Is This The Future of Churchgoing in the US?
ENGLAND: Churchgoing on its knees as Christianity falls out of favour UK population: approximately 58 mil. UK church attendance: 4 mil (at least 1x / mo) The article is slightly confusing about which churches are actually growing but essentially they are evangelical Baptists and other independent denominations. "One small area of growth is in Northern Ireland, where the enthusiasm of Pentecostals and other independents has led to a slight increase in numbers of churches - a trend expected to continue to 2050." The Orthodox church is also mentioned as growing. Here's the sad news that must have John & Charles Wesley rolling over in their graves, "By 2050 there will be just 3,600 churchgoing Methodists left in Britain". The same is true for Presbyterians. Most of the Methodist and Presbyterian parishioners are over 65. Which leads me to think about something else I blogged about recently: if there is a pandemic in the UK it may very well wipe out at least a couple entire denominations. By contrast my beloved Evangelical Covenant Church continues its steady growth pattern. By 2050 the ECC will likely dominate the Church of England. Interesting quote: "The report makes it clear that Christianity is becoming a minority religion. It also reflects the changing nature of religious practice worldwide and will further aid the stated aim of the Prince of Wales who, on his Coronation, hopes to become Defender of Faith rather than Defender of the Faith." |
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