Filling up churches at Christmas could be as simple as inviting people, research into church attendance has suggested.

Over half of Americans who don’t go to church at Christmas would likely attend if they received a personal invitation.

That’s according to a survey from Lifeway Research, part of the Southern Baptist Union.

Lifeway found that 47% of US adults say they typically attend church at Christmas time, while 48% say they do not. But of those who don’t typically attend, 56% said they “likely” would if invited by someone they knew, while just 36% said they were unlikely.

In the UK, church attendance is much lower – a 2020 survey by YouGov found that just 22% of Britons go to church at Christmas. Meanwhile, we we have a huge problem with loneliness: over 7% of people in Britain experience chronic loneliness, defined as feeling lonely “often or always”.

A startling 1.4m over 65s will be eating alone on Christmas Day.

But the problem is broader than pensioners: indeed, according to Harmless, a social enterprise, 25-34 year-olds “represent the highest risk group” among the 23% of Brits who “felt lonely” over Christmas.

So it seems to me that, even just in secular terms, at Christmas churches have high quality activities such as carol services that are of central relevance to the season, that offer an opportunity for warn company, are quite fun to attend, and may feel socially acceptable for people who don’t want to get bogged down in all that religious stuff.

To some, churches can seem like a whole different culture. People feel they are a bit alien and not for people like them.

Perhaps people think that that a church is going to be dull, or full of graceless moralising or that they are going to be judged – which is ironic when you consider the actual message of Jesus.

After all, when Jesus came into the world as a baby two millennia ago, he didn’t come just for the “righteous” people: the Christmas gift was intended for everyone.

And so a personal invitation that means people won’t feel uncomfortable and out of place can help people cross that barrier through the door to their local church.

* * *

Prayer

Lord,

Thank you for the energy, enthusiasm and encouragement
that is seen across churches this Christmas,
and the dedication of clergy and volunteers,
in organising the celebration of the nativity.

Help us to understand the part we can play in helping
bringing people to hear the Christmas story this year.

Amen