But there's another reason to be cheerful. The Church, after years of decline, is rediscovering its commitment to young people and youth work.
The National Youth Agency calculates that, in 2000, local authorities in England and Wales employed 2,860 full-time paid youth workers. Add the 21,480 part-time session staff and the full-time equivalent is more like 7,220.
Research conducted for the same year by Peter Brierley suggests there are now approximately 7,900 full-time paid youth workers employed by the Church. Add to this the tens of thousands of extra-time or volunteer workers that the Church mobilises, and the scale of its involvement in youth work is undeniable.
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