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Dear all

This is my first, somewhat hesitant, post in this forum as a new member. As a student of Religious Studies with the OU, I’m particularly interested in the various debates on secularization in the UK and in the common perception that society today is spiritual rather than religious - often used as a reason for the decline in numbers of churchgoers.  Notwithstanding the definitional issues surrounding ‘spirituality’ I’d like to ask those who may have stopped attending church/or are considering it whether a lack of spirituality in the traditonal church services/organisation played any part in this decision or whether other issues were more pressing?

I’ve read various surveys that suggest reasons for non-attendance - inconvenient timings/locations, trouble with child care arrangements etc - but these don’t seem that convincing, and don’t seem insurmountable if the individual’s desire is for spiritual/religious wellbeing. 

I’ve also been reading the booklets issued by Lynda Barley, Head of Research and Stats for the C of E, on how churches should tackle the continuing decline in attendance.  As far as I can see these don’t really deal with how to change the mission/spirituality of the churches to combat decline/disbelief/apathy, but focus on increasing the head count at the big festivals of Christmas and Easter, and trying to engage with/recruit those who attend church for funeral services.

To use a term I read in a previous post, is ‘churchianity’ a spent force?

Thank you Meg for your very important question. In my experience the problem of decline in church attendance is hugely complex and there is no one answer to fit all people and all situations. However, I have a number of observations to offer:
1] PCN Britain is concerned with supporting people to stay within their local church to be the yeast etc. but I am meeting more and more PCN members who have already left their church but continue to identify with PCN as a place where they can find the support that they want to help them continue to live a Jesus lifestyle [as they understand it] without the dogma, barriers, intransigence, etc of their local church.
2] Many people remain in their local church, sitting on the edge, silent for fear of offending or being excluded, because the fellowship is far more important than the theology. But this is not sufficient to sustain let alone to grow a local church.
3] There is an increasing number of ministers / clergy who are leaving the church because they can no longer live the lie of the difference between their developing pilgrimage of faith and what is expected of them by both the national organisation and the local leadership.
4] There will always be the cathedrals as some people enjoy the pomp and ceremony and music. There will always be the fundamentalists / literalists because they tend to offer certainty to the uncertain in an increasingly challenging and uncertain world. But for the most part I now consider that for the majority of mainline churches in this country their days are numbered and recovery / revival is no longer a possibility.
5] But there is hope! It is in the old Wesleyan Class Meeting where local people gathered to explore their day to day living faith, often in home hospitality situations. Each local Class met regularly and was then visited regularly [but not weekly] by the Circuit Minister who dropped in to support and to ensure some form of orthodoxy. That system is where I think we will find the future of the Christian Church in post-modern industrialised societies. It will be a house-based Alpha-type hospitality movement but freed from ‘this is way we want you to see Christianity’. It will also be free of dogma and 4th century creedal statements. It will be a community living the faith rather than speaking / believing the faith.
6] The faith that will continue amidst decline is that based upon compassion and not creeds; respecting and honouring difference, both within the local Christian meeting and across the religions themselves; seeing ‘God’ as the One God of All [and not an interventionist theistic god either!]- this is the emerging paradigm of spirituality that will recognise the different religious explanations of their ‘God experiences’ but also break down the barriers that religions tend to erect to identify who is in and who is out. This is not the 1960’s melting pot philosophy but a new spirituality [although Quakers will rightly claim it to be the spirituality of George Fox!].
That’s enough for now but if you wish to develop this conversation further do contact me on .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Hi Meg,

I met someone the other day who said that she was religious but had no interest in being spiritual. This seemed quite an alien concept to me and I am still trying to gget my head around the idea. I can only speak for my own experience and say that I left the Church 15 years ago because it was too exclusivist in dogma. It could not answer questions I had and often found itself struggling with accepting outsiders who didn’t fit into their moral framework. Having been on both sides and now having a faith again that I think is a lot more mature and honest, I think there is nothing quite like the community of the church once you are in it; though if you struggle, you may have to struggle alone. I have actually found of late that the more orthodox/religious area I look at the more breathing space there is to be more open and struggle with God. I have been immensely encouraged by Roman Catholic theologians like Rene Girard who seems to be thinking outside of dogma but also with Rob Bell who seems to be presenting the faith as almost solely spiritual. Non of that probably makes any sense.

Matt, what you write makes pefect sense! Although I am developing my spirituality away from the religious I remain within the Church as the community where people can be open and supportive. However, there are many churches that try to maintain a purity of dogma, creeds, doctrines, etc that do not welcome me or those like me. The other important point that you mention is the need for us to be studying and learning from one another. The only rider that I would add to that is all the study in the world is of little use unless it results in personal and corporate transformation for the benefit of all. PS I am enjoying your contributions to the forum!

Thanks John for your encouragement. I think the personal transformation is an essential part of our faith. As for the corporate, I also agree but that is a very frustrating aspect. Almost like dragging a dead donkey along on ones spiritual journey sometimes.