Is the rural church different? The special case of confirmation

Abstract

AbstractThe nationally published statistics of confirmation candidates in the Church of England between 1950 and 1999 are explored for three groups of dioceses. These groups are the most rural, the most urban and a group that lies around the centre of the continuum between rural and urban. The decline in the number of candidates after the 1960s is traced. The figures are also compared with the population of the dioceses, the members of the electoral roll and the numbers of Easter day communicants. The gender balance with confirmation candidates is also explored for this period. Attention is drawn to the differences between the urban and rural patterns of presentation of candidates for confirmation and the changes in these during the fifty year period being considered. A number of explanations for the differences noted are advanced and it is suggested that these possible explanations are best tested through research at diocesan level. Attention is also drawn to the weaknesses inherent in the rural/urban mo...