Reflecting on the UK, by RH

By the time you read this, a group will have already come back from the UK, taking part in a Mission 2.0 outreach to pastors in Scotland and England. I love European history, the traditions, and the culture, so I was very eager to go and step foot onto the land that I have read so much about. But I am also genuinely grieved about the spiritual decay taking place there.

According to an article from the London Times last May, research based on a 2005 church census indicates a steady and alarming downward trend in church attendance. Concerning the study’s results, David Yoas, a professor of population studies at the Institute for Social Change at the University of Manchester, says:

“So long as churchgoing is something that gets you laughed at, so long as there is a social stigma attached to being a church going young person, it will be difficult to reverse the trend.” (“Churchgoing On Its Knees as Christianity Falls Out of Favor,” timesonline.co.uk, May 8, 2008)

The report made it clear that Christianity is becoming a minority religion. Our first hand discussions with the actual men and women who pastor and lead ministries across the UK confirm the decline: there is a steady spiritual “leak” as people are abandoning their churches. Much of what they are able to do is set against a constant struggle against apathy and downright antagonism toward the church and Christianity.

The Missions 2.0 trip to the UK was an opportunity to serve pastors and churches across Scotland and England who are on the front lines of the battle for the soul of the UK. Though our discussions centered around innovative ministry in the 21st century, perhaps the greater good was in bringing a word of encouragement. It is hard to preach the truth of Good News when the good in the news gets swept away in the battles of life.

When it appears that in the battle of light vs dark, the dark may be winning.

Sometimes I forget that one of the greatest gifts I can give someone is some hope. Every weekend we have hundreds of people coming through the doors of our church. They don’t need me to solve their problems. They don’t need advice. They need someone to hold out a lighted candle to chase away some of the darkness they brought through the door.

So that the good of the Good News can be found.

...Dear brothers and sisters, never get tired of doing good. (2 Thessalonians 3:13)