The Church of England has released its attendance statistics for 2025.
There is also an accompanying press release which is copied below.
Madeleine Davies writes about the statistics in the Church Times: Adult baptisms up in Church of England.
Press release
Church attendance grows for fifth year in a row
More than a million people regularly attend Church of England services, full annual statistics published today confirm, showing that congregations saw their fifth year of growth in 2025.
13 November 2026
More than a million people regularly attend Church of England services, full annual statistics published today confirm, showing that congregations saw their fifth year of growth in 2025.
The worshipping community, made up of regular church attenders, grew 1.5 per cent in 2025, to 1.03 million, while all age average weekly attendance rose by 0.8 per cent or 6,000, to 707,000. The number of children attending church regularly rose by 8,000 over the period 2024/25.
Average Sunday attendance grew by 1.6 per cent, or 9,000, to 590,000, according to the Church of England’s Statistics for Mission 2025.
Easter, Advent and Christmas church attendance showed the strongest growth with the numbers attending Easter services rising by 7.6 per cent to 1.03 million, and Christmas attendance rising 5.2 per cent to 1.96 million. (more…)
17 CommentsThe 210 Questions (and answers) for next week’s meeting of the Church of England’s General Synod were issued today. They can be found online here:
There is one session scheduled for Questions on Tuesday afternoon (not later than 5.45 pm until 7.00 pm), when Supplementary Questions will be taken.
0 CommentsThe next Dean of Exeter is to be the Revd Arwen Folkes. The announcement is in this press release copied below) from the Prime Minister’s Office. There is more detail on the Exeter Cathedral website.
Appointment of Dean of Exeter: 10 November 2026
The King has approved the nomination of The Reverend Arwen Caroline Folkes, Vicar of St Mary the Virgin, Eastbourne, in the Diocese of Chichester, as Dean of Exeter, in succession to The Very Reverend Jonathan Desmond Francis Greener, following his resignation.
From: Prime Minister’s Office, 10 Downing Street
Published: 10 November 2026
The King has approved the nomination of The Reverend Arwen Caroline Folkes, Vicar of St Mary the Virgin, Eastbourne, in the Diocese of Chichester, as Dean of Exeter, in succession to The Very Reverend Jonathan Desmond Francis Greener, following his resignation.
Background
Arwen trained for ministry at Westcott House, Cambridge, gaining a BA (Hons) and MA from Durham University. She served her title at St. Just in Roseland and St. Mawes, in the Diocese of Truro, and was ordained priest in 2017.
In 2019, Arwen was appointed Rector of St. Peter’s East Blatchington and St. Andrew’s, Bishopstone, in the Diocese of Chichester, before taking up her current role as Vicar of St Mary the Virgin, Eastbourne, in 2024.
44 CommentsTwo press releases today:
Archbishops’ Council appoints Felicity Mitchell to lead next phase of Church safeguarding reforms
Rollout of safeguarding complaints process underway full text of this is copied below the fold
From the first release:
17 CommentsThe Archbishops’ Council has appointed Felicity Mitchell as Interim Non-Executive Chair of the Safeguarding Structures Programme Board with immediate effect.
Felicity is a qualified barrister who has worked for many years in the ombuds sector. She has served on the Programme Board since September 2025, having joined the Programme in July 2025. She has played a central role in supporting the vision for safeguarding reform, and more recently the design of a new independent safeguarding authority. In addition, she has advised the programme on a new unified safeguarding complaints process featuring local resolution and access to an independent safeguarding complaints body…
…Felicity follows Dame Christine Ryan, whose strategic vision presented to General Synod in February 2026 formed the basis of the development work over the past 12 months. Drawing on proposals developed independently by the Safeguarding Structures Programme Board, the Archbishops’ Council has approved the national rollout of a new complaints process and a detailed operating design for new safeguarding structures, including plans for an independent safeguarding authority to oversee Church safeguarding.
This autumn stakeholders will have opportunities to consider aspects of the detailed operating design, engage with the programme team, and meet the new Interim Chair.
