Wednesday, September 16, 2015
Maybe People Are Looking For More...
Church Times carries a piece about an increase at attendance in mid-week services in cathedrals in Britain:
I have attended big cathedral Sunday mornings and mid-week services. All I observed really was that the Sunday morning was a corporate thing and the mid-week was an opportunity for personal devotion.
The key here, I think, is that it is a sign that people are searching. Rather than respond with statistics and questions of how to take advantage of the trend, maybe we should just reach out to those that are searching. Or is that too radical an idea?
church attendance
Cathedral deans in the Church of England have attributed the rise in attendance at cathedrals to a variety of factors.The article drones on and on about external factors, length of services, anonymity, yada, yada, yada. I cannot help but think that it just might have something to do with the fact that people are looking for a genuine religious experience - you know a service that has not been so carefully choreographed (in either traditional or contemporary style) that the Holy Spirit can actually make a move.
Statistics published by Church House on Monday indicate that attendance at services on Monday to Saturday at cathedrals doubled between 2003 and 2013, from 7500 to 15,000.
I have attended big cathedral Sunday mornings and mid-week services. All I observed really was that the Sunday morning was a corporate thing and the mid-week was an opportunity for personal devotion.
The key here, I think, is that it is a sign that people are searching. Rather than respond with statistics and questions of how to take advantage of the trend, maybe we should just reach out to those that are searching. Or is that too radical an idea?
church attendance
