Introduction
Church Statistics 2003/4 continues to provide results from fresh attendance measures collected by Church of England
parishes and cathedrals since the turn of the millennium. These measures must be interpreted against the background of a growing number of government and other independent national surveys. National surveys continue to endorse the 2001
government census results that indicate a continuing majority of the English population to be Christian. In summary,
72% of the population of England indicated their religious affiliation to be Christian, 6% of other faiths, 14% of no
religion and 8% did not state their religion.
In a pluralistic society, Christian denominations continue to play a significant role in the life of our country. Approximately half of the adult population regards itself as Anglican (2003 and 2001 Opinion Research Business surveys). Church Statistics 2003/4 provides more detailed geographical evidence of the continued involvement of the Church of England in the everyday lives of men, women and children at the beginning of the twenty-first century. This builds on similar information first published in Church Statistics 2002 and has been facilitated by the successful completion of the digitisation of the parish boundaries sponsored jointly by the Church of England dioceses and the Church Commissioners.
New attendance statistics
Following a major review of annual statistical information collection from parishes, new attendance measures were designed
with dioceses during the summer of 2000. These are generally based on a four week count by parishes of their attendance
levels at church worship in October. There is no single period in the year when church attendance could be said to be
'normal' or even 'average' but October is accepted by our ecumenical partners as the easiest and most comparable month in which to carry out this quantitative exercise.
It would be wrong to make direct comparisons between the number counted in church services across October and the figures that churches estimate as their usual Sunday attendance. Examination of the attendance levels collated in this publication in All age church attendance 2000 to 2003 and Church attendance 2000 to 2003 reveal a larger church than was previously understood and fairly static levels of church attendance. On average 1.2 million people attended church based services of worship each week in 2003 , 1 million of these on Sundays. Numbers fluctuated week by week, among adults on average doubling at points across the month while almost quadrupling among children and young people. Across a typical month in the year parish church and cathedral worship attracted 1.7 million people but only 1.4 million of these attended on Sundays. The Church is indeed a seven days a week Church and in 2003 over half ie 23 dioceses saw increases in their adult church attendance levels as shown in Adult church attendance increases.
Easter and Christmas are traditionally festivals in the Christian year when many attend special occasions of worship in our parish churches and cathedrals. Churches and cathedrals were asked to estimate attendance levels at these festivals for the first time in 2000. The results are challenging and in the case of cathedrals reflected steadily increasing numbers throughout the year. On Christmas Day/Eve 2003 2.65 million people attended church and cathedral worship, while 1.5 million attended on Easter Day. The importance of this Christian festival in people's lives is evident in that Christmas services attracted over twice the average weekly attendance of our parish churches and cathedrals. Figures collected in previous years were directly comparable.
Occasional offices
The church has traditionally monitored electoral roll and baptism levels, but from 2000 parishes and cathedrals have been
asked to estimate the number of occasions where people received direct pastoral contact through each of the occasional offices. Marriages can be performed in recognized places other than churches and cathedrals. The tables showing
Total marriages in England and First marriages,
England and Wales (based on local authority registrars returns) indicate that just under a quarter of marriages
were performed by Church of England ministers. Local churches had significant opportunities for mission and ministry
through 440,000 occasional offices performed by their ministers in 2003. Funerals accounted for over half of these which is a significant pastoral load for many clergy. Baptisms and thanksgivings represented over a third of the occasional offices, marriages and blessings of civil marriages about one in seven. At these essentially family and community events, local churches have unique opportunities for contact among a wide constituency and recent opinion surveys show this to be valued by the Christian public.
Licensed Ministers
All God's people are called to exercise their ministry in his world and in his Church. The statistics of this report
relate to ministries which are nationally licensed. This introduction draws attention to some significant trends.
The total number of stipendiary clergy available for diocesan appointments continues to decline. Since the turn of the millennium there has been a net loss of 6%. This is projected to continue at a similar level with the net loss over the period 2004 to 2009 approaching 700 from a current total of 8,897. (These figures include clergy with full-time appointments and those with part-time appointments aggregated to their full-time equivalents. Europe, due to the special nature of its chaplaincies is excluded.) These projections take into account the expected number of ordinations to stipendiary ministry. This figure stood at 235 in 2004. It is estimated to rise to 274 in 2005 and then fall back to 235 in 2006. For the years 2007 to 2009 a moving average of the previous five years ordination figures has been used. The number of people entering stipendiary ministry is not sufficient to replace those who are retiring. Detailed figures on the age structure are contained in Clergy Age Profiles and Age structure.
Among those licensed as unpaid ministers, the number of non-stipendiary ministers was 1,855 in 2004, compared with 1,779 in 2003 and 1,772 in 2000, a rise of 5% since the turn of the millennium. The number of ordained local ministers was 545 in 2004 compared to 498 in 2003 and 311 in 2000; thus there was a 75% increase in ordained local ministers between 2000 and 2004. The number of licensed readers has decreased by 3% over the same period. In 2004 there were 8,426 licensed readers, fewer than the 8,476 in 2003 and 8,694 in 2000 (excluding readers with permission to officiate and active emeriti).
