The Church of England today released its annual statistics for 2011 revealing a strong growing trend for Christmas attendance, an increase in child and adult baptisms and a growing stability in weekly service attendance.
Christmas 2011 drew 14.5% more worshippers to Church of England services than attended in 2010, reaching a total of 2,618,030. Whilst one of the factors for such a high annual increase include the poor weather on Christmas Day in the previous year 2010, initial returns from 2012 suggest a further increase in Christmas attendance on these high 2011 figures revealing a growing trend for church going at Christmas.
The number of christenings increased by 4.3% and was accompanied by a rise of just over 5% in adult baptisms with a combined total of 139,751 baptisms – meaning that the Church of England conducted an average of over 2,600 baptisms each week during 2011. Thanksgivings for the birth of a child also rose; an 11.9% increase taking numbers to 6,582.
I refrained from comment thinking that others might, but I am struck (and dismayed) by the growing disjuncture between Christmas and Easter attendances. Christmas = warm fuzzy feeling and yes, of course, the incarnation as central fact, but I wonder how many attending occasionally take it on board. Easter = the challenging, hard fact of the resurrection, overturning ordinary understanding and challenging us to that crucial commitment in faith.