Church attendance across the Diocese of Oxford, which includes Buckinghamshire, has continued to grow in the last year, mirroring figures which were released by the Church of England earlier this week.
Evidence gathered through the Statistics for Mission study shows recovery from the pandemic lockdowns has continued, and attendance has reached 84% of the 2019 level, up from 81% in 2022. This represents an average of an extra three people attending each church each week.
Bishop Steven welcomed the figures. He said: “We are encouraged by this continued upward trend for which I commend the hard work and devotion of clergy, lay ministers and church officers. We are seeing a long, slow regathering of the people of God, by the grace of God. We give thanks for the rebuilding of our church communities and for the prayer and ministry of our parishes which has led to this.
“But there is much to do. We recognise ministry to families has been slower to recover which is why, as a diocese, we will be renewing our focus on bringing the Gospel to all ages, especially children.”
Church attendance figures are one important pointer among many in how the Church is fulfilling its mission to make disciples and serve the Kingdom of God. It shows where the diocese is making and losing disciples and where the Church faces challenges.
Read Dr Bev Botting’s full report on the Diocese of Oxford website.
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Notes to Editor
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About the Diocese of Oxford
The Diocese of Oxford is the Church of England in the Thames Valley region of Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire. There are over 800 churches in 626 parishes, the largest number of churches of any diocese in the Church of England. The diocese is also home to 285 schools and academies educating some 60,000 pupils.