The number of women clergy, stipendiary and non-stipendiary, continues to rise. In 2004 there were 1,401 women in full-time stipendiary diocesan appointments compared with 1,359 in 2003 and 1,140 in 2000, generating a four year rise of nearly a quarter (23%). These figures include the diocese in Europe. Women make up between one in six and one in seven (16%) of stipendiary parochial clergy. Out of every twelve incumbents one is a woman (8%). The equivalent figure for clergy of incumbent status is one in five clergy (22%). Of a total of 373 dignitaries in 2004, 21 were women, five more than 2003 and nine more than 2000. Women in non-stipendiary ministry in 2004 made up approaching a half (45%) of the total, and in ordained local ministry, just over one half of the total. For licensed readers the equivalent figure is similar at 45%.
The Church also benefits from the ministry of 243 Church Army evangelists, 604 professed members of religious communities, of whom 92 are ordained, and 1,238 chaplains working with mission agencies, the armed services, in hospitals, prisons, schools, higher and further education. In each of these categories of ministry there have been slight increases in numbers since 2003 although in each category there are fewer people than in 2000. In 2003 there were 239 Church Army evangelists, 591 professed members of religious communities and 1,216 chaplains. In contrast, in 2000 there were 257 Church Army evangelists, 729 professed members of religious communities and 1,258 chaplains.
The total number of recommendations for training in the sponsorship category of stipendiary/non-stipendiary ministry was 342 in 2004 - a rise of 17 over 2003. The numbers of men and women recommended in 2004 were 193 and 149 respectively. The number of people recommended for training for permanent non-stipendiary ministry rose from 123 in 2003 to 153 in 2004. The numbers of men and women recommended in 2004 were 61 and 92 respectively. The number recommended for ordained local ministry was 69 in 2004 (31 men and 38 women), an increase of twelve from 2003.
Overall there are a greater number of candidates in training on theological courses (638) at the end of 2004 than were at theological colleges (501). This is the reverse situation to 2000 when 578 were on training courses and 622 were at colleges. Over the last four years the overall number in training for ordination has dropped 5% with greatest number of candidates recommended for training being in the age range 40 to 49 years. The number of readers in training continues to fall, from 1,315 in 2000 and 1,166 in 2003 to 1,081 in 2004 (an 18% drop over four years).
Financial Giving
We can count the number of people who give to the Church by Gift Aid and the total sums that they give. This is the primary source of the Church's income and it was gratifying to see that the total sum given by these people increased by 6% and went above £200 million for the first time. Just over £60 million was recovered from the Inland Revenue in respect of this giving. On average, before the recovery of tax, each gift was £7.55 per week as shown in
Weekly average tax-efficient planned giving.
The number of tax-efficient planned givers continues to increase and since 2000, when the new arrangements for Gift Aid were brought in by the Government, another 100,000 donors give in this way. It might be expected that some of these donors have moved from just putting loose cash in the collection plate to giving by weekly envelope or standing order by Gift Aid. The amount given in loose cash went down by 1.4%, corresponding to a reduction in giving of about £800,000. The increase in giving by Gift Aid went up by over £11 million.
Income from other sources, such as donations, did not increase at such a high rate. The total income from all forms of donation increased by 3.8% and almost broke through the £400 million barrier.
It has long been felt that the Church should be able to encourage its people to leave legacies to the Church for its work in parishes and through its mission and voluntary societies. If the Church cannot talk positively about death, who can? About £37 million was left to the parishes in 2003 - a steady increase in recent years and 9% more than the previous year. The increase may, of course, be due to the rise in the value of estates because of the rise in house prices rather than an increase in the number of legacies.
Interesting though these movements in the Church's income are, they should not in themselves be the source of encouragement to Church people to give. True Christian giving is a response to the relationship that we have with God through his grace and not just because the size of the bills is increasing. The question that each Church person must ask is, "how can my giving reflect something of God's love for me?"
Summary
Today people support their local churches, chapels and cathedrals in many different ways. A national opinion survey in October 2003 by Opinion Research Business revealed that 86% of adults had visited a local church or chapel in the previous
year for a wide range of activities alongside attendance at church worship. While the quantitative information is not fully comprehensive, it does provide a healthy picture of the variety of local church life. Church attendance patterns, the role of the occasional offices, the increased diversity of ordained and lay ministries, financial giving and other measures of church support are all continuing to evolve at the turn of the millennium in ways which are beginning to capture the interest of many serious church commentators.
We are particularly grateful to the dioceses and the parishes for continuing to embrace new aspects of the annual parochial return exercise. Their co-operation continues to remain crucial to the successful gathering of the information required for this publication and we are encouraged that they too are finding the results useful for their own forward planning. This edition includes as much appropriate information as possible from the Diocese in Europe and from diocesan cathedrals.
Research and Statistics Department
Archbishops' Council, August 2005