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Reading: the Signs

Youth Congregation

St Lawrence's church Reading
How is mission effectively done in our post-Christendom context? If it were a pre-Christian context, it might be clearer undertaking as you would be spared the misunderstanding, the rejection and the unhelpful cultural memories that exist for us. Our mission task is far more difficult. 

Connecting with teenagers who have never been to church but who have heard enough about church to be deeply suspicious is not easy. How do you make contact and build relationships when they won't step foot near a church? What do you do when they perceive the worship of the Christian teenage subculture to be too weird to engage with? The journey of discipleship from becoming Christians to living lives according to Christian values is a long halting for these teenagers that often feels like one step forward, two steps back. 

St Lawrence Church in Reading has been on a journey like this. Gifted with a refurbished town centre church building, Chris Russell and his team have committed themselves to reaching non-churched teenagers and to growing a church with them from scratch. They want younger newcomers to church to be allowed to shape what church should become rather than be told to fit in with it always has been. Order this issue no.21 Reading: The Signs to read their story in full.