Decline of religion

[Mr Greene]

Outlook Apocalyptic for UK Theology Schools

Anthony Royle, head of the King’s Evangelical Divinity School in Southeast England, told his colleagues that “it seems like 50 per cent of Christian Bible Colleges in the UK will close in the next year or two.”

There are only 30 Bible colleges across the UK, alongside the Church of England’s 23 theological educational institutions. But these are the schools that train ministers for England’s 16,000 Anglican congregations and dozens of free church denominations. The apocalyptic outlook about the future of British theological education has some worried.

“I don’t know a theological college that does not have financial problems, enrollment issues, or some kind of existential challenge right now,” cultural commentator Krish Kandiah told Christianity Today. “It’s as bad as people are saying.”

Many institutions have closed their doors in recent years. Bangor University and the University of Sheffield shut down their theology schools. St. John’s College in Nottingham, England, shuttered in 2019. Redcliffe College dissolved in 2020. And a smattering of smaller colleges have also been boarded up. The Church of England reported at its General Synod in July that the number of potential ordinands in its theological education institutions has fallen precipitously—down 40 percent since 2019. Hundreds fewer Anglican seminarians are enrolling now than just five years ago.

“We are going to see more closures, mergers, and competition for a smaller pool of potential students,” Kandiah said.

Principals, experts, and church insiders have offered a range of explanations for the dizzying downturn: People have blamed an increasingly secular society, the UK’s ongoing cost-of-living crisis, and the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

https://www.christianitytoday.com/2025/0...leschools/

We're still on course for the Church becoming a non-entity during the 2030s. We're down to 5 churches in the town here; CofE, Catholic, Methodist and 2 Baptist (used to be one but decided they couldn't share a single building as the numbers declined. The churches that were mothballed have largely been sold off. Apparently priests are having to cover multiple churches which involves driving suibstantial distances now.