STATISTICS FOR MISSION: JANUARY TO DECEMBER 2016
Church name:
Parish name:
Deanery:
Diocese: St Edmundsbury and Ipswich
REMINDER: IF POSSIBLE, PLEASE COMPLETE THIS FORM ONLINE USING THE
MYDIOCESE DATA PORTAL:
https://myd.io/suffolk
ALTERNATIVELY, YOU CAN COMPLETE THE FORM AND POST TO:
Dawn Cannon, Diocesan Office, St Nicholas Centre, 4 Cutler Street, Ipswich IP1 1UQ
who will arrange for the data to be input online.
 Please complete this form for your CHURCH. If there is more than one church in your parish, then
please complete and submit a separate form for each church
 Where activities – e.g. acts of worship in schools; conducting funeral services at crematoria - are
shared between more than one church then please attempt, where possible, to ensure that they are
only reported once
 Electoral Roll, the first question asks you to provide the ecclesiastical electoral roll for your
PARISH, as reported at the Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM) in 2016. The second question
is optional and only applies if you are in a multi-church parish AND keep a separate roll for your
church
 Fresh expressions of Church should be included in your numbers, unless they prefer to complete a
separate return. For help in identifying fresh expressions of Church please visit
http://www.freshexpressions.org.uk or refer to the flowchart located at the end of this form
 Please ensure that you complete all boxes. Where no instances occurred please enter '0’ in the
box. Empty fields will be treated as incomplete and may be queried later as missing data
 In rare circumstances where a single congregation worships evenly between a number of churches
(i.e. there is no difference in who attends and how often at each church), a single return may be
submitted. The churches included in the return should be noted below
A single return is submitted on behalf of (please list all included churches here, with church codes if
known):
ECCLESIASTICAL ELECTORAL ROLL
Please state the number of people on your ecclesiastical electoral roll, as reported at the Annual
Parochial Church Meeting (APCM) in 2016.
Number on Electoral Roll for this Parish in 2016
Number on Electoral Roll for this Church in 2016
ATTENDANCE
Church Attendance on a ‘usual’ Sunday – 2016
Please state how many people attend your church on a usual Sunday when there is a service. For the
purposes of this return a 'usual' Sunday is one which is not a major festival or contained in a peak
holiday period.
N.B. In the case of a United Benefice service, record the attendance in the church where the service
took place, do not split the figure between several churches. Add together the attendances for each of
the Sundays in 2016 when worship was held and divide by that number of Sundays, e.g. Services are
held once a month and the total attendance for the 12 Sundays was 240 adults and 48 children,
therefore the Average Sunday Attendance is 20 Adults and 4 children.
Adults (16+)
Children & young people (under 16)
Easter 2016
Please be sure to include any vigil services on Easter Eve in your Easter Day figures.
Number of communicants at any service on Easter Day or vigil service on
Easter Eve
Total number attending worship at any service on Easter Day
or vigil service on Easter Eve inc. Communicants
Advent 2016
Total number attending special services run by the church during Advent from Monday after Advent
Sunday until 23rd December. E.g. carols on village green, nativities, school carol services etc.
For the congregation and local community
Specifically for civic /school / organisation
Christmas 2016
Please be sure to include any vigil and other services on Christmas Eve in your Christmas day figures.
This will include Crib and Nativity services held on Christmas Eve.
Number of communicants on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day
Total number attending worship including communicants any service on
Christmas Eve or Christmas Day
OCTOBER COUNT
Number at worship on Sunday and weekday services and worship activities in October. Please give the
number of people attending all services and acts of worship during the month of October 2016, including
fresh expressions of church which are supported by your church. For help in identifying fresh
expressions of Church please visit www.freshexpressions.org.uk.
Include: The number of adults and children attending services and Sunday schools or equivalent
activities. Clergy and other ministers who received communion/attended services. All visitors at services
for example, those attending baptisms. Those celebrating the Eucharist outside the church e.g. at home/
in prison/ in hospital. Any other activities (in church or elsewhere) in which worship is the prime purpose
and predominant feature.
