DEAR EDITOR - Some weeks ago a unique survey was launched in the press to identify why church-going is declining in Britain and Ireland. The response to this survey has been truly phenomenal with literally thousands of letters pouring in from people anxious to have their say.

Owing to this great interest, and the fascinating views being expressed, it seems worthwhile to provide this update and repeat the questionnaire for readers who missed it in an earlier edition.

Church attendance has been in decline in the mainstream denominations since the 1960s making Britain and Ireland different from most of the rest of the world where church attendance has been steadily growing.

It may come as a surprise but no real answer has been found to explain this peculiar difference. For example, the idea that church going declines when scientific knowledge increases has been made invalid by American statistics. The US is the most scientific nation on Earth and yet in some states, almost fifty per cent of the population attends church regularly. (Science and religious belief are seen as compatible, hence the high numbers of scientists involved with NASA who are also churchgoers). The suggestion that decline is the result of growing wealth, has also been disproven because America is the richest country in the world.

Until recently, the Church was an integral part of British and Irish culture. The purpose of this survey is to discover what lies behind this change by inviting the public throughout the British Isles to give answers to the following:

1. If you attend a church regularly, what are the main things that encourage you to attend? If your attendance is merely out of a sense of duty, what could be changed so as to make it more appealing?

2. If you were a churchgoer, but now attend infrequently or not at all, what were the main things that led to this decline? What could be changed in order for you to attend regularly again?

3. If you've never been a churchgoer what things would encourage you to begin?

4. The traditional custom of clergy visiting has steadily declined in spite of the maxim " a house going minister makes as church going people". Although a combination of factors will have led to dwindling congregations, do you think the demise of this customary role is significant?

Please send your views to the address given below, marking your envelope "Church Survey UK". Thank You. A summary of the study will be publicised next year.

Rev J Willans

The Vicarage

Clayhill Road

Leigh

Surrey RH2 8PD