It's no surprise

It's not news that attendance in the Church of England is declining. Peter Brierly's book, "The Tide is Running Out" includes the following statistics: In 1979, 5.4 million people in England attended church on an average Sunday. Ten years later in 1989 this had become 4.7 million and it fell to 3.7 million in 1998. In the nine years between 1989 and 1998 there has been a drop of one million. He says, "The numbers in this book show a haemorrhage akin to a burst artery," and because the trend is worse among teenagers he says, "we could literally be one generation from extinction." Of course it's not the attendance itself that is important; it is just a symptom of the real problem.

Given this next set of statistics you'll understand why this could be happening. These are rough statistics and I must admit my lack of journalistic integrity here as I cannot quote the source. However, I do believe them to be reputable. Of the clergy in the Church of England, 20% don't believe that God created the world; 25% don't believe that Christ died for our sins; 33% don't believe that Christ rose bodily from his grave; and 50% don't believe that Christ is the only way to salvation. Whether the percentages are 25% or 35% or 60% the point is that they are significant.

If the church is not teaching the good news that Jesus died for my sins to reconcile me to God and bring me hope then what is the point in going to church? If there is no good news then certainly I can do without another "set of rules" that take up my time on a Sunday. It is no surprise that attendance is declining.

To say that the church in England is on the verge of extinction seems to be a lack of faith in God's power and his message. But obviously this message must be preached or there is no power since the gospel is "the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes." Perhaps that is why Brierly's book also reports, and this is still the current trend, that there is positive growth among mainstream Evangelical Anglican churches.