UK Churches Attribute Increase of Parishioners to Economic Downturn
"It's undeniably true that the severity and speed of the economic downturn have challenged a lot of people to ask questions about where they place their trust."
(United Kingdom)—The Telegraph UK reports that churches around the country have seen an increase of visitors and are attributing it to the economic downturn.
Reverend Canon Paul Bayes, the Archbishop of Canterbury's adviser on church growth, said, "People are inclined to look at the church when their life gets a bit of a shock. This could be when you have a baby, or get married, or experience the loss of a loved one, and the current economic uncertainties are no different. We have two periods where people do this—New Year's resolutions and September when the children go to school. It's a moment to take stock." (Photo: Edward Sykes)
He added that the Church of England's invite-a-friend initiative had worked because of its simplicity. "It plays to the love that Christians have for their church," he said, "but also the love that they have for their friends. That's why our slogan is 'You're inviting someone you already know to something you already love'."
Dr John Preston, national stewardship officer for the Church of England said, "It's undeniably true that the severity and speed of the economic downturn have challenged a lot of people to ask questions about where they place their trust."
A spokesman for the Church of England added, "The severity and speed of the economic downturn have challenged a lot of people to ask questions about where they place their trust...anything that shakes the structure of our lives makes us think more about internal things [and begs the question] what are the alternatives? For some that's a return to the faith they always had; for others it's perhaps an exploration of something they may have unconsciously been groping towards."
