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LONDON’S CHURCHESARE GROWING!

LONDON’S CHURCHESARE GROWING!

London’s Churches are Growing!

Introduction

This booklet summarises some of the key findings from a comprehensive study of churchesin London in 2012 called the London Church Census. Four Censuses covering the whole ofEngland have been undertaken in previous years, and results from London and the rest ofEngland from the last of these in 2005 is used for comparison. We are very grateful for allthose who supported this Census and to all the many church leaders who responded. TheCouncil of Reference of 22 senior leaders was drawn from all the major churchdenominations, including the new ethnic churches, and agencies and other groupings.

The London City Mission, which for nearly 180 years has been presenting theChristian gospel to the inhabitants of London, wanted more information to enable it to workas strategically as possible in the years ahead. They were particularly interested in whatinformation could be gathered on the extent and effectiveness of church planting in London.

It therefore commissioned Brierley Consultancy to undertake this work because ofthe experience of Dr Peter Brierley who heads it up, researching the Christian church overmany years, not least as Director of Christian Research, the body responsible for manyChurch Censuses, and the volumes of Religious Trends and the UK Christian Handbook.We are grateful to him for all the work undertaken for this study.

The focal challenges of the London Church Census involve location, leadership,culture, ethnicity, gender and age. Above all, these require clear thinking, impassionedpraying, and strategic action. This study will have failed if it only results in academicagreement (or disagreement!). It will have succeeded only if churches are driven to prayerand then to such actions as exploring the possibility of a church plant, considering anevangelism teaching course, developing a Bible-based teaching ministry, freeing leadershipsolely for the task in hand, providing for a youth worker, and expanding outreach amongprofessionals, students, men, immigrants, the elderly, disabled, singles, those living onCouncil Estates, those of alternative faiths and other specialist groups. The fields ARE readyfor harvest.

Alan Black Chief Executive Officer

© Dr Peter Brierley June 2013 ISBN: 978-0-9566577-5-6

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1) Church attendance in London is growing fast

Church attendance has grown from just over 620,000 in 2005 to just over 720,000in the 7 years to 2012, a 16% increase. Nowhere else in the UK has attendancegrown so dramatically. While these numbers are across all denominations, thegrowth is especially seen in the Black Majority Churches (Pentecostals) and the

various Immigrant Churches (Smaller Denominations).

Church attendance on a typical Sunday in London, 1989-2020E

However, the increase may not continue. Not all churches are growing,and over the next 8 years, total attendance could drop 2% to just over 700,000.

.Both of the main growing groups are doing so because many

immigrants are coming to London, but not all immigrants stay in London.

# How may church growth among immigrants best beencouraged in other UK cities and urban areas?

Why is the church growing more rapidly among BMC andImmigrant Churches than traditional English denominations?

4

2) There are three main groups of churches

Total London church attendance is about a quarter (24%) of thatin the whole of England. There are three main groups:

1) The Black Majority Churches and Immigrantswhich have been growing fastest

2) The Larger Churches (200 or more on a Sunday, but a third are 500or more), mainly Catholic, Anglican or BMCs; these also are growing

3) All the other churches, more in Outer London than Inner London, whichform half the congregations (50%) but only a quarter (22%) of the

attenders. Many of these are declining.

As well as the BMCs and Immigrant Churches, the Orthodox Churches arealso growing (but they are very small in numbers), as are the New Churches

and the Roman Catholics (although only just). Despite many largerchurches, the Anglicans overall are declining..

# In which group is your church? Has its congregation grown ordeclined over the past few years? Why do think this is so?

5

3) Reasons for church growth

Some BMC Churches have started in those areas in which black peoplemostly live, which might be called “neighbourhood” churches, designed to be within

10 minutes walking distance. Many of the Immigrant Churches have started to caterfor non-English speakers (14% of London churches use a language

other than English); these might be called “speciality” churches. Some of thelarger churches would be in this category too, while some are planting churches

out of their existing congregations.

Growth in attendance between 2005 and 2012

# In which London Borough does your church lie?Can you identify any local “unchurched” areas where a

“church plant” might be viable?