Do not include: Anyone who has attended a service held by the church earlier in the week and thus has
been counted (where possible do not double count). Wedding or funeral services. Activities with only
some worship element, such as some para-church group meetings, house groups, some prayer groups,
mother and toddler groups, school assemblies and Alpha courses, social events such as harvest supper
etc.
Sundays
Adults
Church Fresh
School
Exp.
Church
Under 16s
Fresh
School
Exp.
Adults
No of
Church Fresh
School
Services
Exp.
Church
Under 16s
Fresh
School
Exp.
No of
Services
2nd October
9th October
16th October
23rd October
Weekdays
3rd - 8th October
10th - 15th October
17th - 22nd October
24th - 29th October
SCHOOL ASSEMBLIES
How often does your clergy/ministry team lead acts of worship in school assemblies?
This question asks about how often a member of your church ministry team leads acts of worship held in
schools. Unlike school services, which are included in the October count, school assemblies are held
within school buildings rather than your own church or church building.
"Usually" refers to during term-time or when the school is open, ignoring school holidays.
Please tick one box as the closest estimate.
Never
Occasionally/ad
hoc
Once or
twice a
term
Once a
month
Once a
fortnight
Once a
week
More often
than weekly
WORSHIPPING COMMUNITY AT THE END OF 2016
Please tell us about your regular worshipping community at the end of 2016, do not include people that
have left the church earlier in the year. If the ages of the worshipping community are unknown enter the
total figure only.
Include: Any person who attends church regularly, for example at least once a month, or would do so if
not prevented by illness, infirmity or temporary absence. All congregations in your church including fresh
expressions of Church.
Do not include: Those who are visitors - holidaymakers, baptism parties etc. Those who consider their
'home' church to be another church.
N.B. Further information issued by the National Church regarding worshipping community, can
be found at the end of this form.
Children
(Age 0-10)
Young People
(Age 11-17)
Adults
(Age 18-69)
Adults
(Age 70+)
Total
WORSHIPPING COMMUNITY CHANGES DURING 2016
Joiners
How many adults and children joined your church during 2016?
If the reason for joining is unknown enter the total figure only.
Under 18s
First time worshippers
Moved into the area
Moved from a local church
Returned to church
Total Joining
Adults
Leavers
How many adults and children have left your church during 2016?
If the reason for leaving is unknown enter the total figure only.
Under 18s
Adults
Death/illness
Moved away
Moved to a local church
Not worshipping anymore
Total Leaving
REGULAR FRESH EXPRESSIONS OF CHURCH
A fresh expression of Church is a form of church established primarily for the benefit of people who are
not yet "members" of any church. Do not include activities such as Alpha or outreach activities which do
not include worship. If you are uncertain as to whether an activity or service counts as a fresh
expression of Church please list it.
For more information on fresh expressions of Church visit www.freshexpressions.org.uk or refer to the
flowchart located at the end of this form.
If your church did NOT hold fresh expressions of Church during 2016 please leave the rest of this
section blank.
Name of Fresh Expression
Description
Where is it held?
Church
Other (please specify)
How often?
Weekly
Monthly
Age group(s) aimed at?
All ages
11-17
Are attendees also worshippers
at other services in your parish?
Church Hall
Fortnightly
Quarterly
Family
18-39
0-4
40-69
Regular
Irregular
Previous attendees
Never
5-10
70+
LIFE EVENTS
Churches play a special role in the community at times of celebration and sadness. This section asks
about the number of baptisms, marriages and funerals which have taken place between 1st January
2016 and the 31st December 2016.
Baptisms and thanksgiving for the gift of a child
If separate services of thanksgiving and baptism were held for any individual, both should be included.
Number of persons Baptised.
Infants (<1yr)
Children (1-4)
Children (5-12)
Youth/Adults
Number of children for whom a thanksgiving service for the gift (birth or adoption) of a child was held
Infants (<1yr)
Children (1-4)
Children (5-12)
Marriages and services of prayer and dedication after civil marriage
Number of couples married in church
Number of couples for whom a service of Prayer and
dedication was held in church (after civil marriage)
Funerals
In each case include all funerals conducted on behalf of the church/parish by any minister including
Readers, stipendiary clergy, non-stipendiary clergy and retired clergy.
