Diocese of York / Running Your Church / Finances / Annual Parish Returns and Accounts / Statistics for Mission

The National Church has asked for your parish's 2023 statistics to be submitted by their target date of of 31st January 2024. NOW EXTENDED TO 17TH MARCH

Our own 'Living Christ's Story' programme for transformation of the way we share and use our God-given gifts and resources is drawing heavily on statistics like these, so it's vital for our work right here in the Diocese that the information is as accurate and complete as possible.

The benefit of Statistics for Mission doesn't just feed in to planning at Diocesan or national level. Your own parish figures can tell a story that only you on the ground can really understand and interpret, and you can access your parish Statistics for Mission dashboard at any time at parishreturns.churchofengland.org. Remember though that if you have more than one church in your parish, the dashboard won’t give a true picture until all the data is updated online.

When you access the Church of England's national online system at parishreturns.churchofengland.org:

Download the 'Statistics for Mission 2023 Form' (in Word or PDF) and do read the detailed instructions included on the form itself - they answer many common questions and will help you to enter accurate and consistent data, so it's well worth reading them carefully.
The online system is already open for you to enter your statistics. As with the 2022 figures a year ago, you are asked about 'Church at Home' again, since many churches are continuing the online provision launched during the pandemic.
The Usual Sunday Attendance (USA) figure is now requested once again, after a couple of years' absence while a ‘usual’ Sunday was a rare thing.
Where the national form asks for numbers for ‘Fresh Expressions’ [of church], this includes the activities that we in the Diocese of York tend now to call ‘New Worshipping Communities’. If your parish includes one of these – whether or not it’s associated with the Mustard Seed or Multiply projects – please could you ensure the relevant numbers are included in this national ‘Fresh Expressions’ category?
You may notice that your October count may include unusual or one-off services that attracted a number of visitors (a harvest celebration, perhaps; a large Christening, or a significant anniversary or festival); please mention this in the 'comments' that can be added to submissions. People are sometimes concerned that the numbers don't present a 'typical' picture, and we'd like to understand too.
If you're counting people in a group of (probably rural) churches where you know that a number of people move from one church in the group to another depending on service patterns, you can add comments to this effect too; alternatively, if it's easier, you can collect figures at group level, but please explain in the comments that this is what you’ve done - and remember you will still need to enter Electoral Roll and Occasional Offices numbers by individual church or parish.

If you need more clarification or help, do contact the Diocesan Finance and Data team at office@yorkdiocese.org or 01904 699500.

While your return is entered online, a downloadable PDF copy of the form is available here to help you compile and keep your own record of your returns.

Thank you for your patience, and for taking the time to help us all understand the national picture of the church as the nation and the world continue torecover from the Covid pandemic.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

How do I gain access to the CofE
online Parish Returns System?

If you don't already have a login please go to this page to find out how to get one.

When will the online form be available?

The form for Statistics for Mission 2023 is right here, right now!

What should we include in 'Church at Home'?

As with the previous October Count, the Church at Home question is focused on worship services, therefore online house groups, youth clubs, Alpha courses, and social events etc should not be included there. There is a comment box should you wish to share with us anything else, aside from services, you have been offering remotely to your congregation.

How do I count Church at Home attendance?

You may be using a number of different ways to engage with people at home, for example YouTube or Facebook. Both platforms offer some viewing numbers and these will give you some indication as to how large your audience is. We’ve not asked for viewing figures directly as these figures are very variable dependent on how the platform is used and for how long and will require some adjustment. For more information on counting ‘Church at Home’ please see this Church of England web page on counting attendance.

How do I report numbers of people participating in a service live streamed from church in October?

A service live streamed from church in October will be recorded on the form in two places. Those attending in the church building will be counted in the “in person” October count section. Those watching from home via the live stream will be recorded in the “Church at Home” section.

What do I record for Advent and Christmas?

The question on the form is based on the 2019 question so captures “in person” attendance (indoors or outdoors). We will not ask for additional data on those joining in online or through other “Church at Home” means.

How do I estimate my 'Worshipping Community'?

This measure is for your regular worshipping community at the end of year, including both those who attend regularly in person and/or through 'Church at Home'. For more information on the 'dos' and 'don’ts' for worshipping community estimation, please refer to the very useful instructions around question 9 on the Statistics for Mission form. For even more information about worshipping communities, please download this Church of England information sheet on Worshipping Communities.