National Churches Survey 2025

About the Survey

The National Churches Trust is conducting this important survey to help policymakers, the media and the wider public better understand the challenges churches face. Your response will provide essential evidence to build a clearer picture – to tell a stronger, more informed story about your church and others like it.

Please encourage others in your network to take part too. The more churches that take part, the more impactful it will be.

The survey is intentionally comprehensive and so it may be useful to have your church's financial details to hand.

You may exit this survey but if you do, it is important to resume it from the same device and you should then be taken to the next page after the one from which you left.

The survey is being conducted according to the Code of Conduct of the Market Research Society and your participation will be strictly anonymous.

Please answer as fully as you can. All responses will be treated in strict confidence and your answers will be anonymised and aggregated so that no individual church is identifiable.

The survey is being conducted by Whitestone Insight, a professional research provider and member of the British Polling Council.

The survey will be open until 30 June. If you have any queries about completing the survey, please email hello@whitestoneinsight.com or policy@nationalchurchestrust.org. You can also read our guidance here, including information about what is helpful to have to hand and FAQs.

On behalf of National Churches Trust, thank you for taking part. Your response will provide essential evidence so that together we can address some of the biggest challenges facing churches, like yours, and help ensure their future.

Question Title

* 1. Please complete the following details about you and the address of the church building to which this survey relates. This is in case of any follow-up required and to send you a copy of the results.

Your Name *

Church name *

Church Address *

Address 2

City/Town *

County

Postcode

Your email address *

Phone Number

Question Title

* 2. Which of the following best describes your church building?

Mostly Medieval or earlier (even if restored)

Mostly 17th to 18th century

Mostly 19th century

Mostly 20th century

Mostly 21st century

Other (please specify)

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* 3. Is your church building listed? By this we mean designated as holding national interest and heritage value: in England by DCMS; in Wales-Cymru by Cadw; in Northern Ireland by NIEA; and in Scotland by Historic Scotland. Please answer with respect to your main building.

Yes – Grade I (England & Wales) / A (Scotland and Northern Ireland)

Yes – Grade II* (England & Wales) / B (Scotland) / B+ (Northern Ireland)

Yes – Grade II (England & Wales) / C (Scotland) / B (Northern Ireland)

Not sure / other (please specify)

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* 4. Is your church building classed as a cathedral?

Yes

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* 5. Which best describes the location of your church building? Please tick the one which best applies.

Urban (over 10,000 residents)

Small town/Suburb

Rural

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* 6. Was your church building purpose-built as a place of worship?

Yes

Don't know

Other (please specify)

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* 7. In which part of the UK is your church building located?

Scotland

Wales-Cymru

Northern Ireland

England

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* 8. If in Wales-Cymru, do you consider your church to be bilingual, both English and Welsh/Cymraeg

Bilingual

Welsh only

English only

Don't know

Other (please specify)

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* 9. To which denomination or network does your congregation belong? Please select the option that best applies.

Assemblies of God

Baptist

Bethel Community Church

Celestial Church of Christ

Church in Wales

Church of England

Church of Ireland

Church of Scotland

Congregational Church

Coptic Orthodox Church

Elim Pentecostal Church

Free Church of England

Free Church of Scotland

Independent

Local Ecumenical Partnership

Methodist Church

Moravian Church

New Frontiers

New Testament Church of God

Non-Denominational Christian

Orthodox Church

Pentecostal

Pioneer Network

Presbyterian

Presbyterian Church of Wales

Presbyterian Non-Subscribing

Quaker (Religious Society of Friends)

Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG)

Royal Peculiar

Roman Catholic

Salvation Army

Scottish Episcopal Church

Union of Welsh Independents

Unitarian Church

United Reformed Church

Wesleyan Holiness Church

Other (please specify)

Question Title

* 10. Which statement most accurately describes your congregation's relationship to your church building?

We own/are responsible for a church building and are the only congregation

We own/are responsible for a church building and allow other congregations to use it

We use a primarily secular building/room (e.g. a school)

We are currently caring for a church which is listed as closed for worship

We use a church building that belongs to another congregation* (please indicate below)

* Which other congregation(s) use your church building?

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* 11. If you meet in a secular building, what do you think are the barriers to your congregation taking on a traditional church building? Please tick all that apply

Difficulty in finding a suitable traditional church building

The cost of taking on a traditional church building

We would not have the expertise to navigate the process

We would not want to move from where we are

We would like to move but not to a traditional church building

Traditional church buildings tend to be too inflexible for our purposes

We would be put off by having to negotiate with denominations in order to acquire a traditional church building

Other (please specify)

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* 12. On average, how frequently are regular services held? Please count each individual service but do not include weddings, funerals, or baptisms. Services are any occasion of public worship, including those which may involve only a small number of people. Please count each service individually including if two are held on the same day (e.g. on Sundays).

Four or more services per week

Two or three services per week

One service per week

Two to three times per month

One service per month

Less than one service per month

No services held

Other (please specify)

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* 13. Outside of services, other church activities and community activities, how often is your church building usually open to the public? Please tick the option which best applies.

Not open other than for services and/or community activities

Open only on request

Open only at regular specified times; at least once a month

Open only at regular specified times; at least once a week

Open daily - daylight hours only

Open daily - more than daylight hours

Other (please specify)

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* 14. How many adults aged 16+ and children / young people under 16 would you estimate typically attend your church in person at your regular Sunday (or Saturday) services? Please enter only numbers and if necessary write in an average for a typical service. Skip this question if you do not hold regular weekend services.

Typical number of adults aged 16+

Typical number of children aged under 16

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* 15. Approximately how many people can be accommodated in your main church building at any one time?

20% of survey complete.