During the early summer months, many churches see an increase in attendance from families hoping to secure a place at a local Church of England (CofE) school. In my area, this is particularly noticeable because of the reputation of our local CofE secondary school, which is highly sought after and described as "world-class".
I know this can provoke a range of reactions among regular church members. Some may feel cynical about people's motives, while others may wonder whether church attendance should play any role in school admissions at all.
These are understandable thoughts to have. However, I think it is worth remembering that whatever initially brings someone through the doors of a church, they are still placing themselves in a position to hear the gospel.
Worth remembering...
Week by week, these people are hearing God's Word preached (faithfully at our church), seeing Christians worship together, witnessing authentic community and love, and encountering the claims of Jesus Christ. God knows every heart and every motive. God often uses a variety of circumstances to draw people to Himself.
It's also worth remembering that length of attendance is not necessarily the same thing as spiritual commitment. Someone may have attended church for years without truly knowing Christ, while another person may arrive with mixed motives and genuinely come to faith.
At our church, families who begin attending because of school admissions are invited to take part in the Christianity Explored (CE) course. Many do, and over the years some have become Christians after openly acknowledging that they originally came only because of the school.
One such couple at our church had been brought up in Christian homes but had never made a personal commitment. They were encouraged to do the CE course when they asked to have forms signed for the local CofE secondary school. They both became believers following this course and now say: "We live by the knowledge we have a God we can trust. Life is the same, there are still many challenges, ups and downs, but we know that God will be with us through them all."
What began as a practical decision became a life-changing encounter with Jesus.
A warm welcome
For this reason, I believe our response should be to welcome people warmly, love them generously, and faithfully share the good news of Christ. We can leave God to do the rest!
Our responsibility is to be hospitable, faithful, and prayerful, trusting that God is able to work in people's lives in ways we cannot see.
After all, every one of us first walked into a church for a reason. The wonderful thing is that God is often at work long before we realise it.
PfE women is an everyday evangelism series written by women in Passion for Evangelism - an organisation committed to empowering, equipping, and encouraging women to share the good news of Jesus.
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