ABSTRACT
Most Christian groups have been experiencing a gradual falling-off in church attendance for many years. The only religious groups which have shown no significant changes during this period are the Roman Catholics and some Nonconformist sects. Indeed, the Catholics have shown a slight increase in membership in recent years, although this can probably be accounted for by the higher birth-rates in Catholic families. There is some recent evidence to suggest that despite this there has been some falling off in attendance at Catholic churches. Ecumenism is not regarded as something dictated by influential churches, but as the action of groups who need to 'huddle together' and pool their resources, and find some kind of strength in a new-found unity. Churches were once the main centres of leisure activities. During the long period of Christian history, the Churches have made strong moral demands of believers—and for most of that period this was assumed to be the whole of society.
