Church sets up nightclub missions to attract New Age followers

The Independent
By Robert Verkaik
26 March 2005


The Church of England is to recruit directly from nightclubs as part of an evangelical drive that taps into the growth of New Age spiritualism in Britain. Evangelical missions have already begun working with surfing communities in Cornwall and are now targeting clubbers as far afield as Ibiza.

A new Church of England study, Evangelism in a Spiritual Age, also encourages traditional parishes to contact alternative lifestyle groups, many of which have atheist and pagan beliefs.

In the foreword to the study, the Bishop of Maidstone, Graham Cray, says: "This remarkable increase in reported spiritual experiences among adults has to be taken very seriously ... spiritual experience of various kind is clearly a key element in contemporary adult evangelism, especially with those who have had little or no connection with the Church."

The Church is worried that not only are congregations in decline but its research has found 60 per cent of adults and children are already "culturally beyond the reach" of traditionally evangelical approaches. Bishop Cray says: "It is a situation requiring not just fresh expressions of Church but fresh expressions of evangelism."

http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_britain/story.jsp?story=623792

PEACE man!...

there's a sitcom in that article... hopefully it won't make Dawn French go into a bezerker rage when its finally made.

has found itself unable to move with the times. I recall in the 1950's, the Catholic Church went through a crisis with declining attendance, less revenues. It was seen as too rigid, too boring and did not connect with its followers. It ended up taking on a lot of Lutheran traditions.

Currently, the christian church seems to be focused on music. You go to many church services and you'll hear swingin' rock music. Xtian radio stations play music that could be mistaken for a run-of-the-mill rock station.

A friend told me the churches want to "reach out" to the young people, who have been alienated by a rigid, boring church.

As usual, these measures have always been late-stage, desperation tactics. The driving force has always been declining revenues and sparse attendance. These last-ditch measures reek of "reactive" versus pro-active decisions.

Whatever. Yawn, stretch. So what's the point anyway? At what point does the church reinvent itself and become a Jack of all trades, a flag waving in the wind, whichever way the wind doth blow?

But, when I drink Cuervo, I swear I see the devil...

Religion is probably the last thing on the minds of people going to Ibiza to party. It's like setting up an information booth on veganism in a steak house.

Would it not be a better idea for the church to sell its worldly goods and give the money to the poor. They might then be in a position to actually start living the gospel.