Statistics released at last month’s meeting of the Governing Body shows the Church in Wales in demographic freefall
Statistics released at last month’s meeting of the Governing Body shows the Church in Wales in demographic freefall, with only 0.8 percent of the Welsh population attending its services on Sunday.
Over the past five years Average Sunday Attendance for adults has fallen by 15 per cent, while over the past 13 years ASA has declined by 34.5 percent. A particularly troubling statistic has been the decline in confirmations. In 2017 only 559 people were confirmed in the Church in Wales, a decline of almost three-quarters over the past 13 years. The Bishop of Bangor, the Rt Rev. Andrew John told the Governing Body that he saw a ray of light in the numbers.
2004 | 2009 | 2012 | 2017 | 13 year change | 5 year change | 13 year % change | 5 year % change | ||
Communicants | Easter | 74,779 | 65,251 | 56,063 | 48,540 | -26,239 | -7,523 | -35.09% | -13.42% |
Pentecost | 41,482 | 35,605 | 32,469 | 27,138 | -14,344 | -5,331 | -34.58% | -16.42% | |
Christmas | 72,521 | 59,656 | 55,007 | 47,857 | -24,664 | -7,150 | -34.01% | -13.00% | |
Trinity III | 37,913 | 34,589 | 30,705 | 26,037 | -11,876 | -4,668 | -31.32% | -15.20% | |
Average Attendance Adults | Sunday | 41,771 | 36,836 | 32,187 | 27,359 | -14,412 | -4,828 | -34.50% | -15.00% |
Weekday | 6,030 | 5,416 | 3,986 | 5,104 | -926 | 1,118 | -15.36% | 28.05% | |
Youth | Sunday | 7,746 | 5,467 | 6,776 | 5,474 | -2,272 | -1,302 | -29.33% | -19.21% |
Baptisms | 8,595 | 8,076 | 7,497 | 5,487 | -3,108 | -2,010 | -36.16% | -26.81% | |
Confirmations | 2,009 | 1,697 | 1,458 | 559 | -1,450 | -899 | -72.18% | -61.66% | |
Weddings | 4,052 | 3,479 | 3,458 | 2,478 | -1,574 | -980 | -38.85% | -28.34% | |
Funerals | 11,129 | 7,705 | 6,520 | 6,096 | -5,033 | -424 | -45.22% | -6.50% |
Church in Wales 2017 Memberships and Finances by geoconger on Scribd