It’s great to see that there’s been a real upsurge of church going and faith lately with the ‘Quiet Revival’ even making waves in the secular press. One national newspaper has talked of men ‘flocking back to church’ while another has reported that Royal Marine recruits are increasingly turning to Christianity.

This is hugely encouraging although it has to be admitted that the numbers are still small compared with what happened in 1904. One eyewitness said he left church at 5am only to find hundreds of people ‘waiting in the chilly November air’ to go in!

So how do we explain this remarkable turnaround? One (cynical?) commentator has claimed that it’s because men are less well educated than females and want to be involved in conservative thinking communities that reinforce traditional family values. It’s also been suggested that churchgoing and faith appear to meet a hunger for belonging and purpose as well as a meaningful engagement with our hurting world. The explanations will vary of course. What really matters is the church’s response.

I hope they will welcome these growing numbers as Jesus welcomed the crowds who flocked to witness His miracles and listen to His teaching, even though it might prove more demanding than some expect.

It’s important to appreciate that Jesus wasn’t bowled over by the crowds; He was looking for disciples who would accept His teaching, even when it proved challenging and didn’t fit in with their expectations. We can see that very clearly in the apostle John’s account of the feeding of the five thousand. Jesus walked away when the excited crowds tried to make Him King, and He went on to tell them that they were following Him for the wrong reason.

He also taught them that they would have to eat his flesh and drink his blood. I find it pretty remarkable that anyone stayed with Him after that! Those who did stay though discovered that He was talking about His death on the cross and what that would mean in terms of God’s forgiveness. Not surprisingly lots of them found this teaching too hard to stomach and gave up following Him. But not all. Some, like Peter decided to stick with Him because He had convinced them that He could give them eternal life.

Thankfully there always will be the ‘Peters’ just as there will always be those who choose to reject Him. Churches then shouldn’t be over concerned with numbers; they should simply do all they can to share His message knowing some will respond favourably and others will not. Thankfully there are lots of resources out there to help them too, not least those published by the Bible Society who published the ‘Quiet Revival’ report. And they shouldn’t forget to pray for His presence because no one will become a ‘Peter’ unless His Spirit is with them.