Implementation of new safeguarding arrangements will happen in phases and will prioritise stability over speed to protect frontline capacity. The practical changes will be evaluated in real-world conditions and are likely to inform further refinements to the design over time. This iterative process will help to ensure that future legislation to make the arrangements mandatory is built on proven, robust practice…
More about Felicity Mitchell
Felicity qualified as a barrister and is currently an independent consultant working mainly in the ombudsman sector. From 2018 to 2023, she was Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education at the OIA, the ombuds scheme for higher education students in England and Wales. As Independent Adjudicator, Felicity led the OIA’s case-handling and outreach functions, including the development of the Good Practice Framework. She worked at the OIA for 19 years in various case-handling roles.
Felicity joined the Church of England Safeguarding Structures Programme in July 2025, joining the Programme Board in October 2025. She has co-chaired the Programme’s Policy and Assurance Advisory Group.
Felicity sits on the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales’ Advisory Panel, a non-statutory forum whose main role is to support the Ombudsman in providing leadership and good governance. She is the Independent Reviewer of Service Complaints for the Housing Ombudsman. She is an external member of the Academic Board of the University of Law.
Felicity is an active member of her local parish church, a trustee of a charity supporting women to become entrepreneurs in Uganda, and she volunteers for a local debt counselling charity.
The Dean of Rochester, the Very Reverend Dr Philip Hesketh, is to retire early on medical advice. Details are on the cathedral and diocesan websites.
20 CommentsThe Church of England’s General Synod will meet in London next month. The papers were released today along with the following press release.
His Majesty The King to inaugurate 12th General Synod of the Church of England
29/10/2026
His Majesty The King will inaugurate the newly-elected General Synod of the Church of England at a ceremony in London on Tuesday, November 17.
It will be the first inauguration of a new Synod in The King’s reign and first in the Archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullally’s tenure.
His Majesty will attend a service at Westminster Abbey before moving to the adjoining Church House, Westminster, where he will address the inauguration ceremony in the Synod chamber. Archbishop Sarah and the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, will also give addresses.
A total of 487 members will serve on the new Synod for its five-year term – the 12th since the body was created in 1970.
Voting took place over a three-week period earlier this autumn to elect the members of the Houses of Clergy and Laity and the suffragan members of the House of Bishops.
Following the inauguration, Synod will hold a short group of sessions which will include an update on safeguarding and discussions on subjects including the challenges of maintaining church buildings; funding the church’s mission and clergy wellbeing.
The General Synod is the national assembly of the Church of England. Its role includes considering and approving legislation affecting the whole of the Church of England, formulating new forms of worship, debating matters of national and international importance, and approving the annual budget for the work of the Church at a national level.
It replaced an earlier body known as the Church Assembly under the Synodical Government Measure 1969.
Updated 5 November The Church of England relaunched its website on 3 November. This broke most of the links in this article (and undoubtedly many more elsewhere). I have updated those below.
Detailed results, including voting figures, are now available on the Church of England’s website for the recent elections to General Synod.
Diocesan Election Results
Special Constituencies – Suffragan Bishops
Special Constituencies – Deans
Special Constituencies – Religious Communities
Special Constituencies – Universities and Theological Education Institutions
Members of General Synod 2026-2031
The diocesan results are also available on the individual diocesan websites, along with the election addresses of the successful candidates.
4 CommentsUpdated 5 November The Church of England relaunched its website on 3 November. This broke all the links in this article (and undoubtedly many more elsewhere). I have updated those below.
The Church of England’s General Synod will meet in London from 17 to 18 November. The agenda and papers for the meeting were released today.
There are links to the papers below the fold, grouped by the day on which they are due to be debated. There are also a number of GS Misc papers. (more…)
5 CommentsUpdated Saturday 31 October to add some reactions to the report.
Robin Gill and John Craven of The Centre for Anglican History and Theology at the Universities of Kent and Christ Church Canterbury have published this report: Wasted Money in a Diminishing Church: A Report on the Church of England
Madeleine Davies of the Church Times has written about it here: C of E heading for ‘financial disaster’ warn two academics.
