Huge growth of black majority churches in London

Photo: Christian Today

London's Southwark area has seen a huge surge in the number of new churches, particularly black majority churches (BMCs).

Many of the new BMCs in the south London borough are Pentecostal with a largely Caribbean or African membership.

That is according to new research published by the University of Roehampton, which also found that there are an estimated 20,000 people gathering to worship in around 240 different churches across Southwark each week.

The University of Roehampton warned in its Being Built Together report, however, that despite the popularity of church attendance in Southwark, there is a "severe lack of suitable premises for worship" within the borough.

New churches are "frequently" unable to secure premises which fit the local authority's definition of a suitable worship place.

This can result in churches meeting in inappropriate settings such as industrial buildings without the necessary change of use planning permission, the report said. Read more