According to a recent study, the Church of England appears to be abandoning the word “church” in order to attract more people.
The study, entitled ‘What’s New: A Theological Examination of New Church Planting Work in Eleven Church of England Dioceses’, was conducted by the Centre for Church Planting Theology and Research in Durham.
The qualitative study examined the language used by eleven Church of England dioceses to describe their new churches.
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Traditionally, new churches are referred to as “church plants.” In this study, the Centre for Church Planting Theology found that while over 900 new churches have been planted by eleven dioceses over the past decade, none of them used the words “church plant” or “church.”
“Not a single diocese used the term ‘church’ in its main description. ‘Church planting’ is not used by any of the eleven dioceses. Only one diocese used ‘fresh terms’ for ‘pioneering’ in its description,” the study concluded.
A sign welcomes visitors and parishioners at St. Mary’s Church in the village of Slindon in the South Downs in West Sussex, England, on August 9, 2024. (Richard Baker / In pictures via Getty Images)
In the study, these not-quite-church establishments are referred to as “new things” because no further details are given as to what these “things” are.
“The fact that the term ‘church’ is not used in favor of other terms (congregation, community, etc.) is worthy of theological reflection. We examine the question of whether the question ‘What is church?’ should even be asked.”
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Six of the 11 dioceses preferred the term “worship” as the primary term for new church projects. Seven used “congregation” and only two used “parish,” according to Reverend Dr. Will Foulger.
Foulger is the lead author of the report and pastor of St. Nicholas Church in Durham, England.
A general view of St Cuthbert’s Church in Billingham, County Durham. A church is believed to have stood on this site in Billingham since 845 AD in the Saxon period. Referred to as the town’s ‘mother church’, it is located on Billingham Green. However, due to a lack of funding and a decline in parishioners, the church’s future is under threat. Seen in Billingham, County Durham, on July 8, 2024. (MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
The vicar of St Anne’s in Kew, Dr Giles Fraser, told the Telegraph that the sudden mention of the word “church” showed “a misguided desire to sound relevant and modern”.
Dr Foulger acknowledged in his study that these new linguistic changes “force us to redefine what we mean by a church in the Church of England”.
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The Church of England did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
