MORE people are worshipping in our churches as regulars find new ways of welcoming newcomers.

A packed cathedral congregation listens to Bishop Christopher preach

Official figures out today (Thurs 19 Jan) show a six per cent rise in the number of worshippers in churches in our diocese on Sundays and throughout the week. It’s one of the largest increases in the Church of England.

In 2010, 15,100 adults and children worshipped in Anglican churches in south-east Hampshire and the Isle of Wight – up from 14,200 in 2009. Half of the increase was among children and young people.

Clergy say the hard work of building relationships with families outside the regular congregation and caring for the needy are behind the increase.

Bishop Christopher said: “These statistics date from before my time as bishop, but the evidence seems to show that where parishes have made mission and outreach a real priority, more people are joining us.

“It’s easy to imagine that there is some innovation or gimmick that might bring more people in. In my experience, it’s the patient, hard work of clergy, lay leaders and church members in quietly caring for people’s needs, gently introducing them to Jesus and effectively welcoming them to church that makes a difference.

“Of course, church attendance is just one way you can measure the effectiveness of the Church. We’re also called to help to transform society outside the church doors. But I’m still delighted that congregations are seeing growth.”

Among the churches that have seen significant increases is St Matthew’s, Blackmoor, north of Petersfield. In 2009, an average of 129 people attended services each week. In 2010, the figure reached 163.

The Rev Will Hughes, who was vicar at the time, said a regular midweek children’s workshop and good children’s groups on Sundays had helped to develop relationships with families. 

And three initiatives for adults  – a weekly craft group, a group for those who had been bereaved, and a drop-in coffee morning in Whitehill Village Hall – transformed relationships with the community and brought new people to services.

“All three showed the church to be a friendly and generous place, and built relationships, which made it easy for someone to come into the church on Sunday,” said Will.

Another factor was moving baptism services to a time that suited families rather than the church – on Sunday afternoons rather than within morning services. It prompted three times as many families to bring children for baptism, which gave them a good experience of church. 

At St Peter’s Church, Petersfield, regular e-mails to families telling them what to expect at forthcoming family services helped average Sunday attendance to increase from 204 to 228.

The Rev Dom Clarke, who was curate at the time, said: “It was a straightforward idea that increased church attendance - it’s all about developing good relationships with people, the community and especially with the local schools. 

“Using social media like Facebook, Twitter or just simple e-mails to keep in touch and encourage people to come to church really works. Of course you also have to offer a warm and friendly environment and a community that is committed to engaging and lively spirit-led worship as well.”

St Jude’s Church, Southsea, saw their numbers increase from 209 each week in 2009 to 265 in 2010. That was partly because a £1m project creating a stunning new entrance to the church and transforming its interior had been completed.

The vicar, the Rev Mike Duff, said: “Our vision for the church includes growing numerically, and the reason we created a new entrance was to make the church more welcoming. We opened the church throughout the day and 1,000 people visited in the first six weeks after the project was completed.

“We now worship in a more intimate, informal setting. We’ve also introduced the chance for people in the congregation to talk to each other as part of the service, which means no one gets missed out. And it’s no longer difficult to find the coffee after the service – it’s on the way out, which means more people stop to talk.”

Congregations have grown by another 10 per cent in 2011, when a new set of evangelistic services – Funday Sunday, for families, and Come and See, for those who prefer a more traditional service – drew in hundreds more worshippers on specific Sundays. 

And it’s not just larger churches that have seen growth. Bonchurch Parish Church and Old Church on the Isle of Wight saw congregations grow by 17 per cent, and St James, Yarmouth, also on the island, saw attendance rise by 22 per cent in 2010.

The official statistics are calculated by counting the numbers who attend Sunday and weekday services throughout October. They are collated by the national Church, which today announced that almost 1.7 million people attend Anglican services each month.

And after extensive work by the national Weddings Project and changes in the rules about where couples can marry, the number of church weddings increased by four per cent in 2010. The statistics also counted the number of Fresh Expressions of church for the first time, showing there were more than 1,000 nationwide.