Come and watch church? No thanks.

Church can appear to be set up for a show. We have stage lighting, a sound system, music and plenty of seats for people to relax and enjoy the entertainment. Particularly at Easter or Christmas time we feel like 'putting on a show' about our faith.

Karl Vaters has a different take. He reckons that in an age of Netflix and YouTube, that "church members wearing fake beards and bathrobes singing Christmas carols or reciting the Easter story doesn’t capture anyone’s attention".

But it's not just that. It's way more effort than it's worth, and it makes us look like passive consumers of religion. People coming to church for the first time aren't after a stage show, he says.

They’re more likely coming because they want something more authentic, applicable and challenging in their life.

So what's his idea?

His alternatives include "come and help" - where people can join your church doing projects to help people in the local community. "Come and give" is about inviting people to give to a cause that is not the church itself. Both of these demonstrate a church that cares for other people.

"Come and have fun" is about being part of a community of people and "come and learn" events offer practical help to the community.

When a person comes to a church, they should see our faith at its deepest and best. Not a sanitized-for-your-convenience version that doesn’t have enough depth and meaning to make a difference.

If this sounds good to you, check out Karl's article in full.