Church of England Churches in Suffolk have seen a rise in congregation numbers – surpassing the overall national increase in church attendance this year.
Overall the attendance growth for 2023/2024 for the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich reveal adult average weekly attendance rose by 6% on last year, well above the national rise of 1.8%. Average church attendance for children also saw a surge, with a rise of 10% in Suffolk compared to the national increase of 0.4%.
These figures show the growth throughout the whole diocese and include the impact from growth projects in our church communities.
Gary Peverley, Diocesan Secretary said: “We are pleased to see church attendance is growing across Suffolk, particularly as we look forward to welcoming people into our churches over Christmas. The latest reported attendance figures highlight an encouraging trend in worship participation, particularly among children, within the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich compared to national averages. I am delighted by this news as it indicates that our commitment to our Growing In God vision is working.”
The diocese received Strategic Development Funding over seven years (2019 – 2025) from the national Church of England for two major growth projects – Inspiring Ipswich and Growing in God in the Countryside.
Inspiring Ipswich, which was supported by £2.7 million, exceeded its ambitious outcomes – making 36,376 new contacts with those outside the Church, including top-up shops, school assembly and prayer spaces, messy churches and Christmas services. The size of the total worshipping community within Ipswich has increased by 20% between 2019 and 2024, showing the impact the project has had on the town’s church numbers.
The Growing in God in the Countryside project was supported by £2.3 million and aimed to grow congregations in more rural areas, especially through the small groups of the Lightwave Community. As of 2025, 41 of these small groups exist, with 19% of benefices within the diocese now having a small ecclesial group engaging in outreach.
Tim Holder, Diocesan Director of Engagement said “These growth figures are hugely encouraging because they show a commitment to faith in Suffolk. It is this commitment that leads to large number of church volunteers being engaged with supporting their communities with projects such as Top-up Shops, Parish pantries, well-being support groups, cafés, lunch clubs, youth groups, toddler groups, rural chaplaincy and more. A recent example of growth includes a youth café in Ipswich which has seen a surge in numbers at St Augustine’s Church. And Lindbergh Road Community Church launched during the Covid pandemic which offers a variety of communities initiatives such as children’s and parent’s groups, weekly Sunday afternoon Coffee Cake and Chat on the leaders’ front driveway and Games on the Green in summer. As one the largest charities in Suffolk the impact of church growth enables us to do more in our communities in our mission to be ‘Flourishing Congregations – Making a Difference”
For more on the Diocese Growing in God vision see www.cofesuffolk.org/our-vision/
If you are looking for a local Christmas service please visit www.achurchnearyou.com.
Picture credit: Friel, St Augustine's youth café.