CofE Statistics - A longer view (relative ages) - part the first

So here we are again taking a longer view at the CofE stat's (as shown below); this time we're going to have a bit of a think about the issue of children/young people:

The reality is that we have haemorrhaged a quarter of the children and young people over the past ten years and this is something that those around me are cheering (and we do need to cheer about it) over the 2011 (year-on-year) rise of 1.2% that the 216,900 (average weekly attendance) represents.

Couple this with the 139,751 baptisms (another rise in the year-on-year of 4.3%) and the massive rise (again year-on-year of 11.9%, that's 6,582 in 2011) in the area of blessings, and you can see reasons indeed to be cheerful. But this is something we must not only celebrate but also build upon and consolidate as a matter of importance.

The problem is that where I am some regard us as being 'lucky' because we have young people and children because they are 'unlucky' and have none! I often visit churches where the mantra is, 'We are committed, engaged, enthusiastic and becoming old and we have some/few/no* children/young people.' (*delete as applicable)

One of my first questions relates to the area of baptisms, for these are often a place in the church's life where families with young children are to be found. The dialogue then goes a little like this:

'We do baptisms but we can't get the people to do any real prep' and they don't come back afterwards. In fact we used to give the baptism certificate a week or two after the baptism but they never came back and so we just give it to them on the day and never see them again!'

Another person complained that, 'We can't compete with sport on a Sunday and other things that draw the children away. Neither can we make ourselves relevant with regard to the young families around us!'

And you know what? I think we can - and are in many places :-)

CofE Statistics - A longer view (attendance)

Last week we found ourselves presented with the Church of England's annual statistics for 2011 and the picture painted was one that held out some hope that the tide was slackening and perhaps even beginning to turn.

As much as year on year comparisons provide a 'finger in the air' to see which way the wind is blowing (we're not being rude!) we need to step back a little to get a real feel for the trends to make sense and provide a truer picture. So, thanks to BRIN (British Religion In Numbers - University of Manchester) and others (for the figures quoted are also found in many other places) here's some salient and informative stat's that we need to review and consider:

Click on image for larger view

Of course, everyone who gets church statistics rushes to those which relate to the issue of attendance; after all, they are the defining element aren't they? That and how much money is generated - the two defining issues: numbers and ability to pay - sustainability!

For me, the decline in Sunday attendance and the apparent rise in other day attendance is a reality and this is borne out by the 13% (actual and average) decline in Sunday and the 4% less figure that relates to the rest of the week. But before we smile at the relative success of the weekday we need to realise that we're only talking about less decline and not growth!

Where I am the growth of the weekday communion is indeed, in many churches, offsetting (or at least diminishing) lower numbers on a Sunday and this is good news (of the limited kind) but we mustn't let it divert us from the issues of Sunday attendance and decline (which for many is one and the same thing). Huzzah, we're seeing more footfall during the weekdays - but not enough to compensate for the loss on Sunday (and compensation isn't the goal - it's growth, isn't it?). 

Talking to others I hear the familiar lament, 'Oh dear, there's less in on Sunday and no one comes to the evening service,' and then comes their earth-moving advice that we drop the pm slot because, 'No one wants to come!'

I hope that the next bit doesn't offend but I think the problem is dual in that we have 'hobby Christians'  and 'management of decline' clergy conspiring together and when we add to the mix some of the senior clergy and their motivational speeches and programmes I am reminded of deck chairs, orchestras and sinking ships - something for later methinks. The cheering news is that we do have bishops and their staff who are out there and up for it (three cheers for Bob Jackson, George Fisher and others) and they aren't alone.

But how's about a bit more worrying still stuff? The number of churches where anyone under the age of forty is considered to be young!! The twenty-five percent drop in the usual Sunday attendance in children/young people over the ten year period is encouraging compared to the realities I engage with; the churches bemoaning the age-gap and exhibiting the impotence to address same; the congregations where the only children to be found live in the Vicarage.

Something else to discuss sometime soon!

But that's a start (hopefully in the right direction) - catch you later for more thinking.

CofE Statistics Released

The figures are in for 2011 and, like the Curate's Egg, not all of it is bad:

Smile At:

Christmas (2011) saw a year-on-year increase of 14.5% more worshippers to our services with a grand total of 2,618,030 (and the 2012 are looking to be better still).

Baptisms also increased by 4.3% (with a rise of just over 5% in adult baptisms) bringing the combined number of baptisms for 2011 to 139,751 baptisms.

Thanksgiving Services also increased by 11.9% (that's 6,582 for the year).

Frown a little at:

Average Weekly Attendance which fell by 0.3% (which is almost static!) to 1,091,484 and leads one to smile (again) that the decline has been (nationally) arrested and smile even more that this means that many places are seeing growth to bring this about (Praise God or what?).

Smile again that:

Growth - around half of the regions are reporting growth in Church attendance, with 46% (20 out of 44 dioceses) enjoying  increases.

Young People - A 1.2% increase in children and young people attending (risen to 216,928).

Need some work with

Weddings which decreased by 3.6% (perhaps we need to look at the preparation and welcome/image and prices?) - that said, we still did 51,880.

Conversely

Wedding Blessings - have risen by 4.5% (so we must be doing something right!).

An interesting aside comes in the information that the trend over the past decade has been that the CofE married an average of 1,000 couples every week and that is pretty much maintained (but needs some real work).

Funeral  numbers have fallen slightly as in 2011 there was a year-on-year drop of 2.8% (that's still 162,526) but the ONS (Office for National Statistics) posts a fall of 1.8% death for the same period so there is some correlation  When you think that we do more than 3,000 funerals each and every week (400 a day) it is obvious that this pastoral office is a large part of the parochial mission and ministry to those around us!

Cheering news to send us all back to our kneelers methinks

Happy Tuesday