The number of people attending Sunday services at Britain’s Anglican churches is continuing to drop, but church officials say there are signs that the decline is starting to stabilize.
A spokesperson for the Church of England said Tuesday (May 7) that average weekly attendance at the nation’s 16,247 Anglican parishes was 1.1 million in 2011, representing a drop of just 0.3 percent from the previous year’s figures.
Most of the numbers retained are due to conservative evangelical churches, which continue to run a strong mission from within the Church of England. As a result their churches grow and multiply. Liberal churches (and those tolerant of liberalism) slowly wither and die.
Increased attendance at the major cathedrals is mainly because they now charge for tourist admission, but do not charge if the tourist attends a service. For example, to get 2 adults and 2 children into St Paul’s Cathedral in London will cost me 39 pounds sterling. Contrast that with Rome, where one can wander into any church free of charge, even if it contains the most marvellous artwork by Michelangelo, Caravaggio, Raphael etc.