dwindling congregations c of e

Not a good sign red1.
Methodists in same boat for same reasons.
Not sure Baptists are faring much better?

I have put on this forum before, that evangelical churches, on the other hand, are not doing as bad. From what I know of, generally, around the country.

One Corinthians 14 ...

I prefer bells and smells .

Isn't speaking in tongues encouraged by Pentacostal churches ?

I used to go to a Baptist church and one of our congregation - a very strange mainly silent woman was said to speak in tongues .

Looking back , I think that she was actually epileptic .

I think that chapter one in Corinthians states that when speaking in tongues the speaker is directly speaking to God , but that the words should be translated for the congregation .

Our local Roman Catholic church got a warning from the fire service for overcrowding.

Jaffa that sounds awful, I would leave too. Church for me is joyful singing and a place fir reflections, not frenzied speaking in tongues surely that’s against Christian teaching.

There's been a change of vicar at my church. A young man who is encouraging the congregation to speak in tongues if they feel the spirit within them. I have always liked the peace of a church to reflect on life.
That's gone and think I may leave too.

I'm happy to report that our C of E village church is thriving .

We have a new Vicar and she is fantastic .

Yes BlueBelle it is a village church which has been here since the 13th Century.

Surely a congregation of 25 is very tiny too unless it’s a very small village judy

Our congregation on a Sunday is around 25 people. Our church is very active in the community with a playgroup for children, a weekly coffee morning and a lunch club. We are lucky to have a wonderful Vicar and support team that make things happen. So it is sad to hear that some churches are now in decline.

"They don't have time for community and communication" you're spot on Pamela.

Our lovely vicar has just retired, she's 70 and was working an average of 60 - 70 hours a week!!!

severe back biting and rumours are the reason we left our church a couple of months ago red and with a dwindling congregation there, and a small one at the church we are now attending, I do wonder where this will end.

No they aren’t or at least they don’t seem to be. Taking notice I mean.
It’s not only churches - parish councils, village halls and many other groups that need volunteers to keep them going are suffering.
I think that the majority of the population think that the government will sort it out!
I totally understand if people don’t believe in God, I don’t myself, but I do believe in community. People need a bit of leadership and involvement in the community from their local clergy. Most vicars have umpteen parishes, many meetings to attend - HR, policies and protocols on nearly everything including working out if their church is eco friendly!
They don’t have time for community and communication.