Changing hearts, or habits? G Gordon Steel on the future of Meetings

‘It is becoming urgent for us to address this issue.’

by G Gordon Steel 3rd March 2023

Declining membership and attendance at Quaker Meetings is a concern for us all. It is part of the general picture of religion in Britain. The proportion of people who classify themselves as Christian has fallen below fifty per cent (although it has been pointed out that people who do not call themselves religious may have a significant underlying faith). In looking for explanations for this decline, it is tempting to implicate the long-term western trend towards materialism, but there are other factors at work.