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4) Many of London’s churchgoers are Evangelical

Three-fifths (61%) of the ministers of London’s churches said their church wasEvangelical, and these churches accounted for just over half, 52%, of all

churchgoers. The difference is because the Catholic churches are so much largerthan the others: the average size of a Evangelical church in London in 2012 was

130 people, while Catholics were 320, and all others 120 people per church.

Across England as a whole, only 38% of both churches and churchgoersare Evangelical. That so many more in London are Evangelical is because

most of the Black Churches are Evangelical,

The Evangelical Churches are also growing the fastest (up 30% between2005 and 2012), and also have the youngest churchgoers, as many of the new

Pentecostal Churches have as yet relatively few older people.

# In what circumstances might Evangelicals, without compromise,co-operate with other churchmanships in the interests

of extending the Kingdom?

7

5) Gender of London’s churchgoers

Overall, 44% of those attending in London’s congregations in 2012 were male and56% female, very similar to the rest of England in 2005.

In two areas though the gender is different from what might be expected.Those under 20 are on average 25% of the total, but 29% of male churchgoers

are under 20 while only 24% of female churchgoers are.

Secondly, London churchgoers increased in number by a total of nearly100,000 people between 2005 and 2012. 82% of that increase was female!

Increase in numbers joining London churches 2005-2012 by gender

One third (33%) of the female increase is among those aged 20 to 44,and a further third (32%) among those aged 65 or over.

On average the mean age of a female London worshipper is 42, younger than in Englandas a whole where it was 46 in 2005.

# What programmes, incentives or other methods can churches useto encourage more men to join their congregations?

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6) Age of London’s churchgoers

The first Table shows the proportions by age attending churchin London in 2012, broken down by Inner and Outer London.

Age group Under 15%

15-19%

20-29%

30-44%

45-64%

65 & over%

Averageage

Base(=100%)

Inner 19 5 14 21 21 20 40 320,900

Outer 22 5 9 21 21 22 41 400,600

All London 21 5 11 21 21 21 41 721,500

This Table shows that while Outer London has a greater number of childrenin church than Inner London and more older people, the really big difference

is the proportion of those aged 20-29 who are much more likely to go to churchin Inner London. More than half of those in their 20s going to church in

Greater London go to an Inner London church.

The next Table contrasts the age of London’s churchgoers with the average age of thosein the rest of England, these figures coming from the 2005 English Church Census.

Age group Under 15%

15-19%

20-29%

30-44%

45-64%

65 & over%

Averageage

Base(=100%)

London 2005 21 6 11 21 22 19 41 623,000

Rest of England 20 5 6 14 24 31 46 2,543,200

All England 20 5 7 16 24 28 45 3,166,200

This second Table shows that:

(A) Between 2005 and 2012, the proportion of London attenders under 20 has droppedfrom 27% to 26%, and the total percentage 45 and over has increased from 42% to 43%.

(B) The big difference is the percentage of those aged 20 to 44 attending church inLondon totalling 32% against 20% of churchgoers across the rest of England. The

London percentage of those in their 20s is almost double that for the rest of England.

# What attracts those in their 20s to the Inner London churches,even if they don’t live there? How can smaller local churcheswelcome them when these factors become less significant?

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7) Age varies by size of church and denomination

Age of churchgoers in London by size of church, 2012

Smaller congregations have more older people, while larger churches are likelyto have a greater percentage aged 15 to 29. The average age of a churchgoer

in a congregation of 25 or under is 50 while it is 40 in churches with 100 or more.

As there are many more smaller churches than larger ones in London the overallaverage age in 2012 was 41, while the national average was 45 in 2005.

The increasing proportion of those aged both 15 to 29 and 30 to 44the larger the church may be readily seen.

The average age also varies by denomination:

Those in Methodist and URC churches average 56

.Anglicans and Roman Catholics average 45

Those in Baptist, Independent, Orthodox and Smaller denominations

churches average 42

Those in Pentecostal and New Churches average 33

# How far is the size of the church more significant thandenomination in attracting those between 15 and 44

and how can this be used for the Kingdom?

