Article written by Rebecca Devlin, data analyst for the Diocese of Norwich.
“Are we seeing signs of revival in Norfolk and Waveney too?”
If like me you’ve seen the headlines, “Quiet revival” report from the bible society and the July Sunday express article about “Millions of Gen Z Britons flocking back to our churches” and have wondered “Is that happening here?” Perhaps you’ve felt… “Easter seemed quite a bit busier this year!”
Churchwardens, PCC secretaries, Lay ministers, Clergy and other volunteers contributed data from 538 churches in 2024, which is a whopping 83% of our diocese.
If you were one of these people, I’d love to express a massive thankyou for your contribution in 2024.
I would love to invite you to get involved again in 2025, or to speak to your PCC if you would like to join in. – Right now the statistics for mission return for 2025 is open online, with just two questions, one asking about Easter, and one asking about the refreshed electoral roll.
More questions will be added as we proceed into the autumn, with the closing date a short while after Christmas.
6 churches have already provided comparable figures for their Easter attendance for 2025. All of those 6 churches had greater levels of attendance or communicants than in 2024, with an overall increase of 30%.
This is only a small sample of 1% of our churches, It’s not yet enough to boldly answer the question with a “Yes!” or “Not yet.” But I would very much appreciate your help and your own answer.
If you are a PCC member and would like to help us by completing the form, please contact me, Rebecca Devlin, Data Analyst, by emailing: rebecca.devlin@dioceseofnorwich.org or completing the form with an existing login via parish returns online: https://parishreturns.churchofengland.org/