A couple of weeks ago an article came out in The Atlantic which described the rapid expansion and subsequent decline of the Sunday Assembly. It's effectively a secular church. Each week folk gather over coffee, sing some songs together, practice mindfulness and listen to an inspirational speaker. They describe themselves as "a godless congregation that celebrates life" [1]. At their peak, they had launched nearly 70 chapters (i.e. congregations) in cities across Europe and North America. However, more recently, energy has fizzled out. Nearly half their congregations have closed. Attendance has declined. Chapters have found it hard to sustain the number of volunteers required to organise the events. Their finances have struggled.

The author, Faith Hill, consulted a number of religion and sociology experts about the challenge of building a secular church. Reading their analysis, I was struck by how difficult it is to build an organisation like this. The experts questioned whether people would want to meet every week. They described the struggle of building a community united only by their lack of belief. One expert described the struggle of getting people to inconvenience themselves for the common good.

All this convinces me of the miracle of the church. It flourishes completely against the odds. Where else, in this city, would you see a group of seemingly random people from different backgrounds and cultures committing to one another, choosing to serve one another and being willing to sacrifice their time for one another, because they love each other? In our individualistic culture, how often do we see people choosing to build their lives around a community? In a fractured society which is longing for healing and unity, I'm convinced unity in Christ is the answer.

The church isn't just a nice idea that bucks the sociological trend. It's Christ's gift to a broken world, which points to the heavenly reality to come. We're going to be exploring together the beauty (and challenge!) of the church for the next three Sundays. I'm praying it will be a significant time of formation for our community. I hope you'll be able to join us.