We don’t know why you’re here but we know why we’re here: welcome!

Change used to come slowly in our area but in the past year or two hardly a Sunday has gone by without at least one visitor to church on a Sunday. I am pleased to report that the church family did well in meeting, greeting and welcoming our guests.

Christmas of course brings more visitors to church than usual, and for a wider variety of reasons: some who attend occasionally during the year make a point of coming at Christmas; others in the local area come regularly at Christmas but not at any other time. Some are visiting family in the area and seek out Christian fellowship during their stay; others come because they want to recapture the mythical magic of Christmas; finally, some attend because they want help and hope as they navigate a particularly difficult time. I hope that all know they are welcome, even if we’re not entirely sure why they have come to church this Christmas time.

Incidentally, the Quiet Revival (sometimes better called the Spiritual Migration) has largely passed us by. But if and when young men walk in out of the blue, then we still won’t have any better idea of what has drawn them to come to church than we do with our current newcomers. It will still be a case of ‘We don’t know why you’re here - welcome!’

On the other hand we know why we, the regular congregation, are here. I think this is one of the local church’s super-powers: a confident sense of purpose and identity in Christ. It is sharper for us here because the Covid lockdowns taught us to value in-person meetings; contending for our place in the Church of England has reminded us of the privilege and responsibilities of gathering for worship; and keeping pace with a changing society has focused us on which elements of church life are unchanging essentials and which are not. Whether we know to call it ‘having an ecclesiology’, we Know Why We Are Here.

If I may be allowed an advert break at this point, this sort of reflection is at the heart of Latimer Trust’s ministry. Books in the ‘Anglican Foundations’ series explore elements of our Anglican identity and practice so that we can hold them with conviction. Our Anglican foundations are a meaningful and authentic expression of the Gospel and of the call to follow Jesus.

Coming back to visitors to Church, my unspoken guiding thought over Christmas was ‘I don’t know why you’re here (thinking of the visitors) but do I know why we’re here (thinking of the church regulars)’. Here is how it made a difference as I prepared: knowing why everyone has come is an impossible task, made even more challenging as the local population grows more diverse. Whatever I aim for, I am bound to miss. On the other hand, if I prepare a service entirely for the ‘in crowd’ I will be guilty of exactly the inward-looking attitude that opposes the Gospel’s hospitality. So what can I do?

The radical thought - which turns out to be as old as the hills - is that we can meet our visitors’ needs well by inviting them to share in what we’re meeting to do as we gather to know and to worship God through Jesus. It turns out that in the local church we already have some of the very treasures that the current generation are - according to those who speak on ‘youth culture’ - seeking: purpose (knowing why we are here); embodiment (real-life in-person relationships as opposed to parasocial digital friendships), and intergenerational relationships (being friends with old and young). Even if we don’t fully know why our visitors are here, we can still serve them well by knowing why we’re here. I think they really appreciated the invitation.

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Ed Moll is vicar of St George's Church Wembdon in Somerset. He is a trustee of the Latimer Trust and is involved with training ministers through Langham Preaching and on the South West Gospel Partnership's Ministry Training course. He is married to Christa and they have two adult children. Ed's books published by the Latimer Trust, including 'The Ascension of Christ' can be found here.

Views expressed in blogs published by the Latimer Trust are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Latimer Trust.