Report: Church of England Could Be Wiped Out; No. of Churchgoers Fell by Half in Past 40 Years

The Telegraph (British) website reports today (July 8, 2011) that a new report warns the Church of England faces being wiped out as a significant national force, without an "urgent" campaign to recruit more believers.

In the last 40 years, the number of adult churchgoers has fallen by half, while the number of children regularly worshiping in public declined by 80 percent, the study says.

The report -- called Mission Action Planning in the Church of England -- states that the "sharp" fall in churchgoing since 1970 poses a significant threat.

Church of England officials argue that the decline partly reflects the nature of modern society, in which many kinds of membership organizations have lost supporters.