Update
Ian Paul Psephizo Is wasted money the problem with the Church of England?
Philip North Church Times Money alone will not solve C of E’s woes
Mark Clavier Well-Tempered Are We Willing to Be a Church?
90 CommentsThe next Bishop of Jarrow in the diocese of Durham is to be the Reverend Dr Jitesh Patel. The announcement from the Prime Minister’s Office is copied below. There is more information on the diocesan website.
Appointment of the Suffragan Bishop of Jarrow: 23 October 2026
The King has approved the nomination of the Reverend Dr Jitesh Krisnakant Patel, MA, MPhys, PhD, to the Suffragan See of Jarrow, in the Diocese of Durham.
From: Prime Minister’s Office, 10 Downing Street
Published: 23 October 2026
The King has approved the nomination of the Reverend Dr Jitesh Krisnakant Patel, MA, MPhys, PhD, Acting Director of St Mellitus College East Midlands and Associate Vicar at Holy Trinity Church, in the Diocese of Leicester, to the Suffragan See of Jarrow, in the Diocese of Durham, in succession to the Right Reverend Sarah Clark, MA, following her translation to the See of Ely.
Jitesh was educated at Jesus College, University of Oxford, and obtained his PhD through the Lambeth Research Degrees in Theology. He trained for ministry at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford. He served his title at Christ Church, Abingdon, in the Diocese of Oxford and, in 2011, he was ordained Priest. In 2015, Jitesh was appointed Associate Vicar at St Jude’s Church, Southsea, in the Diocese of Portsmouth. From 2018, Jitesh served as Diocesan Director of Contextual Training, additionally serving as Associate Vicar (Training & Development) at Holy Trinity Church, in the Diocese of Leicester.
In 2019, Jitesh was appointed as Assistant Director and Lecturer in Theology at St Mellitus College East Midlands, alongside his role as Associate Vicar at Holy Trinity Church. Additionally, Jitesh currently serves on bishop’s council, on a national patronage board, as a board member of the 30K Project, and is an author.
Jitesh is married to Bridget, and they have two daughters.
107 CommentsChurch of England bishops met informally this week, and issued the following press release.
Bishops’ Meeting – Monday October 12 to Wednesday October 14
14/10/2026
Bishops spend time reflecting on interfaith relationships, safeguarding and increasing vocations to ordained ministry among other topics at informal meeting of House members.
Following the dissolution of General Synod in July, the House of Bishops, as a house of the General Synod, is dissolved until November 17. In its absence a ‘Bishops’ Meeting’, at the invitation of the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, took place in person from Monday October 12 to Wednesday October 14.
The meeting did not handle any of the formal business which has to be dealt with by the synodical House, such as approving formal guidance, but focussed on discussion of emerging work and matters of common concern across the Church.
(more…)
In a statement, copied below, the diocese of Coventry has announced that the consecration of Canon Tim Lomax as the next Suffragan Bishop of Warwick has been postponed. Canon Lomax’s appointment was announced on 11 September.
60 CommentsBishop of Warwick — Important Update
The consecration of the Revd Canon Tim Lomax as Bishop of Warwick, previously scheduled for 6 November, has been postponed.
This follows advice that further enquiries should be undertaken following complaints which were received after the announcement. It should be stressed that at this early stage no findings have been made and no conclusions have been reached. Sufficient time will now be given for this assessment to be conducted. We are committed to taking seriously the experiences of all those involved, and I want to assure you that all concerned are receiving appropriate support.
We recognise that this will be disappointing news for many people across the Diocese of Coventry and beyond, particularly those who have been looking forward to welcoming Canon Lomax into this ministry.
We will share further news as soon as we are able, and ask that you keep this in your prayers.
Church of England press release 06/10/2026
Dame Christine Ryan is to step down from her role as independent Executive Chair of the Safeguarding Structures Programme Board.