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8) London is ethnically and religiously diverse

Group: White%

Asian%

Black%

Mixed%

Other%

Base(=100%)

Inner London 57 16 17 6 4 3.2 m

Outer London 62 20 11 4 3 5.0 m

All London 60 18 13 6 3 8.2 m

Rest of England 90 6 2 2 0 44.8 m

All England 86 8 3 2 1 53.0 m

The Table shows that two-fifths of London’s population is non-white, a proportion fourtimes as great as that prevailing in the rest of England (40% to 10%). London has 3times more Asians (18% to 6%), 3 times more “Mixed” (6% to 2%) and 6 times more

Black people (13% to 2%) than the rest of England.

Such diversity is expressed inthe focussing of certain

nationalities and religions inparticular areas of the capital.

The map shows thedistribution of London’sMuslims, for example.

# Whatopportunities, even

if limited, mightthere be in the

strongholds of otherreligions and

cultures for theministry of the

church?

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9) The significance of London’s ethnic Christian churchgoers

9% of London’s population goes to church on an average Sunday, but this variesby ethnicity: 4% of Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi; 8% of the white population;

16% of the Chinese, Korean and Japanese and 19% of the black population.

Church attendance by ethnicity, Inner and Outer London

Almost half of Inner London’s churchgoers were black in 2012.

14% of church services in London are translated into a language other than English.

There is a wide variety of such languages, such as: Acholi (Ugandan), Arabic,Assyrian, Cantonese and Mandarin Chinese, Coptic, Croatian, Fanti (Ghana), Filipino,

French, German, Greek, Gujarati, Hindu, Hungarian, Japanese, Korean, Lingala (Congo),Lithuanian, Malayalam, Persian, Portuguese, Punjabi, Romanian, Russian, Rwandan,

Serbian, Shona (Zimbabwe), Sinhalese (Sri Lanka), Slovak, Spanish, Taiwanese, Tamil,Xhosa (South Africa) and Yoruba (Nigeria).

# What and how can white majority churches learn fromBMCs? Should white majority churches recruit leaders from

BMCs to learn afresh how to reach those outside the church?

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10) Midweek activities are numerous

Over three-fifths (63%) of London’s churches hold a mid-week worshipservice, with half of the total attendance being in either Pentecostal or Anglican

churches (some of the latter are lunch-time Bible readings). Attendance averages 55 people, twice the national average of 29 in 2005.

About half (45%) the churches in London have some kind of mid-week youth activity,against 27% in England in 2005, but attendance is about the same (30 per week). Three-

quarters of these (76%) come to church on a Sunday.

A quarter (23%) of churches also undertook some form of Community activitysuch as Drop-in Centre or Lunch Club during the week, similar to the

national 20% in 2005. These average 71 people per church, almost a thirdhigher than the national average of 55. This excludes outside organisations

which might hire rooms or make use of church premises.

The Commiunity activities attracted broadly equal proportions of thoseunder 20 (38%), 20 to 44 and 45 and over (31% each).

More people are contacted each week through such community work thanthrough all the youth activities.

Gender of Mid-week attenders, 2012

Collectively all this mid-week activity adds up to an extra 310,000 peopleinteracting with churches, 120,000 of whom only come to a weekday activity.

Thus collectively, across the whole week, 840,000 of those living or working in Londoncome to church, over 10% of the entire London population.

# What is your church doing to reach those in your local communitynot likely to engage with programmes housed in the church?

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11) Church planting

One London church in 7, 15%, had started another congregation within the previous 20years (that is, since 1992). 93% of these new churches were still meeting 5 years later.

Pentecostals had started the most, followed by the Anglicans and Smaller Denom-inations (most of the latter being specialist Immigrant Churches). Two-fifths were startedby an individual or small group, and a third as an off-shoot from a mother congregation.

Why start a new church? The survey indicated it was in order to reach out to particularnationalities, or the people in a specific location, or to reach certain kinds of people,

including adherents of particular denominations (who were often immigrants).

Half said a particular organisation, or person or other resource had been a majorinfluence. Half started with a full-time leadership, on average 8 years younger thanexisting church leaders. The average initial budget was £25,000, and the average

initial congregation was 28 people.

