Church of England Experiences Surge in Social Media Engagement
A notable increase in online activity related to Church of England services has been observed, with a 268% rise in social media interest. This surge is reflected in the significant traffic growth on the church’s dedicated locator website, AChurchNearYou.com, which facilitates finding local church services and events.
Recent data indicates that page views on AChurchNearYou.com soared from 128.1 million in 2023 to 198.6 million in 2024, showcasing a remarkable increase in public interest. This rise coincides with Holy Week, a peak time for church attendance due to special services and events.
Amaris Cole, the Church of England’s Head of Digital, noted the heightened interest in church connections: “The increase in people looking for a local church via the denomination’s church-finder tool shows the public are more interested than ever in connecting with one of our communities, whether for a service, an event, a family activity or one of the amazing projects our churches run.”
She further mentioned that the website’s traffic boost has encouraged churches to welcome newcomers, with editors feeling confident about inviting the public to the church’s 16,000 available spaces.
In April alone, approximately 20,000 events were added to the church’s calendar, inviting the public to participate in Easter celebrations. Features such as wheelchair access, gluten-free refreshments, British Sign Language translation, and dementia-friendly services help visitors find suitable events.
Additionally, there was a 200% increase in events saved to personal digital calendars, with over 18,000 church services and events bookmarked by individuals.
The increased engagement comes amid findings from the Bible Society, suggesting a “quiet revival” of Christianity in the UK, largely driven by young adults. This research, conducted by YouGov, states that 12% of adults now attend church at least once a month, up from 8% in 2018.
Young adults, particularly men aged 18 to 24, have shown a significant rise in church attendance, reaching over 20%, up from 4% in 2018. Similarly, young women in the same age group saw an increase from 4% to 12%.
The YouGov study also revealed that about one-third of non-churchgoing young adults would consider attending services if invited, with about a quarter interested in learning more about the Bible.
Contrasting these positive trends, a decline in trust among Anglicans towards the Church of England was reported, mainly due to abuse scandals. A YouGov poll from February highlighted a drop in the Church’s favorability rating from 32% to 25%, while unfavorable opinions rose from 39% to 49%.
Among Anglican respondents, favorable views decreased from 66% to 54%, with unfavorable perceptions increasing from 21% to 32%, citing safeguarding failures as a key concern.
This article was originally written by www.christianpost.com
