Shrinking Church still punches above its weight

Christians across Britain are making an unprecedented contribution to society through their social action, according to a new report from the think tank Theos.

Efforts by Christians to make a difference through service, which includes work with the homeless, with the elderly, in food banks and in counselling, comes at a time when Christianity is in decline in Britain. The work being done is so significant that it means Christians are punching well above their weight in terms of the impact they have in Britain, the study shows.

The report, Doing Good: A Future for Christianity in the 21st Century, says that “the one trend pertaining to Christianity in contemporary Britain that runs against the narrative of decline is that of social action … the level of this, both formally and informally, has risen considerably over the last 10 years … there may be fewer Christians but they are doing more”.

Figures quoted by the report show that there has been a decline in Christian attendance over the past 10 years, with 300,000 fewer people going to church on Sundays today than in 2006. Affiliation has declined even more sharply than attendance, with the number of people declaring themselves Christian dropping from 72 per cent in the 2001 Census to 59 per cent in 2011.

The report says that “We are witnessing the passing of the default Christian identity”, and warns believers are also becoming older. However, it also says that there are areas of growth, despite the general decline, with Catholic, Orthodox and Pentecostal churches benefitting from migration to the UK.

Doing Good also highlights that the renewed commitment of Christians to social action is changing the shape of the religion in Britain and the way that Christians live out their faith. The extent of commitment can be seen in growing numbers of Christian charities being created. A recent study quoted by the Theos report indicates that up to 1.4 million church volunteers work in social action and more than half of church communities are planning to increase their social initiatives.

While the report says that “the overall message is clear: the need for and opportunity to demonstrate Christian love and commitment through concrete social action is greater today than it has been for generations”, it warns that Christianity must be more than a compassionate NGO.

Instead it urges Christians to focus not so much on social action but what it calls “social liturgy” so that Christian engagement is not only generous and selfless towards others but is also God-directed. This, says Theos, will make charitable activity distinctive and will make belief in God clear without social action becoming about proselytism.

Doing Good was published on 16 December and marks the 10th anniversary of the think tank and publication of its first report, Doing God.