Before Christmas there was a poll showing that 45 per cent of Brits said they would be heading to church over the festive season. That was up from 40 per cent the previous year. Well, did they? Did people actually turn up, or just say they would? Historically, statisticians who physically count people in pews find numbers significantly lower than what people tell pollsters. Plus, as any church leader knows from experience, many people talk about coming to church but rarely walk through the doors.
However, in my own church, we were packed out this Christmas. And I don’t mind admitting it, I was shocked. Because typically we always find a disappointing response to our Christmas outreach. Our building isn’t exactly the most ‘christmasy’, it’s a 1950 prefab which has lasted longer than anyone probably expected. Most Christmases we’ve been down on numbers because of church members away visiting family for the holidays. But this year we were at bursting point for our evangelistic carol service and our Christmas Day service.
To give you a sense of what happened on Christmas Day in our church, let me set the scene. Normally, we don’t even bother to have door stewards because it’s just a trickle of the usual families. But this year, our deacons had to leap into action, frantically getting out extra plastic chairs because the building was filling up fast. We ran out of hymn books, and people had to share. Members were glancing at one another, exchanging happy nods and raising excited eyebrows as more and more people streamed in. And even though it was Christmas Day, people stayed after the service to talk.
I’m not suggesting this happed everywhere. I know some like-minded churches who faithfully worked hard doing outreach throughout December who did not have full churches over Christmas. But I also know we are not the only church to have experienced unusual growth — not just this past Christmas but for some time now. Why? What’s happening in our culture? Why are some churches getting more and more visitors? I certainly don’t have all the answers. But here are some thoughts.
