FOLLOWING the release of a report showing people have been flocking to church in East Lancashire in their droves CAROLINE DUTTON examines the secret of Blackburn Diocese's success, and why going to church has become trendy. . .

IF Thursday is the new Friday and brown the new black then it figures going to church could soon become the new nipping down the pub or meeting friends for a chat.

A report out this week showed Blackburn Diocese, which covers all areas under Lancashire County Council as well as Blackpool, is one of only 19 of the church's 44 dioceses across the UK to record an increase in attendance.

It is also one of only eight to show an increase in the attendance of children and young people.

And it has the eighth highest weekly Church of England attendance in the entire country, according to the most recent 2003 figures published by the Church of England.

Blackburn Diocesan Secretary Canon Michael Wedgeworth called the figures "a turn-round in Lancashire after several years of indifferent statistics."

So what makes church-going so appealing to the folk of East Lancashire, and how has the diocese managed to get the notoriously apathetic youth sector through its doors?

Diocese spokesman Martin Halsall said the increase in attendance is partly down to more people than ever developing an interest in spiritualist issues.

He said: "Over the decades we have become a secular society. More than 70 per cent of people said they believed in God and considered themselves Christians in the last census, but they don't express that by coming to church.

"This increase in attendance comes at a time when society is becoming more interested in spiritualist issues but not necessarily Christian issues. One of the focuses in the church is to try and bridge that gap of people who are interested in spiritual things but not necessarily faith issues or the commitment of going to church most Sundays."

St Bartholomew's Church, Ewood, is one of Blackburn's greatest success stories with attendance up and a thriving Sunday school.

The Rev Richard Marshall believes new Sunday evening services which help parishioners apply the Bible to modern life and everyday situations, as well as new small study groups, are partially responsible for the church's success.

He said: "We now have a variety of worship styles on a Sunday, from a 1662 Book of Prayer Communion in the morning to a 7pm service with contemporary music for worship and a sermon that has applied Biblical teaching. This helps explain the relevance of the Bible very clearly to situations people come across.

"During the period of growth we also started a number of small groups where people can study the Bible together and pray for each other and we are about to relaunch these into growth groups where people can encourage their friends to join." One success the diocese as a whole is particularly proud of is attracting more children into the fold and this appears to have helped boost overall numbers, as children bring their parents to the church.

Blackburn Diocesan children's work advisor Mary Binks said work to attract more children to the Church and a realisation that they can be valuable members of a congregation has paid off.

She said: "There is a well-established history in Blackburn Diocese of having a heart for children and having an interest in children. But more recently people have started to realise children are spiritual beings in their own right and valuable to the church.

"We are doing a lot of work with children's groups, encouraging them to use the church at holiday times and it is paying off. There has also been a definite growth in the under fives provision for pre-school children and that has a ripple effect as they bring their families with them.

"If you give children a good experience it makes them feel they are welcome and valued and they are more likely to stay with the church. Children bring so much to the church - they bring their curiosity, their interest, their amazement and they ask the questions we all secretly want to."

But a renewed interest in church-going is not just reserved to East Lancashire, according to one of Britain's top theological psychologists.

Dr Brian Lancaster, chair of the British Psychological Society's transpersonal psychology section, believes the nation's growing interest in spirituality is a way of escaping the daily grind and materialistic nature of modern life.

Blackburn Diocese is determined to make the most of the upsurge in new members, whether it be the result of hard work on its part or just a national trend - and it has plans to keep the numbers up for years to come.

In March a new scheme will see every one of Lancashire's 250 parishes being asked to create a Mission Action Plan (MAP) to help promote the church in the community.