CHURCH STATISTICS

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 289, 3 June 1912, Page 5

CHURCH STATISTICS

SCOTTISH UNION. j By Cable—Press Association—Copyright. Received 2, 5.5 p.m. London, June 1. The church statistics for England and Wales for 1911 show the Anglican communicants to be 2,342,153, scholars and teachers 3,405,665, confirmations 25,483, and baptisms 606,999, all increases. Confirmations increased by 25 per cent. The Wesleyan members are 437091, and scholars 967,081. Congregationalist members 454,429 and scholars <365,048, Baptist members 394,647 and scholars 553,329. There is an aggregate decrease in all nonconformist members of 6980, and of scholars of 29,623. The statistics reveal that the communicant members of all Protestant churches number about five millions, and the scholars roughly seven millions. The churches are thus in actual touch with one person out of every three. ' The Times says that the Scottish ChuTches Union discussions are memorable as resultant in the unanimity of one assembly and the practical unanimity of the other. This would have ibeen inconceivable a generation ago. Every one concerned desires to preserve the historic oontinuity of both churches, sacrificing nothing essential, and without any admission that past generations labored purposelessly, and to create a really national church tolerant to everyone. The discussions made clear the danger of mixing the question of union with the question of disestablishment. Many who in the abstract favored disestablishment realised that its obtrusion would embarrass any measure of union later.