Dance Music Sees Church Congregation Soar!

Wondering how you can encourage more people to flock through the doors of your church? You might want to hire a rapper or two, a strategy that appears to have paid dividends for one vicar in particular.

The Rev Olly Ryder made the perhaps brave decision to give his church a bit of a rave makeover, with dance music, DJs, rappers, musicians and confetti cannons now commonplace on Sunday services, the Daily Express reports.

And while you may not necessarily agree with his methods, you cannot argue with the results. Since he went down this route, weekly congregation numbers have climbed from 50 to 400… something certainly not to be sneezed at!

“The world has changed and church is no different – it’s the same message, just a different delivery. I love all sorts of music, I listen to Classic FM, but most people don’t listen to that so you reach people with the music they would listen to. We have lots of lights that are permanently installed, a bubble machine and, of course, a decent sound system,” the Rev Olly explained.

The latest stats from the Church of England show over recent decades, attendance at church services has fallen gradually – a trend that continued in 2016. The majority of key measures of attendance fell by between ten and 15 per cent between 2006 and 2016.

However, while the overall pattern does suggest one of gradual decline, there are still differences in experiences across the parishes in the last ten years. In 11 per cent of parishes, usual Sunday attendance has climbed, while in 38 per cent attendance has decreased.

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