Number of deceased for whom a funeral service was held in the
church
Number of deceased for whom a full funeral service was
conducted (on behalf of this church) at a crematorium or
cemetery, excluding committal only and burial of ashes only
CHURCH VISITORS
How often is your church open to visitors outside of service times?
Never
Occasionally (ad
hoc)
1-2
days/month
1-2
days/week
3-4
days/week
5+ days each
week
Open to Visitors
For how many hours in a typical week (not including service times) is your church unlocked and open to
visitors?
Number of hours the church is open to visitors in a typical week
Visitor Numbers
During a typical week, approximately how many visitors come to your church?
Number of visitors in a typical week
Please tick the box if you are unable to estimate this figure
NOTES/COMMENTS
Unusual Attendance
Please describe below if any of the attendance figures are unusual for any reason (e.g. Harvest Festival
or half-term) and the impact on figures.
Additional Notes
Please note below if there is anything additional that should be noted within your Statistics for Mission.
CONTACT DETAILS
N.B. Please provide contact details below only if this form has been completed manually and is to be
forwarded to the Diocesan Office for data input on behalf of the parish. If the data has been input directly
into the myDiocese data portal, there is no need to complete this section.
Name:
Position:
Email address:
Date of completion:
Thank you for taking the time to complete this form. Your contribution is essential to the on-going care
and understanding of our churches and congregations; your diligence, time, and effort are greatly
appreciated.
Fresh Expressions
Worshipping Community Information Sheet
Issued by the National Church Statistics Unit – July 2016
The Worshipping Community questions were first introduced in the 2012 Statistics for Mission form as a means of
trying to get a better indication of the size of the Church of England. Any drop in average weekly attendance
could actually be reflecting a reduction in how often people come to church rather than a drop in the number of
individuals who are regularly a part of the church. Whilst the electoral roll does include those individuals who are
unable to attend services, for example because they are too ill, but are still a committed part of a church, there are
a number of other problems with this figure and how accurately it reflects the shape and size of the church.
Many dioceses already use this concept, and use a number of different terms to describe this including
“participants”, “agreed membership figure”, “members”, “declared members”, regular worshipping community”,
“active members”, “committed members”.
We are defining the “worshipping community” to include anyone within your parish who attends your church,
including fresh expressions (if they have not completed their own), regularly, for example at least once a month, or
would do so if not prevented by illness, infirmity or temporary absence. This includes all ages but it is useful to
count separately from adults (18+) those under 11 (primary) and those 11-17 (secondary). It includes activities
such as fellowship groups and other activities which have a distinct act of worship or prayer. It also includes
activities not on church premises (e.g. school or community centre).
We include those who:








come to midweek services
are ill and unable to come to church
are away on holiday or business
have home communions
are part of a ‘fresh expression’ of church
live in care or residential homes and would consider themselves to be full members of your church
give regularly to the church
lead worship (e.g. your clergy)
We do not include those who:



are visitors – holiday makers, baptism parties etc.
are pupils attending school assemblies
consider their ‘home’ church to be another church
How do I accurately calculate my worshipping community?
We know that many churches keep a list of those who come regularly and others of you who live in rural areas
told us that you know each of your congregation well. If you do not have such a list you may start with your
Electoral Roll as a base, in particular as a reminder of those unable to attend because of sickness or infirmity,
then add other people to the figure if they attend regularly but are not on the roll. You may have a ‘prayer diary’
with current members, which is regularly updated and this might remind you of people who are unable to attend
due to illness or who have recently died.
This year we have added an option to the joiners and leavers question to reflect those who have transferred from
or to a different local church. We would be very grateful if you could fill in as much as possible of this question.
We realise it is sometimes difficult to know why people have left, so just use the “total leaving” box if you can’t
break it down and leave blank the individual parts.