A third of churches face 'uncertain future': Here are the mixed fortunes of five Shropshire venues
A new survey shows that almost a third of churches across the UK face an uncertain future.
As many as 2,000 have reported that they might not be used as a place of worship by the end of the decade.
The results reflect changes seen across the country - and in Shropshire.
Comedian Hugh Dennis, currently starring as a man of the cloth in a theatre production of The Importance of Being Earnest in London, has thrown his weight behind a campaign to save churches, saying they “must remain at the heart of our heritage”.
The National Churches Trust, a charity which helps churches stay open and in use, commissioned a survey of more than 3,000 churches from various denominations across the UK.
It found that one in 20 churches, which it said was equivalent to about 2,000 churches UK-wide, said they would either “definitely” or “probably” not be used as a place of worship by 2030.
Overall, almost two-thirds - 64 per cent - of churches said they were confident they would “definitely” remain open.
But 27 per cent were less certain and could only say they would “probably” remain open as a place of worship in five years’ time.
The survey also found five per cent said they would probably not or definitely not stay open, with the remaining four per cent saying they did not know.
Shropshire has lost a number of its own churches in recent years.
Here are five Shropshire churches which have faced mixed fortunes in recent years
1. Greenfields Methodist Church in Shrewsbury - Last month the church sold at auction for £156,000 - three times its estimated guide price.
The decision to close the church and sell the building came after efforts to revive the dwindling congregation.
In 2023 the Reverend Shalome MacNeill Cooper, who was minister at Greenfields Methodist Church, outlined the situation at a public meeting.
She explained that although the building was well used, it was not well used for religious purposes - instead proving popular as a playschool and community venue.
Addressing the 2023 meeting she said that if the situation continued, its owners – the national Methodist Church, could look to sell the building - a situation which has now transpired.
