‘Tis the season for our congregations to host first-time and returning guests to our festive worship and yuletide activities. As new and occasional visitors are stirred by the spirit of Christmas to consider connecting with a local church our radical Christian hospitality is key to help them experience a sense of belonging.
One of the factors we can intentionally attend to in our welcome is related to the words we use in our communications. For many of us our insider language about our ancient customs, beautiful rituals and familiar traditions is natural and normal discourse. However, as more of our society identifies as having no religious affiliation or have only a distant memory of church life, our Anglican jargon can confuse or even alienate newcomers.
It is a thing plainly repugnant to the Word of God, and the custom of the Primitive Church, to have public Prayer in the Church, or to minister the Sacraments in a tongue not understanded of the people. (The Book of Common Prayer)
An Angus Reid Institute study in 2017 revealed some fascinating research about how Canadians perceive the vocabulary of faith. Respondents were surveyed about whether or not they viewed 12 words either positivity or negatively. Sixty-nine percent of those who claimed to be non-believers said the term ‘religion’ was negative. Of those who are spiritually uncertain, 43% said it has a positive meaning. Other negatively viewed terms are ‘evangelism’, ‘theology’, ‘mystical’ and ‘resurrection’. Not surprisingly, those who identified as being religiously committed had a more positive perception of those words.
The more favorably viewed words by non-believers and those spiritually uncertain are ‘forgiveness,’ ‘morality’, ‘mercy’ and ‘meditation.’ Some 75% of the general Canadian population say that ‘forgiveness’ is a good term, and 60% like the word ‘morality.’
Articles of Religion – XXIV Of speaking in the Congregation in such a tongue as the people understandeth.
Some of our language like propitiation, beseech, Advent, Epiphany, gospels, and even Eucharist may be strange and confusing to our guests. As long-time Anglicans appear to comfortably comprehend and easily engage with those terms, visitors may feel embarrassed, uneducated or stupid, frustrated and alienated.
“For church outsiders, our worship gatherings can be like watching a foreign film without subtitles,” says author, J.R. Briggs. “Our insider language confuses those who aren’t the regulars, and when people are confused, they tune out.”
Even for long-time parishioners some of our terms may mystify or frustrate. For example, we are attempting to reclaim ‘church’ as describing not just a building, nor an institution, but a worshiping, serving congregation or faith family. ‘Discipleship’ is another word that is being unpacked more these days as we move from a sense of baptismal belonging and passive membership to an understanding of being an active Christ-follower or ‘apprentice.’
‘Mission’ is another term that’s getting a much-needed vocabulary make-over. Rather than associating it with some overseas ministry to convert or a left-over from colonial times, the original meaning is being emphasized. Mission comes from Latin, meaning “to send.” It’s closely connected to the term ‘apostle’, a “sent one.” It is not something we do nor certainly compartmentalize in any way. Mission is who God is (the missio dei) and is core to our Christian DNA. As stated at a Lambeth Conference, “Mission goes out from God. Mission is God’s way of loving and saving the world…” (Lambeth Conference 1998, Section II p 121). It is time to reclaim this priority word.
“A gentle tongue is a tree of life.” – Proverbs 15:4a
One important principle in considering our use of language is the context. Who is our audience or readership? If it is long-time Anglicans and/or the seminary trained, then we can be quite comfortable in our institutional terminology. If we have folks who are new or even only somewhat familiar with Churchland, then we may wish to use common phrases and offer clear explanations.
To communicate simply with newcomers about our Anglican tradition, this is not dumbing down our theology (the study of the nature of God), nor patronizing our guests. It is a way to ensure that the spiritually curious can have a better sense of understanding and integration.
The same goes for Biblical literacy. It is wise to remember that not everyone knows the entire Good Samaritan parable. How many could tell the story of the Prodigal Son or that of the crucifixion for that matter? Even long-time congregants may be unfamiliar with common scripture passages and memorable narratives. Another Angus Reid survey (2014) showed that a mere 14% of Canadians report reading their Bible once a month.
One way to monitor our sermons, newsletters, posters, website notices, Facebook posts, etc., is to ask someone who is not connected to your church to review it. We may be surprised by the number of churchy expressions we use that are a barrier to people who are unaccustomed to our insider language
It is an important, and sometimes life-changing gift to be able to empathetically communicate with newcomers and returnees. This Christmas consider how the language we employ can help our guests come to belong to our faith community, and hopefully, ultimately know this Christ Child who brings goodness and light!
