry at St Hild College officially launches
St Hild College has celebrated the launch of the Centre for Baptist Ministry during an event at St Thomas Crookes in Sheffield
A unified call to mission and renewal
Andy Glover reports on the recent day of prayer and fasting, which saw gatherings take place in all Associations, as well as online
We Will Repay - reparations study resource
A new study resource designed to help churches and Christians delve into the discussion of reparations on biblical terms has been released
     Latest News 
    Posted: 26/02/2024