If we are to declare a positive reason for going to church, I think that the language we’ve used about ordination and Religious Life is the way we need to now speak of everyone’s participation in Christian common worship.
In my travels (around NZ), I have ended up (often after much effort trying to get correct information for where and when a service is being held) at a Sunday service with a stipended (remunerated) priest (often the youngest person present) and a congregation numbering 30-50ish people, the vast majority aged over 60 years old, with, if they are lucky, a sprinkling of younger than 60. There might be a high amount of time and energy put into preparing a powerpoint of cloud liturgy and cut and paste worship, and the experience can feel like a religious poetry recital (sung and said Greek-chorus like).
Why are these people here?! Why do they keep coming back? This isn’t some sort of rhetorical question – it would form a great doctoral study…
