How Do We Talk About Jesus To The 97 Percent?
In the UK, faith has not died, but it has shifted — and the Lord is challenging us to encourage them where they are found.
Where I live in the UK is a historic kingdom with an actual king (King Charles III) respected in four nations, England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. All with their own customs and their own languages (in addition to English — these days, Ukrainian as well). They represent all the main church traditions.
They also have their own broad preferences, so that would be Baptist in Wales, Presbyterian in Scotland and Northern Ireland and a Church of England building with tower and bells at the centre of every village. Towns and cities have the Vineyards and other charismatic ‘New Churches’ not to mention Pentecostals, Asian congregations and some huge, mainly African/Caribbean ones (we like being a multicultural country). That adds up to a LOT of church buildings.
I haven’t done the sums, but I can’t think of anywhere that has the same density of church and chapel architecture. There is literally a church building central in every village and in England, often also a chapel — Methodist or Baptist or Congregational.
But the funny thing is, churchgoing is practised by a tiny minority. I have done the sums on this, and demonstrably 97% do NOT attend church with any regularity. Attendance in the traditional and more formal traditions has long been declining, and the rate is increasing.
But that’s not to say that FAITH has died. This is the country of the Alpha course! Lots of people are asking faith questions and are open to faith discussions, so long as it doesn’t become ’churchy’.
Why is attendance so low? It’s a question no one has the courage to ask.
In a way, the answers are obvious. If church doesn’t look like the Way of Jesus, it isn’t going to be a place people want to be. I have heard all the horror stories and experienced a few myself. Abusive behaviour, ungodly control, divisions… And I have attended unspiritual, wordy formal services that are — simply boring. And unbiblical.
True church with Jesus at the centre is a mission to people who are ‘different’ (and that’s actually what Epiphany is about). I have friends and family who work shifts in hospitals on Sunday mornings, or are divorced, or gay, or just don’t fit into the narrow expectation of the ’club’.
The world where people who might be seeking faith encouragement is not in church buildings but outside them. It’s largely an online world. Since I retired, and spurred on by lockdowns, I have been experimenting and learning what works OUTSIDE the walls of church. It is much more short-form and conversational than the biblical preaching of my experience and training.
I think we are on the cusp of another reformation and revival but it’s happening well away from the formality of sitting in rows to listen to someone reading long prayers out of a book.
This line of thought is really unpopular with those in declining congregations, desperate to get ’bums on seats’ and money in the plate to keep things going for just another year.
But the lesson is, that the pattern is shifting. God is reminding us again:
“I am doing a new thing”. (Isaiah 43:19)
We need to be open to learning from Him what that “new thing” looks like and be willing to join Him in it.
