In an ironic twist, a US Baptist pastor internationally known for scholarly articles on the decline of religion has just had to close his own church for lack of parishioners. Pastor Ryan Burge (pictured) knows closing churches is common these days. Many US churches close each year. But, given that he has been documenting the Read more
Feminist theologian Dr Niamh M. Middleton has repeatedly warned that both the Church of England and Catholic Church, which have seen dwindling congregations for decades, face extinction within 30 years. That is, unless they radically reform to give equal standing to women. Dr Middleton, author of Jesus and Women, tells The London Economic (TLE) digital Read more
Is 15 minutes enough for a church service? It’s the question arousing interest within the U.K.’s Protestant community following the decision by a Welsh minister to offer 15-minute services on Monday evenings. Micro services launched The Rev. John Gillibrand (pictured), vicar of St. David’s Church in Swansea, launched the micro services initiative as a way Read more
Germany — a nation whose history is entangled with the Catholic Church — has become a “mission country” its Bishops’ Conference says. Conference president Bishop Georg Bätzing says under half of Germany’s citizens still belong to Christian denominations. Evangelisation in Germany has been a central theme since the time of Pope St John Paul II Read more
Catholic schools are the jewel in the crown of the church in Australia. While parishes continue to decline, the school sector is often booming. The contrast between ageing congregations and young students is stark. Equally striking is the contrast between relatively youthful school staff and ageing church leaders. Twelve months ago, with the Plenary Council Read more
The Church of England is considering renting out underused parish churches due to decreased regular worship attendance. The move aims to preserve the potential for these churches to reopen in the future rather than be sold off after merging with larger parishes. This proposal is set for discussion by the General Synod, the Church’s legislative Read more
Sixty percent of the churches in a Catholic diocese in the Netherlands will close within the next five years. Dwindling numbers of churchgoers, volunteers and income are being being blamed. Bishop Jan Hendricks unveiled plans to around 90 parish administrators in the Haarlem-Amsterdam diocese last month. The 450-year old diocese dates back to 1559. It Read more
The Catholic Church can attract parishioners although changes are needed, says Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin. “We have to construct a mature Church” to attract parishioners, he says. The question is how: how will the Church choose to reach out to people and define itself? In his opinion, the Church will need to be very Read more
The Church of England has launched an evangelism drive. Part of its strategy is to attract young agnostics by “planting” churches, an American model where members of a healthy church set up new churches one elsewhere. According to Ric Thorpe, the Bishop of Islington 2,400 church plants are planned by 2030. Continue reading
An atheist is urging Christians to do more to keep Christmas alive in the South Waikato. Tokoroa Christmas Parade coordinator Tony Williams said he’s disappointed by the lack of Christians supporting the annual Carols in the Park event, which coincides with the parade as part of the Tokoroa Big Weekend in December. “I confess to Read more