To think that the rise in church attendance figures just might have something to do with pressure on school places?

[MothershipG]

Excuse me for my cynicism but after steady falls for many years the figures for church attendance in London are on the up, according to a report on BBC London news this morning. Is it merely a coincidence that this happens at a time when pressure on schools places is getting critical in many areas of London?

The diocese of London has been seeing growth for a number of years that bucks the trend of a nationally declining church attendance. YABU to assume it is all to do with school applications. Immigration, dedicated work within communities, social justice issues, prayer, hard work and passion have all had their part to play.

School places aren't pressured in the same way in my town but there has been a rise in the Catholic population through immigration. Other churches have also grown possibly due to the hard times we are currently in, people needing a place of comfort and care.

Wouldn't be surprised. I'm up north but our city is starting to be more critical too. I know one couple with a new found interest in attending church which coincided with the primary school applications coming out - how obvious is that?
Another suddenly started attending another church and hastily had her child baptised just in time for the school applications coming out.
I've known both mum's for about 4 years, neither have ever expressed any desire to worship or attend church. Maybe I'm too cynical...

the school attached to our church is pretty rubbish, and isnt popular enough to enforce chruch attendance yet the congregations at our church are growing year on year with more and more young families.

I go just to get my kids into school, my mum did the same for me. We are all atheists. Yanbu

Maybe some people are looking for support in hard times, lots of the new joiners at our church send their DC to the local school/nursery and not the church school

I think that for some people yes, they start going for schools. Whether they're still going in ten years will be the interesting issue.
However there is also the fact that churches in general have woken up to the fact that they need to fulfill their mission and be evangelical or they'll die.

In London, a lot is immigration - a lot of the churches which are thriving are of denominations which are unrelated to schools or which have high numbers of immigrants. And thn churches like HTB, which are packed but unlinked to any school.

The lazy assumptions about idea that faith, and that formal observation of that faith can rises, is unfortunate in today's society and incompatible with a modern, tolerant and diverse society.

A lot West Africans are Christian. There are a lot of fringe churches opening up in old cinemas and bingo halls.

East Europeans tend to be Catholic.

So no surprise there is a rise in practicing Christians.

I was going to say immigration more than schools. The only church round here that has crowds of people outside on a Sunday morning is the Polish one.

Also one set of Churches having the greatest rate of growth are the Cathedrals, and I don't know of any schools specifically naming a Cathedral for admission.

Where I am I think a lot of it probably does have to do with school attendence - but as a fairly regular church goer I don't really mind. It means that the church is always busy, there are lots of young families, and there are plenty of volunteers to organise and run/stuff.

Across London as a whole I think it probably has more to do with immigration.