Despite evidence of wider church decline, new research undertaken by the Church Army reveals that many churches up and down the country are in fact experiencing unprecedented growth thanks to fresh expressions.
That's according to the findings of their new report, being presented today at the Faith in Research Conference in London.
In addition to fresh expressions of church, the report details how attendance levels at more traditional cathedrals are also in good health.
The fresh expression movement aims to engage especially with those who would not usually consider attending a traditional church, and worship takes on different forms. Some fresh expressions meet in more unusual locations such as pubs or bars, though many use church buildings but take a more informal approach to services.
The new research shows that within the average diocese, fresh expressions make up 15 per cent of the total number of churches, and 10 per cent of the attendance.
An estimated 21,000 people attend fresh expression churches in the 10 surveyed areas of the 44 Church of England Dioceses, and 66 per cent of those churches are either growing in number or maintaining their congregation size.
These figures indicate that the changing landscape of religion in the UK means that churches are having to do things differently by adapting to the needs of their local communities – and it's working. Keep reading
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