Optimistic (or deluded) over church growth
The front page of this month’s Quadrant, a Christian Research publication, presents data stating that Christians are optimistic about the future of church attendance. Most are predicting an increase in the number of people that will be joining congregations across the country. I’d love to think that they are right, but somehow I’m not convinced.
A month or so ago Chris Moyles (breakfast show DJ for BBC Radio 1) was talking about a seeing a church service from Kingsgate Community Church (Peterborough). He was exclaiming his surprise at the number of people taking part, that it was bright and colourful and that everyone was having a good time.
I know that everyone reading this will respond with, ‘well, he hasn’t been to my church’, and maybe that’s right. Maybe you join other Christians on a Sunday and it’s bright and lively and everyone is smiling and having a good time; but that’s not the image that people outside of the church have of us.
Dino Rizzo writes in Servolution, ‘If a billboard is the only way your community ever hears from you, they may never do anything more than know your name’. In the UK it’s rare even to see a billboard up for a church. Instead of silence though, our communication is done by the media. Soap operas show ‘Christians’ who fit the stereotype, the church goer becomes the ‘Bible basher’ or the local busybody and the only images of Sunday services come from stone chapels with wooden seats and a vicar who has had the life sucked from him/her. I’m a Christian and I wouldn’t want to go to a church like this.
The real shame is that out there in the world of Sunday church there are some real, genuine, communities. People who do life with each other, proved for one another, are there to share celebrations and heart ache and genuinely care for their community. There could be thousands of these wonderful, close-knit groups meeting all across the country on a Sunday morning, only nobody would know because nobody is talking about it. Instead the only clue to the outside world of what is happening in your church building on a Sunday are the faces of the people walking in and walking out, and maybe overhearing the playing of a hymn while the service is in progress. Is that really the message we want to give? Is there a way we could share more of our church community with people outside of the building?
So, if success is only failure turned inside out… then maybe we need to be turning our churches inside out to let the people outside know that we are numerous, bright and lively having a good time and wanting to share with them… When was the last time you saw ‘church’ on the street, the town, the village square? Just because it’s not the done thing doesn’t mean it won’t work or even be seen as successful…
Are walls the worst thing that’s ever happened to a church then? Still lots to think through on this.
Good post, Phil.
I’m reminded of Jesus saying (very paraphrased-ly) that people didn’t understand him, so they won’t understand his followers.