It comes as no surprise to find that the good old CofE along with most other churches is in terminal decline. As we freefall towrds a fate like that of the dodo or some obscure Latin American tree frog we might want to consider how we got ourselves in this situation.
The biggest decline of church attendance is amongst those under the age of 20. Yet more and more parents want their children to attemd CE schools. Now it does not take an expert to figure this out, a cynic may suggest that many people attend church just so their offspring can get in the desired CE school. If such people are remove from the stats we face an even greater crisis. It is not possible to quantify the numbers of those attending just so their children can get in a school but anecdotal evidence seems to suggest that it is a considerable number. Yet, few people seemt to suggest that this is an alarming feature of the recent stats.
The solution to the decline in numbers attending Church lies in many areas not least of all our CE schools. It might be time for those at the top to start to consider the vital role our schools play in the future of the CE. After all it might even be said that we, the humble teachers of the Church of England schools hold the future of the mighty Anglican clergy in our chalky hands.