Church of England Drops £400,000 to Save Dying Parish Choirs and Win Back the Next Generation
The Church of England invests over £400,000 in the RSCM Choir Project to establish choirs for young people across 200 parish churches.
Church of England Invests £400,000 in RSCM Choir Project to Bring Young People Back to Parish Churches
The Royal School of Church Music (RSCM) has secured over £400,000 in funding from the Church of England to launch "The Choir Project," a major new initiative aimed at establishing or renewing choirs for children and young people in more than 200 parish churches across England.
The programme, announced on February 16, 2026, sets ambitious targets: engaging 2,400 young people as new active Christians, training 300 new leaders, and mobilising 500 volunteers over a three year period.
The investment comes at a critical time. While cathedral choirs in England reached a record 207 in 2024, 57% of local church choirs currently lack any children members, revealing a significant gap in youth engagement at the parish level.
Hugh Morris, Director of the RSCM, is leading the initiative, which will offer comprehensive training for clergy, ordinands, and music leaders. The programme integrates discipleship materials with RSCM's established Young Voices Toolkit and Voice for Life resources.
Bishop of Chelmsford Guli Francis Dehqani, who holds a music degree and authored "Listening to the Music of the Soul," has also been connected to the project, underscoring the deep link between musical formation and spiritual growth.
Support for participating churches will include one to one parish guidance and mentoring, diocesan partnerships, and the establishment of "Beacon Church" exemplars to serve as models for others.
In Loftus Parish, near Saltburn, the establishment of a church choir saw attendance grow from two children to eighteen at Sunday services.
This success story illustrates the transformative potential of church music as a gateway to youth discipleship and active faith.
RSCM Choir Project Targets 2,400 Young People Across 200 English Parish Churches
The Choir Project will also incorporate data collection and feedback mechanisms to measure impact and refine its approach over time. Churches interested in participating can contact the programme directly at choirproject@rscm.com.
The initiative represents one of the largest targeted investments in church music education and youth engagement within Anglican parishes in recent years, using music as a proven vehicle for drawing young people into lasting relationships with Christ and their local church communities.
The Crusader's Opinion
This is exactly the kind of investment Christianity needs right now. While the world pours billions into entertainment that corrupts the young, the Church of England is putting real money behind something that actually works: bringing children into the presence of God through the beauty of sacred music. The numbers do not lie. Fifty seven percent of parish choirs have no children. That is not a statistic. That is a crisis. And the fact that one small parish in Saltburn went from two children to eighteen just by starting a choir tells you everything you need to know. We do not need gimmicks. We need the timeless power of worship. More of this, please. Invest in the next generation before the world steals them entirely.
Take Action
- Contact the RSCM Choir Project at choirproject@rscm.com to find out how your parish can participate in the programme.
- Visit www.rscm.org.uk to access the Young Voices Toolkit and Voice for Life resources for your church.
- Talk to your vicar or church leadership about starting or renewing a children's choir in your parish this year.
- Support Christian youth ministry worldwide through www.TheShepherdsShield.org.
- Share this story with fellow Christians and encourage families in your congregation to get their children involved in church music.
