Average age of churchgoers now 61, Church of England report finds

The report, compiled by the research and statistics department of the Archbishops’ Council, also found half of those in the pews are pensioners.

Some rural congregations were older than 65 on average, while the youngest Anglicans were found in London, with the ‘standard’ churchgoer aged 54.

It compares with the population as a whole where the average adult age is 48.

This is the first year in which the Church has analysed the ages of its congregations in detail, so no long-term trends can be determined.

However, weekly church attendance continues to fall according to separate figures published on Friday. Around 1.14m people went to a church service at least once a week in 2008, the latest figures show, but average Sunday attendance was down to 960,000 from 978,000 the previous year.

There were also slightly fewer infant baptisms, confirmations, marriages and funerals.

Details of the ages of churchgoers are likely to reinforce fears that congregations will continue to dwindle.

However the number of children and young people at services each week did rise by three per cent last year to 225,000.

The Rev Lynda Barley, the Church of England’s head of research and statistics, acknowledged the report showed “some disappointments”.

But she added: “It is important to see these trends in the context of wider changes in a society where fewer people are willing to join and take part in membership organisations.

“Political parties have seen their memberships fall by around 40 per cent in recent years.

“Even in a General Election year, almost double the number of members of the three main political parties taken together will attend a Church of England parish church on Sunday.”