The Archbishop of Canterbury has welcomed research into what influences growth and decline in church attendances by the Institute for Social and Economic Research at the University of Essex.

Quantitative sociologist Professor David Voas, based at ISER, carried out research into church attendances as part of the Church Growth Research Programme funded by the Church of England.

The findings were released at the Faith in Research Conference held in London.

Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, said: “Over time there has been a decline in the percentage of the population that attends church. We need to listen to the message that comes through this research in order to develop our own strategies and stop doing things that help accelerate decline and focus on things that develop growth.“

See full press release on the Institute for Social and Economic Research website.