What makes you attractive?

How do you decide that someone is attractive? I'm far from calling myself an expert, but criteria might include someone you like (looks, personality etc) someone you feel is worth your interest, someone you feel you have a lot in common with.

How do you decide that a cause or an organisation is attractive, and worthy of your attention? Surely it's in much the same way (although physical looks probably don't come into it!). It's something you feel is worth committing time and money to, something you agree with.


What makes the Church (or Christianity, if you wish) attractive? What are the things about it that make us decide it's worthy of our attention, our commitment, our time and money? What makes it worthwhile? What is the church for?

I don't think this is a question many people within the church ask themselves. To them, the church is the church, it's what they do on Sunday mornings (or whenever). I don't think the question is exactly the same as "What are Christians for?" although it's related. So many churchgoers think the church is just there for them, and don't consider its wider mission in the world.

The early church was composed of groups (probably quite small) meeting in people's homes. They would meet, it seems, to worship and pray and learn from the scriptures and the Spirit about God. And largely that's what we still do in our churches today, I suppose. But back then, in the first century, the church was growing rapidly. Even though there was no support from the state, or an organised bureaucracy, even though they were often being persecuted, the church grew. The same is true today in places like China. But why? What made these groups of people attractive?

I don't know. Having grown up within the church I find it hard to imagine what it's like to view it from outside. If you're someone from outside with views, I'd like to know what you think. To be honest, with the kind of publicity the Western church gets (much of it, unfortunately, justified though unbalanced) I find it hard to see why anyone would find it attractive. For so long the church took it for granted that everyone was within it that it didn't have to worry about being attractive. So now, in an environment where most people are outside and not even interested, there's a problem. Why would anyone be interested in a bunch of elderly, out of touch, guitar (or organ pipe) wielding and above all bickering weirdos? So many people see the church as stuck in the past, advocating ideas that seem behind the times (such as being against sex before marriage, homosexuality, contraception, abortion, equality for women- the list goes on)*. What's attractive about that?

But turn that around...at its best the church is a community of people who have and abide by a set of values, standards which are more important to them than just saying "whatever I want is right." That, in our current culture, is radically different. It stands out. Maybe it would make the church attractive- if we can get the message across.

I read this on the WordLive site for 11th Dec last year: "I have a suspicion that the same thing God finds so detestable is the very thing that keeps many from finding faith in Jesus: a Church that seems so wrapped up in keeping up holy appearances that it forgets its mandate to promote justice and love its neighbours as itself." Alistair Metcalfe.

What about this mandate? Do we pay it much notice? Oh, maybe we buy fairtrade coffee, and pray for those who are persecuted, but do we actually see it as our mission to "promote justice"? Not just individually, but as a church. High-up churchmen and women tend to be criticised for speaking out against things which they consider wrong, but really, that's their job. Like Old Testament prophets the church has to speak out where she sees things being done which God hates. She cannot keep silent. Are we committed to a prophetic ministry? Do we support and encourage our leaders to take such steps? Do we pray for them to have the courage to speak out? Do we ourselves speak out when confronted with injustice at work, or among our friends?

Loving our neighbours is probably better done, yet while helping the homeless, the poor, the ill, is relatively widespread, does the church consider loving its neighbours in, say, the city (or parish) council? Or the local mosque? The council estate? The pub next door? Are our relationships (as an organisation) with these people loving and cooperative, or frustrated and confrontational? How can we serve these organisations without compromising our own values?

Our relationship with God should be at the heart of all the church does- not just our personal relationships, but corporately too. The nation of Israel made a covenant with God, and when they broke it the nation was punished, not just individuals. God wants us to work together- not just within our parish churches or circuits, but nationally and trans-denominationally as well. If the church is to transform the world- starting, but not stopping with ourselves- we need to work together.

And ultimately I think that's what people will find attractive: a community that does its best to love each other and to treat each other fairly, and that loves and treats outsiders fairly too. It's tough, but God's with us. Let's have a go.


Incidentally, does anyone else find it amusing (and perhaps revealing) that of the two highest people in the Church of England are both from outside it- Rowan of Canterbury is from the Church of Wales, Sentamu of York is from Uganda. I wonder what that says about the C of E?


* I'm neither criticising nor defending these things- here at least- just cataloguing some of the ways outsiders- the "unchurched" -see the church as out of touch.