Categories: uncategorized
Date: 08 September 2008 11:13:36
Yesterday I did the trying out the new church thing. I can't be doing with faffing about jumping from one to another over most of the first term and so headed straight to the one in walking distance which kept coming up as most likely to meet most of my requirements.
I ended up doing two services the 9:15 am!!!! (yes that time does apparently really exist on a Sunday morning) and the 8pm (yes some churches really do have services that late). In terms of why I didn't go for the 11:00am and or 6pm the answer is simple the church I am going to is multi-congregational. The 9:15 is the "family" service which has the youth work attached, therefore if I am to go to church with Third Party and if she is to make friends her own age this is the correct service. The 8:00pm is the student service and if I am to make friends who are also post-grads, etc this is the correct service.
In terms of the morning service only one person spoke to me, but got to speak to several and got a lift home from people in the same halls from the evening. So therefore, I think I'm correct in thinking I am part of the market being aimed at the 8:00pm and need to get tied into this service if I'm going to make friends. However, as I believe in going to church with Third Party I guess I will be doing the 9:15 thing aswell.
I can see why they do this and get the principle of segmentation, but it does worry me slightly. If we increasingly move to homogeneous congregations much of the diversity and strength of the church may potentially be lost. Also it presents problems for people such as myself who have "multiple lifestyles" (for want of a better term). I suspect that 11:00 and 6 might be more mixed, but ..... see above for why these are not the right services for me.
Whilst I had a good afternoon with v.b.f. who was briefly visiting the city have to say yesterday I felt extremely homesick. Still, as a wise man I used to work with said to me when I left I need to keep looking forward rather than backwards. So forwards, I guess into the new world of segmented, identity based congregations and all that will hold.