The rise of the coffee shop has taken Britain by storm. Over £7.9bn was spent in them last year, but what is the reason for their popularity?  Well for a start the coffee shop is seen as the place to meet. It is open all day, and is certainly female and child friendly.  So combining chat, community, and caffeine seems to be the winning combination.

A recent survey by Deloittes showed that there had been a societal shift towards sharing, with spending time with family and friends being a top priority. So what can churches learn from this? It is odd that the church should have to learn anything from Costa or Starbucks. After all looking at the New Testament there seems to be the solution to creating a hub for the community, and from my humble experience churches have some of the best bakers and carers in society! However, I think that there initially has to be a shift from church's perception of how people will encounter the Gospel, and in fact in may be time for churches to "wake up and smell the coffee"!

The first question to ask yourself is why would anyone in your community engage with your church? With so many other things to do on a Sunday morning what compelling reason would people have to come through your doors? If community, talking and drinking coffee is a primary driver for this generation then perhaps we need to look again at the model of church set out in Acts 2:42-47:

^"They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved."

So we can't ignore the need to study the bible, but it seems that fellowship was a top priority as well. The Oxford English Dictionary defines fellowship as: "Friendly association, especially with people who share one's interests". The word used in Acts is koinonia means communion, joint participation, and sharing (amongst other things). This bible passage shows that the first Christians were filled with awe, met daily, met needs, ate together, worshipped God, and enjoyed favour. Interestingly their lifestyles were so attractive that people were being saved daily. Interestingly, it seems that this is what our community is craving, just as the people in the first century did.

In practical terms what could the church do:

1. Make yourself a place of welcome.

This means for everyone, even if they are very different from you! And I know that this presents a challenge for some churches, but coffee shops are on the increase because they are places that you can visit with friends or on your own, without any pressure. Coffee shops are designed to create a welcoming ambience; staff are trained in engaging with customers in a friendly manner; and customer care is always paramount.

This is not to say that churches need to revamp their interiors, train up a welcome team, and offer an extensive range of cakes! After all as Christians we have the greatest gift that there is, but maybe there is something to be said for thinking of church as a place to not only worship the Lord, but also as a place to engage with those that don't know Jesus. If we are to love our neighbour as we love ourselves, maybe there is something that can be gleaned from coffee shops. A warm welcome, a place of no pressure, a place where people wish to serve you, and engage with you if that's what you want. But churches have so much more than the high street coffee shop, they are places where the ambience of Christ's love and hope should shine through.

2. Provide a listening ear.

Over 9million people in the UK (almost one fifth of the population) report that they are always or often lonely. This shocking statistic from last year's study by the Co-op and the British Red Cross highlights the endemic problem of our nation. The key triggers were identified as life transitions e.g. becoming a new mum, retirement, children moving out, bereavement, divorce, separation, or health issues.

The Psalmist had the answer to loneliness in Psalm 68 when he declares that God sets the lonely in families. Church should be the place where those facing life transitions are welcomed, listened to, loved, and supported. The problems facing one fifth of our population can be transformed by the church, and yet this is not the first port of call for most people.

Why this is must be a serious question for any church. As Christians we need to ask ourselves what we need to do to change the world's perception of Christians and church, otherwise 9million people are suffering needlessly.

3. Provide opportunity for people to engage with you throughout the week.

As church does not appear to be the first place that people think of to socialise in (clearly preferring to meet in the local coffee shop), then the church needs to consider ways to encourage the community to engage with it during the week. Here are a few of our suggestions:

• Could the church be used by other community groups?
• Could it become a debt advice centre?
• What about opening its own coffee shop?!
• What about hosting events that specifically appeal to different demographics outside of church?
• Could it run help groups for new mums utilising the experience of mums within the church?
• Could it run groups for those going through divorce, separation, or bereavement?
• What about having a book club to invite people to?
• Or run a cycling club? Or a football team?
• Could it offer counselling and prayer?

All of these events could be advertised on your church website and other social media platforms.

The church is full of people with a wealth of talents and there is a nation full of broken people. Jesus came to offer life, and life in abundance. It is tragic that as the coffee shop business expands, churches are closing.

Perhaps it is time to take a step back and look at coffee shops, and those churches that are growing, and ask ourselves "What can we can do to counter the brokenness in our nation?"