Here is a statement from my bishop on the latest statistics in England.
Census Data on religious affiliation
72 per cent of the population of England and Wales claim to be Christian, according to figures published today by the Office of National Statistics.
Full details, including local authority breakdowns, are available from the Office for National Statistics website.
For a national overview, click here: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=293
For local authority breakdowns, click here: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/census2001/default.asp
The Bishop of Lichfield has issued a press release recognising the challenge posed by the results, and this is attached below.
Best wishes,
Gavin Drake.
For immediate release: 13th February 2003
Census provides welcome challenge for church and society
The latest Census statistics, revealed today, provide a challenge for both church and society, according to the Bishop of Lichfield. The results show that some 37.3 million people in England and Wales state their religion as Christian - 72 per cent of the population.
The Bishop of Lichfield, the Rt Revd Keith Sutton, welcomed the figures, saying: "These figures prove as a lie claims by the National Secular Society and others that England is no longer a Christian country. Clergy in my diocese baptise some 23 per cent of all babies before they are one year old. The Christian faith is still relevant
to many, many people.
"But welcome as they are, the statistics are a wake-up call to all of us in Christian leadership. While the Christian faith remains relevant to the vast majority of society, the church is clearly no longer seen as important.
"There is a two-fold challenge. For the churches, it is a challenge to find ways of being relevant to the communities we seek to serve, that people will find a warm welcome in our churches and find ways of working out their faith. And for society - the majority of that 72 per cent who don't come to church - there is a challenge to act out their faith.
"Christianity is a living faith, which needs to be nurtured and grown. I would invite all those who call themselves Christian but are not part of a worshiping Christian community, to have courage to put their faith in action. A first step could be to go to take up the welcome from their local church and meet some of the congregation
and the minister.
"Christian churches across the diocese - of all denominations - provide many opportunities for people to learn more about the Christian faith. I hope that the release of these statistics may be the spur needed to encourage many to take those first steps towards developing their faith into a real and personal relationship with the living God."
The Rev'd Dr. Peter Toon
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