Church attendance

[Troubledwords]

How busy is it when you go to Church? Are you someone that goes to a Church that's struggling to get parishioners or is it a busy, struggling to find a seat type?

@neverdropyourmooncup this is a thread in the Christian Mumsnetters section of Mumsnet so would you just leave us be, please?

So jealous of big vibrant churches. I didn't realise there was a Christian mumsnet thread. I need a bustling CofE high church. In Northamptonshire if anyone can recommend?

The local church near me has a congregation of about 12 all of whom want no change but still want young people 😐 average age 60+

Yeah I wish I had this too. The price I pay for living in an area with a very small population. And as I said, I am about 7-8 miles from the nearest Church, and that's no different. (20-22 minutes drive - 45 minute round trip.)

I would need to go to the closest large-ish city which is 45 minutes drive away. (One and a half hour round trip.) Sometimes it can be a 2-hour round trip depending on the traffic, and if there any races, runs, or cycling events going on.

It's an unfortunate fact of life that some of those people will be doing it for school admissions at this time of year - some may well continue and find faith or have it strengthened as a result (and that's great, nothing wrong with that and most clergy are fine with it being an initial motivation if there's a possibility that happens), but it must be quite saddening if they start to melt away after offer day when it's nothing you've done wrong.

@NeverDropYourMooncup the original post was talking about an area with lots of lively and full churches. Not ones which have become lively in the last weeks because of school applications. I am not sure where that came from?
I am a bit confused? What was your post aiming to do?

Standing room only at ours 9.30 mass, 200 maybe? Then another 300-400 at the other two Sat Eve/Sunday masses.

A very mixed congregation of old and young, lots of families come weekly, others dipping in and out for baptism, holy communion year etc.

Christmas and Easter masses are heaving. I've given up going to the chip shop after Good Friday mass, the queue is that long! 😂

Nah, you were just taking a pot shot.

It's a real bummer, I hear you. I think Milton Keynes has some good churches but, like you, it would be most of my morning taken up with travel.

I want to go to church but can't get in as they changed to really bright LED lights and the lights give me migraines. It's pretty awful really.

The post you are referring to here @NeverDropYourMooncup had absolutely nothing to do with school
applications. For reference it was about a town in NI and was referring to all Protestant churches - there are precisely zero schools in NI that use membership/attendance at a Protestant church in any way as criteria for entry. In short - you are talking absolute rubbish and simply trying to stir the pot. God is moving in many areas of the U.K. and Ireland - particularly among young people - you can choose not to like that, but you can’t start making stuff up to deny it - esp when what you are saying has absolutely no basis in fact and makes zero sense.

Definitely worth trying a few different ones to see if any are suitable.

I do go to one that's about 40 minutes away, I leave around an hour before it starts just in case I end up following a tractor the whole way, or other roadworks etc.

@KeepingGoingOneDayAtATime if you feel up to it please send when church an email letting them know, or I will if you message and let me know which church. This is a stupid and easily fixed reason for you to not be able to go to a church and they will be hugely improved from having you there with them.
Churches need to get better at inclusion. There is no excuse nowadays.

This is the Church of England's path to net-zero, unfortunately for you. An individual church doesn't have a lot of choice, tbh.

It might be worth having a word with the wardens to share your concerns, and see if a solution can be found.

I was sorry to read this keepgoing - this could be seen as a disability issue (migraines regularly causing pain and discomfort)and perhaps they could have a darker area of the church where light could be dimmed.

I remember helping a student with migraines and it was covered by the DDA Disability Discrimination Act. A reasonable adjustment might be a dimmer area of the church.

Surely there are eco friendly bulbs which don't cause migraines! This can't be something which is difficult or expensive for the church to fix. Just a case of some internet research and someone swapping a bulb out. Also, regardless of how much work it is for the church, it is important work. Church should be accessible for as many people as it is possible to be.

We have 16 who come regularly on Sunday morning, 12 in the evening and 15 at the midweek prayer meeting on zoom. We have 5 children in the Sunday school aged between 8 and 13.

Local Irish catholic observation - There are two churches in this rural parish and another in the village a couple of miles up the road. I'd assess the usual attendance at weekly mass at all of them about 75 (each), but it goes up if it's an anniversary or month's mind. Weekday mass shared between the villages about 15, more in Lent. Weekday attendance mainly retired people, but the weekly mass gets younger adults and some youngsters.

Nearby market town has two churches, on Sunday between they get over 1,000. Three weekday masses - the 8.00am one gets people on the way to work, small but loyal attendance.

We had a November remembrance thing yesterday evening, mass and reading out names and lighting and blessing candles for everyone who had died during the year - not just people who lived in the parish, but family members and people who emigrated long ago - maybe 90 or 100 names. There were about 150 people there, and lots of them stayed for tea and coffee and chat later - lovely atmosphere (and we could take our candles home with us, to light them for remembrance at home).

I wish we had weekday Masses that were out of work hours, but it's 10am, twice a week locally. Thankfully on Holy Days there's usually an evening vigil or on the day one.

My church is about 200 each week, huge youth section, and loads of young families.

Thankfully we have enough priests that we can have two weekday Masses. Because the retired and otherwise free-during-the-day people much prefer the late morning as a more civilised hour to be up and about, with tea/coffee and cakes afterwards. Whereas the early morning Mass is populated by school children (I love it!), workers, and nuns.

I'm part of a very small online church but we are slowly growing.

@AlteredStater that sounds nice. It is just Sunday services or do you have midweek groups too?

I go to a Mass that usually has about 1500 people attending. It's one of five weekend Masses. Big parish, big church. The parish also does various ecumenical prayer services, lots of social justice outreach, many lay ministries, and a lot of continuing education/ theology series. (In US).

Around 100 at Sundays services at 10.30 and at the monthly Evensongs. All ages. Most families with children and a few teenagers and grown ups. A really good mix.

New vicar though. Not sure he will be able to keep things going. Brillant Director of Music.
Church of England.

We have an evening Sunday service, Bible study is on Tuesday evenings. No other days for online services. We are spoiled by having several priests though, one is a Hebrew speaker, so sermons are interesting!