A spokesperson for the Archbishops’ Council said:
“We thank Dame Christine Ryan for her contribution to advancing our commitment to independent Church safeguarding. Under her direction as Executive Chair of the Safeguarding Structures Programme Board, we have established a clear vision and much of the detailed design for a new safeguarding structure built on greater independence, accountability, and consistency. This blueprint, subject to final approval, details how the organisation intends to operate in the future.
“The Church of England remains committed to delivering greater independence in safeguarding. The Programme Board was set up to deliver this work, creating a trusted and sustainable safeguarding system that has the confidence of victims and survivors as well as the public and regulators.
“The Programme Board will now continue this important work at pace. It remains on target to meet the key programme milestones for 2026, including launching a standardised complaints process by the end of the year. The transition to the new arrangements will take place in a careful, measured way to ensure there is no impact on day-to-day safeguarding delivery as we continue to strengthen Church safeguarding.”
Church Times news report: Dame Christine Ryan to step down from Safeguarding Structures Programme Board
16 CommentsOn Thursday the Archbishop of Canterbury released a statement announcing that the Bishop of Salisbury, Stephen Lake, has been suspended.
Bishop Stephen Lake
01/10/2026
The two complaints brought against the Bishop of Salisbury, Stephen Lake, under the Clergy Discipline Measure, will now proceed to the next stage and Bishop Stephen has been asked to respond to the allegations. He has been suspended from ministry by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Suspension is a neutral act while the allegations are progressed under the Clergy Discipline Measure 2003.
The complaints were brought following allegations of financial misconduct and concerns raised with the National Safeguarding Team relating to his conduct.
The same statement can be found on the Salisbury diocesan website, which carries the additional note that “Bishop Karen [Gorham, Bishop of Sherborne] remains Acting Bishop of Salisbury”.
122 CommentsThe Rt Rev Stephen Conway has resigned as Bishop of Lincoln. The news comes in a press release from the Church of England which is copied below. There is also a Pastoral Letter to the Diocese of Lincoln from the bishops of Grantham and Grimsby.
Bishop of Lincoln resigns
21/09/2026
The Rt Rev Stephen Conway has resigned as Bishop of Lincoln. The See will become vacant on October 1.
Bishop Nick Chamberlain will continue as Acting Bishop of Lincoln. A Crown Nominations Commission will be convened in due course to discern the next Bishop of Lincoln.
Bishop Stephen Conway was suspended from ministry in February 2026 while a complaint made to the National Safeguarding Team was responded to according to House of Bishops Code of Practice. This included referring the complaint to the police.
The complaint process is ongoing. Clergy remain subject to church disciplinary procedures following resignation or retirement.
Support
If this statement causes distress, support is available through the independent Safe Spaces helpline on 0300 303 1056 or visit safespacesenglandandwales.org.uk.
Alternatively, you may wish to contact the diocesan safeguarding team in your area or the National Safeguarding Team at safeguarding@churchofengland.org.
Other support services are also available.
115 CommentsThe nomination period for this year’s elections to General Synod has closed. Dioceses are now required to post candidates’ election addresses on their websites before sending out voting papers. Some of these have already appeared, and the remainder should be available shortly. I am compiling a list of links to all the addresses, which you can find here. I will update this list as more information becomes available. So far as I am aware there is no similar requirement for the special constituencies.
The timetable for the election is:
I am also compiling a list of the members of the new synod here.
Additions and corrections to either list can be emailed to me here.
If you are planning to download any election addresses for future reference I advise you to do so now. Past experience tells me that some dioceses remove the addresses from their website as soon as voting ends.
Update: The election address of each elected candidate must be kept on the diocesan website until the new Synod is dissolved, or the person ceases to be a member if that is earlier.
Update: I have added the numbers of members to be elected in each constituency to my list of members. I have taken these from GS 2431.
91 CommentsWe noted last week that the Prime Minister had stated the Government’s intention to remove the bar on persons professing the Roman Catholic and Jewish faiths from advising the Sovereign on appointments to the Church of England and Church of Scotland. The parliamentary process to do this started yesterday when the Church Appointments (Repeal of Discriminatory Provision) Bill was given a first reading in the House of Commons.
