The Church - relevant or approachable?

So the Church of England in its wisdom has decided that baptism services are too long and use language that is outmoded and complex, essentially that it is time for a change.

Once more the focus of the church authorities (I do not accuse the clergy and laity at the parish coal face) is not on the renewal of its life, not on the preaching of the gospel, not on the regular and faithful celebration of its sacramental life but on how relevant it is to the outside world.

A glance around should give it the answer. It has become worryingly irrelevant. The 21st century world of Pop Idol, Strictly Come Dancing, Facebook, Twitter, X Factor, and all the other expressions of popular 'culture' has no place for the enduring truths offered by the church. People are so swept up in the daily round of work (if they're lucky enough to have some) and truly trivial entertainments that they do not hear the voice of God calling them to His peace and love.

Does it matter? Most certainly it does! The God-given task of the Body of Christ is to bring good news to 'people who walk in darkness'. God forgive any Church that thinks it can pass by on the other side and not seek to bind up the wounds that our modern way of life is inflicting on people all around it in our communities.

The question is how it can be done. I believe that part of the problem lies in the Church of England's misreading of the yearnings that exist in the hearts of many. Do they cry out for a church that is relevant and modern? Do they long for services that are more like cabaret acts or nightclub experiences? Is their search for spiritual meaning and purpose a sign that the church's teachings are somehow being masked by its life and not presented aright?

Surely it goes much deeper than this. Secular society as found expressed and lived by millions in modern Britain is so soulless and unfulfilling, so vacuous and ephemeral, that what people long to discover is a way of being connected to that which is eternal, that which lasts and provides true stability amidst the shifting sands of daily existence; in other words, that which speaks of God.

The desire to make the baptism service yet more relevant, easily digested and 'accessible'(dreadful word)is born of a desperation that does a terrible disservice to the truth and hope to be found in the gospel. Relevant to what, one might well ask? Relevant to that lifeless world from which they are seeking some release? How counter-cultural can the Church of England be if it is always seeking to mimic the language of that world in its own liturgical and sacramental life in a tragic attempt to seem relevant?

Approachable and welcoming the church must always be. But surely it must also be a place that gives food for thought, that challenges and disturbs, not somewhere that feels like a trip to movies or your local pub.

Changing the words of the baptismal liturgy or shortener will do precisely nothing for the church's relevance. The sad need to be relevant is what brings howls of derision from those outside its walls. What they wish for is a church that stands up for what it believes in and is not 'blown hither and thither by every wind of change'.

Let it proclaim the eternal truths eternally.