How congregations of newly started churches changed over five years

Two-fifths (38%) of the growth was reckoned to be new people, or at least those notpreviously churchgoers. Three-quarters said the new church was financially self-

supporting after 5 years.

# What factors might need to be considered in starting achurch plant, and what additional factors might be

relevant in helping a church plant to grow?

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12) London’s leaders and their churches

Many churches were started in London in the second half of the 20 century.th

Half the churches have just one service on a Sunday, a third have two,and a fifth (19%) 3 or more. Three-fifths (63%) of Pentecostal and New Churches

rent their church premises, a third for the whole of a Sunday.Two-fifths of churches share their building with other churches.

Leadership is always a crucial factor, and 7% of current London leaders areresponsible for more than one church (against 32% across England). The senior

leader is likely to stay in post longer than in other parts of the country.Two-thirds (67%) of churches have a paid ordained leader, but only 13% a paid

full- or part-time youth worker. Anglicans and New Churches were morelikely to have youth workers than other denominations.

London churchgoers were more likely to attend every week than elsewhere in the UK. 6% of those attending are visitors. A large extra number of people are reported

to attend at Christmas. Churchgoers have been attending the same church on averagefor 10 years. On average they live 2 miles away, less in Outer London than Inner London

where people are able to travel more easily. Two-thirds (70%) are estimated to beactive/regular members, 22% committed but not active, and 8% not yet committed.

Length of attendance and distance lived from church, London, 2012

# What proportion of those who attend your church comefrom the surrounding community? How can the

relationship with your neighbourhood be deepened?Is your church a staging post or a terminus?

ADBC publishers are part of Brierley Consultancy which helps build strategicvision for individual churches and Christian agencies, undertakes researchand interpretation for Christian leaders, and enables directional thinking inchurches or agencies using the latest analyses of Christian life in the UK andthe world. The full report London’s Churches are Growing will be availableas a book in October 2013, and more detailed tables will be included in UK

Church Statistics Volume 2 to be published in 2014.

FutureFirst is a popular bi-monthly bulletin for churchleaders who want the latest facts, and explanationson Christian statistics, both in the UK and worldwide.“A very useful digest,” said one leader. “I read it fromcover to cover!” said another. Please tick if you wouldlike a sample copy.

God’s Questions: Vision, Strategy and Growth follows through theimplications of “Adam, where are you?” (you and the big picture), “Moses,what’s that in your hand?” (understand your strengths), “Elijah, what are youdoing here?” (priorities), “Amos, what do you see?” (vision) and “Ezekiel, canthese dry bones live?” (faith to take risks). “Always in a context ofencouragement ... someone who understands the realities of church life”(from the Foreward by Prof John Drane). Price £5 including p & p. RRP£8.99.

9 Please send the book London’s Churches are Growing for £10 incl p & pwhen published

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Millions of people in London have no knowledge at all of Jesus, and have little or no contact with church. This city is home to the poor, the marginalised, the immigrants, the lonely and those without hope - the kind of people Jesus spent so much of his time with.

Our outreach teams go to people, wherever they are and share the transforming love of God. Blocks of flats with grimy stairwells. A crowded station. The draughty corner of an underpass. These are all familiar scenes to London City Mission workers who go into every area of London life, seeking to win this great city for Christ.

Sharing Jesus Christ with all London

London City Mission175 Tower Bridge RoadLondonSE1 2AHTel: 020 7407 7585

Email:Website:Twitter:Facebook:Blog:

