In another edgy, thought-provoking post, Karen at Raw Faith wrote the other day about the Church’s discomfort with welcoming the ‘unchurched’ – people who don’t think they need Church at all. The Church, she says, is simply not up to handling the challenge of absorbing people who don’t ‘get’ church culture and aren’t impressed by manipulation or subjugation. Can the Church cope with people who don’t understand our culture?
“We [the unchurched] are used to controlling our own destinies,” she says, “We have no denominational allegiances. We have no clue what a pastor is or does and we aren’t about to take direction from you.”

The thing is, though, that it’s all too easy to make the leap from that to trying to change the culture of the Church to make the ‘unchurched’ feel more comfortable. I’m not at all convinced that there is much merit in trying to make the Church more culturally relevant, nor in trying to persuade people who believe they control their own destinies that Church could be relevant for them. At least, not if it means turning the Church into a consumer durable for people who believe they already have everything.

Rather than trying any and every gimmick to persuade people to buy into Church, we might better spend our time simply developing a good presence in the community. If people know the Church is there, then when they suddenly discover that in fact they are NOT in control of their own destiny – they get sick, someone dies, they lose their job, or their spouse, or simply their sense of purpose in life – they will know where to find us.

This happens in my office all the time. The people who everyone thinks are the successful people, life’s winners who don’t need a crutch like Church, go through something or other that unstitches their self-reliance. They know where to find me because I put the time in hanging about in the College, going to functions and sports things and the bar, and chatting to people about this and that. Every now and then I say to people “you know where to find me if you ever fancy a cuppa and a chat”.

The ministry of presence is one of the great advantages the Anglican Church has over the ‘house’ church. Our spires and steeples may be an economic liability, but they are visible and they are THERE – in the same place – year after year. House churches are much less visible – their venue shifts from one year to the next, and they are far more dependent upon constant advertising and word of mouth in order for people to find the Church when they are looking for it. I’ve noticed that the new denominations around here are prone to taking a ’summer break’ – no services in the summer time. Or just planning to have an away day instead of a regular service. This is a fine thing to do for those in the know, but it is hopeless if you are trying to create presence – a ministry of constant presence requires making sure that you can still be found the next week or the next month or the next year when the message has percolated through and someone comes back looking for you.

That said, ministry is about people not buildings. I remember learning in theological college (i.e. Seminary) that if you want people to come and find you when they are in need, they will be far more likely to do so if you have already met them face to face three times. I’m not a natural extrovert – I could easily be a bit of a hermit if I didn’t work at it. But I work pretty hard at just connecting with people in casual situations, just so that they know who the Chaplain is. A lot of people won’t come to seek out a nameless, faceless Chaplain. They don’t look for a job-description. they look for a person.

Pretty regularly, the most unexpected people do turn up at my door and start talking about life, relationships, fear, guilt, sex, doubt, spiritual need, the possibility that God might be there after all. They readily admit that they aren’t half as smart as they thought they were. And they do ask for direction. And they quite often cry a lot, because it’s scary to find out you aren’t in control of your own destiny.

I can’t see the point in trying to convert people who aren’t listening. But I can see the point in keeping a steady presence in the community, and making sure there’s enough time and flexibility in the schedule to make space for people when they are looking for God. They won’t knock on the door twice.