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what is church planting and why does it matter?

the Church's hypocrisy, and collusion with materialism and prejudice.

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For these reasons the closed de churched (over 20 per cent nationally) 

are probably one of the most resistant groups in society   they have

experienced church, and deliberately chosen to be no longer associated.

The closed and open de churched have been presented above as rather

distinct groups, but clearly there are overlaps and a spectrum of views and

attitudes.

who are the `non churched'?

This is the increasingly large proportion of society that has no history of

church attendance   perhaps for several generations. There may be no one

living in their extended family for whom church is part of normal life. No one

prays for them by name. George Lings notes that church is for some `an

alien and expensive building that I wouldn't know what to do in; worse it is

occupied by people I wouldn't be seen dead with'.

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As mentioned earlier, 

in urban areas the proportion of non churched is likely to be much higher

than 40 per cent.

This difference between de churched and non churched is important. The

de churched have had some exposure to the Church and its message, and

they may now be left with favourable or unfavourable feelings about that

experience. But the non churched have no connection with church, nor any

real idea what it is about.

Thus it must be accepted that any approach at evangelism or community

involvement that assumes we can `bring people back to the church' can

only   at best   be effective for a diminishing proportion of the population.

For most people, `church' is either an utterly foreign culture, or one that

they have decided to reject. For the Church in England, the stark reality 

of this situation should be a cause for profound repentance and renewed

missionary endeavour.

they are no longer `our people'

The Anglican pattern of ministry, built around parish and neighbourhood,

can lead to a way of thinking that assumes that all people   whether

attending or not attending   are basically `our people'. All people are God's

people, but it is an illusion to assume that somehow the population of

England is simply waiting for the right invitation before they will come back

and join us. The social and mission reality is that the majority of English

society is not `our people'   they haven't been in living memory, nor do 

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