Church of England

====Continued decline in attendance and church response====
[[File:Holy trinity front 8809.jpg|thumb|One of the now "redundant" buildings, [[Holy Trinity Church, Wensley]], in North Yorkshire; much of the current structure was built in the 14th and 15th centuries]]

Bishop [[Sarah Mullally]] has insisted that declining numbers at services should not necessarily be a cause of despair for churches, because people may still encounter God without attending a service in a church; for example hearing the Christian message through social media sites or in a café run as a community project.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-06-09 |title=Empty pews not the end of the world, says Church of England's newest bishop |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/11663692/Empty-pews-not-the-end-of-the-world-says-Church-of-Englands-newest-bishop.html |first1=John |last1=Bingham |website=The Telegraph |language=en |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20231223084828/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/11663692/Empty-pews-not-the-end-of-the-world-says-Church-of-Englands-newest-bishop.html |archive-date= Dec 23, 2023 }}</ref> Additionally, 9.7&nbsp;million people visit at least one of its churches every year and 1&nbsp;million students are educated at Church of England schools (which number 4,700).<ref>{{cite web|title=Facts and Stats of The Church of England|url=https://www.churchofengland.org/about-us/facts-stats.aspx |publisher=Church of England|access-date=8 April 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160408084146/https://www.churchofengland.org/about-us/facts-stats.aspx |archive-date= 8 April 2016 }}</ref> In 2019, an estimated 10 million people visited a cathedral and an additional "1.3 million people visited Westminster Abbey, where 99% of visitors paid / donated for entry".<ref>{{Cite web|title=Key areas of research|url=https://www.churchofengland.org/about/research-and-statistics/key-areas-research|access-date=26 October 2021|website=The Church of England|language=en}}</ref> Nevertheless, the archbishops of [[Justin Welby|Canterbury]] and [[John Sentamu|York]] warned in January 2015 that the Church of England would no longer be able to carry on in its current form unless the downward spiral in membership were somehow to be reversed, as typical Sunday attendance had halved to 800,000 in the previous 40 years:<ref>[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/11340590/Church-of-England-cannot-carry-on-as-it-is-unless-decline-urgently-reversed-Welby-and-Sentamu.html "Church of England cannot carry on as it is unless decline 'urgently' reversed – Welby and Sentamu"], ''The Daily Telegraph'', 12 January 2015.</ref>
{{blockquote|The urgency of the challenge facing us is not in doubt. Attendance at Church of England services has declined at an average of one per cent per annum over recent decades and, in addition, the age profile of our membership has become significantly older than that of the population... Renewing and reforming aspects of our institutional life is a necessary but far from sufficient response to the challenges facing the Church of England. ... The age profile of our clergy has also been increasing. Around 40 per cent of parish clergy are due to retire over the next decade or so.}}

Between 1969 and 2010, almost 1,800 church buildings, roughly 11% of the stock, were closed (so-called "[[redundant churches]]"); the majority (70%) in the first half of the period; only 514 being closed between 1990 and 2010.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.cofe.anglican.org/about/churchcommissioners/pastoralandclosedchurches/closedchurches/ |title=Closed Churches Division |access-date=30 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101229125945/http://www.cofe.anglican.org/about/churchcommissioners/pastoralandclosedchurches/closedchurches/ |archive-date=29 December 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Some active use was being made of about half of the closed churches.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.theheritagealliance.org.uk/hrba/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/churches-and-closure-in-cofe-mar-2010.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=30 June 2018 |archive-date=21 June 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170621141527/http://www.theheritagealliance.org.uk/hrba/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/churches-and-closure-in-cofe-mar-2010.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> By 2019 the rate of closure had steadied at around 20 to 25 per year (0.2%); some being replaced by new places of worship.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.churchofengland.org/more/parish-reorganisation-and-closed-church-buildings/closed-churches|title=Closed churches|website=The Church of England}}</ref> Additionally, in 2018 the church announced a £27&nbsp;million growth programme to create 100 new churches.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.anglicannews.org/news/2018/07/church-of-england-announces-100-new-churches-in-27-million-pound-growth-programme.aspx|title=Church of England announces 100 new churches in £27 million growth programme|website=www.anglicannews.org}}</ref>