UK Church Statistics No 2 2010-2020
This second edition is a newly updated compilation of the number of (a) members, (b) churches and (c) ministers or leaders of the many denominations in the UK, with summary tables, explanatory articles and other data. It gives a detailed denomination by denomination overview of church membership, churches and congregations and the number of ministers (including gender). Every known accessible denomination was contacted directly or their website used for information (with numbers estimated from past data for replies not received).
It covers the years 2008, each year from 2010 to 2013 inclusive with a forecast for 2015 and 2020, often provided by the individual denomination itself. The Introduction draws out the major trends and items of importance from this mass of data. In particular two key groups have been especially analysed – the many new immigrant churches and their impact on existing denominations, and Fresh Expressions, a generic name applied to a whole range of informal regular worshiping fellowships.
There were an estimated 290 different denominations in the UK in 2013, by far the largest proportion (about a third) being those which are Pentecostal, particularly black groups. These denominations are grouped together into 10 broad categories – Anglican, Baptist, Roman Catholic, Independent, Methodist, New Churches, Orthodox, Pentecostal, Presbyterian and Smaller (or Other) Denominations.
In addition, there are separate sections giving Borough details from the 2012 London Church Census, a count of church numbers by denomination by county, and a Local/Unitary Authority listing of numbers belonging to different religions from the 2001 and 2011 Population Censuses, and the number of churchgoers in 1989, 1998, 2005 and estimated for 2012, expressed both in numerical terms and as a percentage of the population.
There is also a section on International Statistics, and one looking at other UK religious and social statistics, as well as essays on different facets of UK religious life. There is also a comprehensive 4,000-entry Index.
Comments on the first edition in 2011 included:
“I’m extremely impressed with this publication. Rarely have I found a reference book on any topic that is this comprehensive, detailed and easy to navigate. It’s an excellent piece of work; thank you for your efforts in producing it.” Mike S, a Market and Competitor Intelligence Executive with a leading insurance company.
The value of the volume is that it gives you the latest data at your finger-tips in an easily accessible and user-friendly mode. Graphs and charts illustrate the figures throughout, and the forward-looking estimates give valuable indications of possible trends (both positive and negative).
Cost is £27, postage free.
The Introduction and the essays in this book may all be viewed in the ‘Where is the Church going?’ section on this website
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