Restore your faith in human nature
We live in serious times. Trust in our politicians and public life are at a low point, after years where our leaders have not inspired confidence. The war in Gaza grinds on, a humanitarian disaster occurring on Europe’s doorstep, with no obvious ways out, not to mention the war of attrition in Ukraine. Even the weather seems to have been against us, these last few weeks!
How can you restore your faith in human nature? One easy way is to discover Race Across the World, which finished its latest series on BBC1 a couple of months ago and is available on BBC iPlayer. (Read on safe in the knowledge I won’t spoil it for you.) In it, five pairs of contestants must race from the start, which this year was in Sapporo, Japan, to the finish: Lombok, Indonesia, using only the cash equivalent of an air fare, a map and no phones. The challenge is to balance travelling quickly through parts of the world where little English is spoken and tourists are seen rarely, and saving precious money to ensure you can finish the race.
This year the show was dominated by Gen Z, with six out of the ten contestants aged 25 or under. Without exception they have proved to be resourceful, creative, level-headed and caring. They made up two pairings: Betty and James, a brother and sister from Yorkshire, and Alfie and Owen, lifelong best friends. As with every series, it was an emotional and physical rollercoaster, not least because of their personal journeys. Betty opened up to her brother about a health challenge they had never talked about. James’s heartfelt response was an unforgettable TV moment. Alfie lit a lantern at night by the water to remember his mum, who died when he was just five years old. Owen talked openly about his teenage mental health challenges. There was a surprising lack of bickering among contestants who were together 24/7, yet were rooted in knowing each other and themselves well. Here is no ‘snowflake generation’, but a resilient, hardworking and fun set of people.
Gen Z and the Millennial generations are the least likely to be in church. They often come from families which have been unchurched for several generations. Yet, as with the young people on Race Across the World, they have an openness which can be both refreshing and challenging. When I was in my twenties, many of my friends were resistant to the Christian faith because they had negative experiences when they were younger. Today’s rising generations often have no experiences either positive or negative to draw on. A blank slate provides a much better opportunity than a big barrier.
At the same time, commentators are beginning to see a shift towards greater engagement with Christianity among younger people. In his book The Surprising Rebirth of Belief in God, Justin Brierley points to the implosion of the New Atheist movement of Richard Dawkins, among others, and the current influence of more Christian-friendly thinkers such as the historian Tom Holland or the philosopher Jordan Peterson. Without the negative cultural baggage which the Church used to carry, younger people are free to discover the positives about our community life. St Mary of Bethany has itself welcomed several new under-30s into our church family. As a neighbourhood church, we are seeing people who value being part of an intergenerational congregation, who do not necessarily want to be part of the ‘big church’ in town. I have spoken to other church leaders who are experiencing the same thing. One of our newcomers just moved in nearby and realised we are their local church; another used to come as a child.
People sometimes ask, ‘What do we need to do to attract younger people?’ The encouragement for us as a church is simply to continue being who we are. The answer to reaching the rising generations is not in programmes, courses or special ministries; it is in authenticity and community. If we can embrace younger people, value them, meet them where they are and get them involved, we should begin to see a growing number making us their home. Out of our young families, one came to church because they were welcomed in when we read their wedding banns and another because they had a positive experience voting with us on polling day. There is no magic bullet to engage younger people; neither is there something important that we’re missing. I find church members often underestimate how radical our life together is, for people who have difficult work lives and personal challenges every day. To draw an analogy with Race Across the World, we can help each other on life’s journeys.
For me, part of the appeal of the programme is my own experience of independent travel, as I went round the world by myself for a year after university. The programme has reaffirmed some things I knew: that travel is hugely life-affirming, that most people are kind and hospitable given the opportunity and that you only learn what you can cope with when you are up against it. Travelling with the contestants, we see many places which are well off the beaten track. They rub along with people who speak no English and whose lives are completely different from their own. There is something fundamentally human about our ability to connect to others, even when we have virtually nothing in common with them. If I am visiting this community and struggling to make sense of it, and you are a native, you can help me. Along the way we will probably share food and laugh with (or at) each other.
If you have never seen Race Across the World, you have five series to look forward to: coast to coast Canada, the length of South America and Paris to Singapore, as well as going across Europe with five celebrities and their friends/family. If it does not fire up your enthusiasm for new places, your optimism about the kindness of strangers and your hope that our young people can be completely brilliant, then I can’t help you!