If you’ve never been part of a church or religious service of any kind, standing in the middle of a bunch of people singing, praying and celebrating may seem like a very odd thing to do. Why is that man muttering to himself under his breath? Who is this woman next to me raising her hands and carrying on like that? What on earth have I let myself in for?

But have you ever been to a football match and looked around you? Or to a rock concert?

Welcome

As you enter tentatively amongst the throng arriving for morning "service", a slight pang of nervousness grips you. There are people on the door who look like they work there, glad-handing and welcoming those ahead of you. It all seems very…jolly.

Passing as quickly as possible through the entrance, you utter some hasty pleasantries to a kindly soul who seems to want to chat, and then dive straight to the back of the main auditorium like a goldfish being released back into its bowl. You gasp with relief at your narrow escape. But then you remember why you came in the first place. What was it again?

Perceptions

For many people in the UK today, the idea of being in church on a Sunday morning is at best a quaint eccentricity, and at worse — a personal moral fault. After decades of secularisation and cultural shift, Christians make up a small and diminishing percentage of the population, and this dynamic shows little sign of reversing.

And yet, in spite of centuries of critical onslaught across Europe, millions still flock to churches across the UK. And if you were to judge Christianity on a global basis, the church is actually booming — faster than the rate of population — especially in countries like China, which is set to become the largest Christian population on earth, and in spite of persistent persecution.

So just what is the enduring appeal of the church? And for the young, modern Briton — perhaps considering their future in a post-covid, post-truth world where anything goes, but little has any real meaning — what can the church offer?

Many rivers, one ocean

People's reasons for ending up in church are enormously varied. From family culture to personal trauma, from passionate devotion to just plain curiosity, everyone is ultimately drawn by the same thing…or the same someone: Jesus.

In the Bible, Thomas (of "Doubting Thomas" fame) probes Jesus about this very question:

“Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:5-6)

In a nutshell, Jesus is saying: You know the way to God because I am the way to God. The reason you are with me is because I am leading you to Him. If you know me — you know God already.

Identification

So back in church, this new experience is washing over you. You don't really know what's going on half the time, but you find yourself reflecting on your own life. If nothing else, the one thing this group seem to have in common is that they are united powerfully in adoration.

As the worship songs come and go, and people speak from the front, this one common thread, this…Jesus…seems to permeate everything. And then suddenly it hits. What unites them is hope — but hope for what? A man?

As the service ends, and you decide to pass on the offer of a free coffee, you exit just as quickly as you came in. And as you walk down the driveway past the charming surroundings, you ask yourself again: how can Jesus fill this hole I feel?

Exiting through the front gate, a woman says goodbye to you. You take a moment to register it as you are yanked from your reverie: "Oh, goodbye", you reply.

"Have a great week," she continues. "hope you come back again next Sunday". You blink. This "hope" again. You smile and turn to the road. "You too", you utter, feeling the first genuine sense of human warmth you've felt in ages.