Earlier this year, I mistook the time of a meeting and arrived late. I tried to creep in unnoticed but the hall was almost full. The speaker spotted me and pointed me to the empty front row, to where I shuffled, muttering embarrassed apologies.
Churches regularly witness this as front pews remain empty, worshippoers making a beeline for the back and side pews. If you are leading worship it can be disconcerting to see your congregation in the distance with rows of empty pewter in between in a cavernous medieval building.
Eileen, our Parish Priest, decided to tackle the problem head on last Sunday by inviting all of us to move forward. It occurred to me how unsuitable most of our churches are for worship. The principal service in the Church of England is Holy Communion which commemorates the last supper Jesus had with his disciples. They would have sat around a table or on the floor in an intimate circle. In our churches we all sit in rows, scattered around the building with the priest standing at the front. We perhaps need to radically change the interior layout of churches if we want to worship more authentically. Many churches have already done this, but our ancient church buildings do not facilitate radical re-ordering.
We must, however, also bear in mind that some people have good reasons for seeking a quiet spot in their church. They want space to share a problem with God, they may need to slip out quietly during the service, or they may have children and can more readily take them for a wander. But I will sit in a pew a little nearer to the front in future.
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