Despite ethical controversies such as the homosexuality deadlock in the Church and the declining number of church attendances, many Britons are in fact desperately seeking spiritual support, fulfilment and help with the stress and strains of life.
According to The Times, a staggering L80 million was spent in 2003 on books and spiritual sessions by so called founts of knowledge. The Box Office also found that films related to spirituality and morality such as The Passion of the Christ and the Matrix are more popular than any other subject.
The CEA have said that the Passion of the Christ boosted enquiries about Christian faith in 2004. The organisation, which works on behalf of major denominations and Christian agencies including the Baptist Union of Great Britain (BUGB), received 5,000 enquiries, up by about 3,000 on 2003.
The CEA launched a campaign tailored to the Passion of the Christ last year when it was on show in cinemas. Response postcards were handed out at cinemas. Part of the response card was able to be sent freepost to CEA for a free booklet related to the film. The retainable section had thought provoking words, a verse from the Bible and an invitation to look at the special content on the UK evangelistic website. (www.rejesus.co.uk/thepassion)
150,000 response postcards were produced by the CEA. According to director Jeff Bonser, many of the additional queries last year were generated from this evangelistic effort, "We’re thrilled with the response, especially as many of those who contact us are men aged under 40 who have little or no link with church."
15 per cent of enquirers came back for more information. The Agency responds to enquiries about Christian faith on a non-sectarian basis through personal letters, free information in printed, audio or video format, telephone conversations and putting enquirers in touch with local churches. It is estimated that hundred of people found faith in Jesus and church involvement through the initiative.
"These are mainly people who are early on in their journey of exploring the faith. They aren’t even part of the fringe church," he continued. "But they come back saying, ‘I have questions,’ or ‘I’d like prayer’."
Bonser said that the role of the CEA is to support the church’s mission by making contact with people, "We’re giving people the chance, in their own territory, in their own way, to explore Jesus."
Therefore, he encouraged churches to use the CEA in their own evangelism, and to provide links to the www.rejesus.co.uk website, which received 1,000 visits a day last year.
Bonser lamented that many churches in the UK have not utilised the internet as a powerful tool for evangelism. He said, "The problem with many church websites is that they are about the church, and not about why the church is there."
Through the website, people can even explore faith in their own home at the click of a button. It is important to construct resourceful websites that introduce Christian faith, so that plenty of people who are searching can quench their spiritual thirst.
Following last year’s success, CEA has formulated a new mission strategy for 2005 which focuses on introducing Christian faith through contemporary culture. The first project entitled Evangelising Contemporary Spirituality, is based on making connections with modern spiritual concerns. Three books dealing with subjects such as angels and nature will be released at Easter.
The second project is tailor-made for people who are interested in visiting historic churches, through the material provided by the CEA, people can come to know Jesus.
A third project is based around the release of the film The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe at Christmas. Based on C. S. Lewis’s well-known children’s book, the film is expected to have many spiritual resonances and the CEA will produce material which can be used by churches as part of their outreach programmes.
The BUGB’s Head of Mission, the Revd Derek Allan expressed his great appreciation of the CEA’s work, "It is part of the outreach of the churches in the UK, not just another evangelistic agency."
"Many people today do not relate their sense of spiritual searching to anything that the church has to offer, and CEA has proved that it can help make that link."
"It appeals particularly to men, something rare in the UK church scene, perhaps because they feel comfortable with the degree of anonymity it offers," he commented.