My dear Friends.

If you read certain newspapers or listen to certain people then the church is on the decline. In fact things are so bad (it is said) that in a generation or two Sunday Services of Worship will be a thing of the past and all of us clergy will be put out to grass.

In my 35 years in the Ministry it is true that I have seen great changes. Requests for the baptism of children are minimal compared to when I started. The number of weddings in church have declined dramatically and more recently I have also noted changes with respect to funerals with more non-religious ones being asked for.

The impression that many have is that the church is made up mainly of older people and very few children and young people have any real contact with the church. Numbers at Sunday School have fallen dramatically especially since the widespread opening of shops on a Sunday.

But how accurate are these impressions of church life, and what should we be doing as Christians to reverse the trend? We all know that we are to witness for our Lord wherever we are and whoever we are with, but it is not always easy in our society with all the rapid changes that are taking place. Can we learn from other churches which are apparently successful?

With this in mind and other factors the churches in England (not just the C. of E.) want some up- to-date facts and figures so that we can address the situation as it is and not as people imagine it is like.

So on 8th May there is to be an English Church Census.

Dr Peter Brierley writes -
'Every local church across England, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands is receiving this invitation to take part, and we do hope you will respond so that the results can be as accurate as possible. There are many changes taking place in church and society and it is important that we measure their effect so that appropriate strategic action can be taken.'

The form to be filled in is straightforward asking age and gender, frequency of attendance, ethnic group and if you read the Bible personally. It is completely anonymous and then after I have collected all the forms I have a long questionnaire to fill in (almost as bad as my income tax form!).

As churches we face an uphill task in the coming years but we follow a Lord who became completely open and vulnerable to us human beings, dying and rising for our salvation. This is such good news it must be shared with others and if we are going to do so as faithfully and effectively as we can in the future, we need not only to be much in prayer, willing to open our mouths to speak of Jesus, but also to know certain facts and figures on which our leaders can plan for the future.

So if you are in church on 8th May (if not I can give you a form before or after that date) please do help the ongoing work of the wider church by filling in this form.

With many thanks and God bless you
Yours sincerely

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