Sunday services might be the answer, or not

I saw an interesting news bit from the Church of England today. It's a new version of an old question: "How do we make church relevant in a secular world?" In this country in the 1950s, it might have worked to expect people to come to church on "our" terms. Churches who live that way now do so at their own peril (witness the number of dying parishes). It's time to think in new ways.

A senior Church of England researcher has called on parishes to expand the scope of their vision, urging churches to think beyond their own walls and beyond the hours of Sunday in their attempts to engage communities with the message of the Gospel.

"Are we prepared to be flexible and responsive in our approach to church buildings and church services as we seek ways to respond to the widening gap between the inherited faith of the nation and its current practice, understanding and nurture of that faith?" asks the Rev'd Lynda Barley, Head of Research and Statistics for the Archbishops’ Council, in a booklet published today.

You can order a copy of the research from the C of E. It's called "Churchgoing today." While it's aimed at an English audience, I'll bet it has much to say to us on this side of the ocean. Dead tree version only -- no PDF, alas.