More people going to church

12 April 2012

Churchgoing is on the rise, according to Christian charity Tearfund.

Figures reveal more than a quarter of adults in the UK attend church at least once a year, while 15% of Britons go at least once a month.

Monthly attendance stood at 13% in the previous year's survey.

The upward trend comes after a number of years of reported decline, Tearfund said.

Matthew Frost, chief executive of the relief and development agency, said: "We have noticed that in the last year, there has been a significant increase in monthly attendance, bringing the figure for autumn 2008 to 15% after a number of years of reported decline.

"Similarly, the proportion of UK adults attending church at least once a year has increased from 21% in 2007 to 26% in 2008, which is an increase from around one in five adults to around one in four.

"Our understanding is that more people are attending now than before, even if that is only a couple of times a year rather than every week.

"This might mean going to church at one of the high points in their family's year, such as Christmas or Easter, or attending Sunday services or midweek events.

"This is of course immensely encouraging, because it shows that people are associating church and a belief in God with hope and joy, and a positive way to spend their time."

The findings were a result of interviews with 7,000 people about their churchgoing habits.

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