The text of the bill and a set of explanatory notes have been published. There is also a press release.
Included in the explanatory notes is a statement that “The Government intends to ask Parliament to expedite the parliamentary progress of this Bill.” The progress of the bill through Parliament can be followed here.
Here are some relevant online articles.
[Some of these links have appeared in comments to other posts, but I thought it would be helpful to collect them all here.]
7 CommentsThe next Bishop of Warwick is to be Canon Timothy Lomax. Details are in a Government press release, copied below, and on the Coventry diocesan website.
Suffragan Bishop of Warwick: 11 September 2026
The King has approved the nomination of the Reverend Canon Dr Timothy Michael Lomax, BEd Hons, DipTh, MA, DMin, to the Suffragan See of Warwick, in the Diocese of Coventry.
From: Prime Minister’s Office, 10 Downing Street
Published: 11 September 2026
This appointment was approved by The King on the advice of the previous Prime Minister.
The King has approved the nomination of the Reverend Canon Dr Timothy Michael Lomax, BEd Hons, DipTh, MA, DMin, Director of Mission and Ministry and Residentiary Canon of St Albans Cathedral, to the Suffragan See of Warwick, in the Diocese of Coventry, in succession to the Right Reverend John Stroyan, BA, MTheol, BA, following his retirement.
Tim was educated at Nottingham University and Asbury Theological Seminary, Kentucky, and trained for ministry at Ridley Hall, Cambridge. He served his title at St Philip Penn Fields, Wolverhampton, in the Diocese of Lichfield and, in 2008, he was ordained priest. From 2010, Tim Lomax served as Vicar at Christ Church, Bayston Hill, Shrewsbury.
From 2016, Tim served as Director of Mission, in the Diocese of St Albans and in 2020, he was appointed to his current role as Director of Mission and Ministry, additionally serving as Residentiary Canon of St. Albans Cathedral.
Tim is married to Kate and they have three grown up children.
26 CommentsUpdated to add link to House of Commons library briefing.
The Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, who is a Roman Catholic, today made the written statement below.
Statement made by
Andy Burnham
Prime Minister
Labour
Makerfield Commons
Statement
I am making this statement to bring to the House’s attention steps the Government is taking regarding Church appointments.
Restrictions set out in the Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829 and the Jews Relief Act 1858 prevent persons professing the Roman Catholic and Jewish faiths only from advising the Sovereign on appointments to the Church of England and Church of Scotland. I have therefore transferred my constitutional responsibility to advise the Sovereign on Church appointments to the Lord Chancellor.
It is, however, unacceptable for there to be a legislative bar against people of any faith performing all the functions of my office. The Government will therefore introduce a Bill at the earliest possible opportunity to correct this antiquated and archaic anomaly.
Update: There is also this House of Commons library briefing: Historic restrictions on members of the Catholic and Jewish faiths.
54 CommentsWe reported in April that the Bishop of Salisbury had stepped back from ministry. The Church of England has now issued the following press release.
Clergy Discipline complaints against Bishop of Salisbury
07/09/2026
An investigation into allegations of financial misconduct by the Bishop of Salisbury Stephen Lake has concluded. A disciplinary complaint under the Clergy Discipline Measure has now been brought against him.
Subsequent to these allegations, concerns relating to Bishop Stephen’s conduct were raised with the National Safeguarding Team. These have been taken very seriously and responded to according to House of Bishops Code of Practice. A second and separate disciplinary complaint under the Clergy Discipline Measure has been brought against Bishop Stephen in relation to these concerns.
Bishop Stephen remains stepped back from ministry.
If this statement causes distress, support is available through the independent Safe Spaces helpline on 0300 303 1056 or visit safespacesenglandandwales.org.uk.
Alternatively, you may wish to contact the diocesan safeguarding team in your area or the National Safeguarding Team at safeguarding@churchofengland.org.
Other support services are also available.
37 Comments