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REX/Design Pics Inc
UK News

Fall in CofE Church attendances

New figures reveal in 2013 an average of one million people went to church regularly.

The count, which takes place every October, showed around 2,000 baptisms, 1,000 weddings and 3,000 funerals were conducted every week.

According to the Church that means a further half a million people attend a service conducted by a Church of England minister every week.

Services in hospitals, prisons, schools, universities and military bases are not included in the attendance totals.

Christmas services are continuing to pull in a stable number with 2.4 million people attending worship on Christmas Eve and Day.

The Bishop of Sheffield, Rt Revd. Steven Croft, said: "These figures show the Church of England continues to serve the nation with a core of 1 million activist members who worship faithfully each week.

"At a time when membership of political parties is at an historic low and in a society which feels increasingly time squeezed, it is conspicuous that the Church of England's committed weekly base of parish worshippers remains a million strong with the last Census showing many millions more identifying with the Church.

"In addition to the regular worshipping core the Church continues to serve all those who look to us to mark the most important events of their life journey through weddings, baptisms and funerals.

"Through these services alone we estimate that a further half a million people attend Church every week of the year, many of whom will be only fringe or occasional visitors."

Figures also show nearly half of the 67,000 new joiners to churches came for the first time rather than from another church.

Adult baptisms are also on the increase up by 3,000 in a decade.

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