It was with some trepidation I agreed to let David Whyte write some columns for the NZ Baptist looking at churches and the Christian life from the perspective of someone who doesn’t go to church.

No one likes being criticised and I expected a strong reaction. I haven’t been disappointed! But it is an important issue and one that needs to be aired.

The simple fact is that most New Zealanders don’t go to church and we need to try to understand why. Much study has already been done in this area both within the Baptist movement and elsewhere. I would be surprised if David tells us anything we don’t already know.

But I would like to open up the debate and encourage Baptist churchgoers to try to look at their churches and themselves from a non-church perspective. Thank you to those who have already offered their opinions in the letters column and I hope more of you will do so.

I do, however, think that most of the letter writers thus far are missing the point a bit. Whether David Whyte is right or wrong in his comments is not really the issue. It is his perceptions that are important. Is he typical of what other non-churchgoers think? I don’t know. But I do know there are all sorts of reasons – real and imagined – as to why people out there wouldn’t be seen dead in church.

For many it just doesn’t seem relevant to their lives. Others are scared of what they may find there, others have simply gotten out of the habit, and yet others cite reasons that are just weird or plain ridiculous.

One that particularly alarms me – and one I hear far too often – is from people who have been hurt by a church experience. Some of these that happened years, sometimes even decades, ago but have left such an emotional scar that the person concerned has vowed never go near a church again.

As letter writers are pointing out, some of David’s comments seem a bit harsh because churches are, in fact, working hard to address many of the very issues he raises.

But how do we communicate that fact? We have a marketing and public relations problem. That’s why I’m a big fan of Back to Church Sunday because it provides a vehicle by which we can invite back people who haven’t been to church in years. The problem is that Back to Church Sunday needs to happen every week.

And in fairness to David, there is at least a kernel of truth in much of what he has said so far.

Yes, churches can be boring. Not every sermon is a gem and more often than not they are too long. Baptist churches have a strong emphasis on music as worship. That is difficult for people like me who are tone deaf, can’t sing a note and have little or no interest in music at all. And as many of our readers keep pointing out: It can all be dreadfully loud!

Yes, Christians can be seen as hypocritical by outsiders. Yes, churches can sometimes be the last to catch up with the changing social and cultural landscape, such as the role of women in leadership. It took a long time to convince the Church that the world wasn’t flat – and I’m speaking literally, not metaphorically!

But I don’t share David’s overall view of church life. I see amazing changes in the way we “do church” (how I hate that phrase!) and God is at work in exciting, new and powerful ways throughout our movement.

Revival is coming. And I, for one, can’t wait!

– Duncan Pardon