One in six youngsters joins church as survey reveals draw of open-door policy

Figures for practising young Christians far higher than previously thought, new research says

ONE YOUNG person in six is a practising Christian, new figures show, as research suggests thousands convert after visiting church buildings.

The figures show that 13 per cent of 11 to 18-year-olds say they are regular churchgoers and more than one in five (21 per cent) describe themselves as active followers of Jesus.

The study, commissioned by the HOPE Revolution partnership, a Christian youth organisation, and carried out by ComRes, suggested levels of Christianity were much higher among young people than previously thought.

Research carried out by church statistician Dr Peter Brierley in 2006 sug- gested that church attendance among teenagers was less than half of this, with 6 per cent of 11 to 14-year-olds and 5 per cent of 15 to 18-year-olds attending church.

Around 13 per cent of teenagers said that they decided to become a Christian after a visit to a church or cathedral, according to the new figures. The influence of a church building was more significant than attending a youth group, going to a wedding or speaking to other Christians about their faith.

Jimmy Dale, the Church of England’s national youth evangelism officer, said his team had been “shocked” by the results. The research was carried out in December, but was not released until now because analysts thought such a high figure could not be accurate.

But another study recently released by Youth for Christ showed similar results, suggesting that a surprisingly high number of young people still describe themselves as Christian.

Mr Dale said: “There was disbelief among the team because it was so high. What is really exciting for us is that there is this warmth and openness that we are seeing among young people – they are really open to faith.”

The study suggests that new methods invested in by the Church, such as youth groups and courses such as Youth Alpha, are less effective than prayer or visiting a church building.

One in five said reading the Bible had been important, 17 per cent said going to a religious school had had an impact and 14 per cent said a spiritual experience was behind their Christianity. “Things which we would class as oldhat methods are some of the more effective ways,” Mr Dale added. “It’s a real wake-up call for the church. We’ve got lots of young people who are coming into churches – that’s a really integral part of them becoming a Christian.”

The Rt Rev Dr John Inge, Bishop of Worcester and lead bishop for churches and church buildings, said: “This shows the power of church buildings. I’m passionate about church buildings staying open.”