enquiries@lcm.org.ukwww.lcm.org.uk@londoncmfacebook.com/londoncmblog.lcm.org.uk

Total church attendance by London Borough, 1989 to 2012

LondonBorough

Churchgoers Change % % of population

1989 1998 2 005 2012 89-98 98-05 05-12 1989 1998 2005 2012

Camden 15,700 15,600 20,400 21,700 -1 +31 +6 9.1 8.4 9.3 9.8

City of London 5,200 4,400 4,100 5,100 -15 -7 +24 124.5 88.5 47.1 69.2

City of Westminster 31,500 25,900 28,500 33,400 -15 +10 +17 17.9 11.8 12. 3 15.2

Hackney 9,700 11,700 17,800 16,100 +21 +52 -10 6.3 6.1 8.5 6.5

Hammersmith & Ful. 11,200 9,500 9,900 10,500 -15 +4 +6 7.5 6.1 5.6 5.8

Haringey 17,400 19,400 20,200 25,900 +11 +4 +28 8.5 8.8 8.9 10.2

Islington 11,200 10,500 13,200 13,900 -6 +28 +5 6.7 5.9 7.3 6.7

Kensington & Chelsea 23,500 25,000 27,300 28,800 +6 +9 +5 16.8 14.8 14.7 18.2

Lambeth 21,600 16,800 19,600 31,300 -22 +17 +60 8.7 6.3 7.3 10.3

Lewisham 34,000 28,000 27,200 31,400 -18 -3 +15 14.6 11.5 10.9 11.4

Newham 9,400 10,100 12,100 16,100 +7 +20 +33 4.4 4.4 4.9 5.2

Southwark 23,700 23,900 26,000 39,400 +1 +9 +52 10.8 10.4 10.1 13.7

Tower Hamlets 10,700 11,000 11,700 14,900 +3 +6 +27 6.6 6.1 5.6 5.9

Wandsworth 26,800 27,900 27,700 32,400 +4 -1 +17 10.5 10.6 10.0 10.6

Inner London 251,600 239,700 265,700 320,900 -5 +11 +21 11.1 8.9 9.0 9.9

Barking & Dagenham 10,200 8,500 7,400 9,700 -17 -13 +31 7.0 5.5 4.5 5.2

Barnet 15,300 18,700 19,000 21,900 +22 +2 +15 5.2 5.7 5.8 6.1

Bexley 16,200 12,400 10,000 11,100 -23 -19 +11 7.5 5.7 4.5 4.8

Brent 35,000 39,700 39,700 41,600 +13 0 +5 14.3 15.8 14.7 13.4

Bromley 31,400 24,000 20,000 23,900 -24 -17 +20 10.7 8.1 6.6 7.7

Croydon 44,000 34,600 28,700 35,500 -21 -17 +24 13.9 10.3 8.4 9.8

Ealing 20,900 19,700 20,100 23,600 -6 +2 +17 7.5 6.6 6.6 7.0

Enfield 32,300 37,000 37,400 39,600 +15 +1 +6 12.4 14.0 13. 3 12.7

Greenwich 17,400 14,500 14,600 19,100 -17 +1 +31 8.3 6.8 6.4 7.5

Harrow 26,400 27,000 26,100 26,400 +2 -3 +1 13.1 12.9 12.2 11.0

Havering 19,400 18,500 17,100 16,300 -5 -8 -5 8.4 8.2 7.5 6.9

Hillingdon 19,600 23,200 22,100 24,600 +18 -5 +11 8.4 9.3 8.8 9.0

Hounslow 10,700 12,500 13,800 15,900 +17 +10 +15 5.2 5.9 6.5 6.3

Kingston u’ Thames 15,800 15,600 14,800 14,800 -1 -5 0 11.8 10.7 9.7 9.2

Merton 14,800 11,200 11,300 14,700 -24 +1 +30 8.7 6.1 5.8 7.4

Redbridge 22,800 18,400 14,400 15,400 -19 -22 +4 10.0 8.0 5.8 5.5

Richmond-u’-Thames 17,500 14,500 13,200 14,600 -17 -9 +11 10.8 7.8 7.2 7.8

Sutton 15,300 12,600 12,800 14,400 -18 +2 +13 9.0 7.2 7.2 7.6

Waltham Forest 13,000 15,600 14,800 17,500 +20 -5 +18 6.1 7.1 6.6 6.8

Outer London 398,000 378,200 357,300 400,600 -5 -6 +12 8.9 8.5 7.9 8.1

Greater London 649,600 617,900 623,000 721,500 -5 +1 +16 9.6 8.6 8.3 8.8

% Inner of Total 39% 39% 43% 44%