Tens of thousands respond to invitations to Back to Church Sunday

From ACNN-

Congregations increased by nearly a quarter at more than 4,200 churches on Back to Church Sunday on 25^th September 2011 – an average of 19 extra people per church.

Overall 18 per cent of participating churches reported that nearly 14,000 extra people attended church on Back to Church Sunday 2011 in Great Britain; over 10,000 of these attended Church of England churches. Based on these numbers it could be estimated that:

• An extra 77,000 people attended church on Back to Church Sunday 2011 (over 58,000 in the Church of England)
• Since the first Back to Church Sunday in 2004, nearly 230,000 people have come back to church.

The Bishop of Hertford, the Rt Revd Paul Bayes, said: “Back to Church Sunday is a fantastic opportunity for growth. We know that three million people in England say they'd come back to church if they had an invitation*, and I encourage even more churches to register in 2012. It's a simple initiative that really does work.”

St Mary the Virgin, Yaxley, in the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich, is an example of a church where Back to Church Sunday is part of a successful mission strategy: regular Sunday attendance has nearly quadrupled from nine to a viable 35, thanks to personal invitations from church members, and the pioneering work of the Revd Tiffer Robinson, who knocked on every door in the village of 400 people to personally invite everyone back to church.

More here-

http://www.aco.org/acns/news.cfm/2011/11/25/ACNS4986