Thank you for a very thoughtful article. As a Brit living in the seemingly unchurched north of England, the truth of the state of the universal church in this country isn't as bleak as your narrative suggests. Of course, several mainline denominations in the UK are declining: CofE, Methodist, United Reformed Church, Church of Scotland, Church of Wales, even Roman Catholic. Some of these, such as the Methodists and the Church of Scotland, are in full collapse. However, according to research by the Bible Society, overall church attendance in England (specifically) is stable. This means there are many growing churches. Some of this is driven by immigration, but by no means all. To put it in perspective, the number of people in church in this country on a Sunday far outstrips the number of people attending professional sport on any weekend. While we mustn't underestimate or understate the challenge for the church today, we must be careful not simply to go along with the media narrative of the inexorable decline and death of the church. I would encourage you to do more on the state of the UK church.
On a separate point, I notice that you refer to the King as "Your Highness". The proper way to address the Sovereign is "Your Majesty". Just in case you meet HMK. I wouldn't want you to put your foot in it. 😂
Thank you for a very thoughtful article. As a Brit living in the seemingly unchurched north of England, the truth of the state of the universal church in this country isn't as bleak as your narrative suggests. Of course, several mainline denominations in the UK are declining: CofE, Methodist, United Reformed Church, Church of Scotland, Church of Wales, even Roman Catholic. Some of these, such as the Methodists and the Church of Scotland, are in full collapse. However, according to research by the Bible Society, overall church attendance in England (specifically) is stable. This means there are many growing churches. Some of this is driven by immigration, but by no means all. To put it in perspective, the number of people in church in this country on a Sunday far outstrips the number of people attending professional sport on any weekend. While we mustn't underestimate or understate the challenge for the church today, we must be careful not simply to go along with the media narrative of the inexorable decline and death of the church. I would encourage you to do more on the state of the UK church.
On a separate point, I notice that you refer to the King as "Your Highness". The proper way to address the Sovereign is "Your Majesty". Just in case you meet HMK. I wouldn't want you to put your foot in it. 😂
Richard, thank you. Corrections gratefully received on all points.