CAPITAL GROWTH:
What the 2012 London Church Census Reveals
By Peter Brierley
ADBC. 176 pages. £8.99
ISBN 978 0 956 657 763
In this book the well-known church statistician Peter Brierley shares the results of a detailed survey of churches (i.e. those holding to a basic Trinitarian confession but varying in other beliefs, so not just evangelical churches) in the nation’s capital. It is encouraging reading!
The headline is that 720,000 people were found to be regularly going to church on Sunday, 100,000 more than just seven years before. Though much of this is due to immigration from places where church-going is more common, it also bears testimony to the vibrancy of a Christianity that is alive and thriving. So, for example, over 1,000 new churches have been planted in the last seven years – that’s brilliant!
Excitement and questions
The book enables you to drill down deep into the results. There are chapters on the growing number of churches in London and their churchmanship, the variety of religions in the capital, the age and gender of churchgoers, the leadership of churches, their activities, and the church-planting movement that is occurring. Each aspect is described in detail, with useful and thought-provoking observations and comments.
Some results are exciting – the church attracts an extra 1.6 million attendees at Christmas – an extraordinary figure and a wonderful opportunity for gospel outreach. Some figures make you think and question: 80% of those joining the church between 2005 and 2012 were women and only 18% were men. Why is that? Some figures are sobering – 33% had no one attending aged between 11-14, and 39% had no one between 15-19. Are we losing a ‘battle for hearts and minds’ amongst the young?
Why this book is for you
‘But I don’t live in London, I don’t like statistics, and so I don’t need to read this book, do I?’ Wrong! Don’t be put off by the location, or the dizzy number of figures, maps and graphs. This book will help you think about all kinds of issues that affect your church, wherever you are. And it will cause you to praise God for all he is doing in this great city. Warmly commended.
