About Te Gast in de Kerk

What is it like to attend a church service if you’re not a churchgoer yourself? Do you feel welcome? Can you follow what’s being said? Does the music resonate with you? Do you experience something of God or the divine?

René van Loon explored these questions by inviting fifty local churches—Catholic, Protestant, and Evangelical—to welcome guests from outside the church. An impressive 152 people attended services, from Terneuzen to Leeuwarden, and shared their experiences through a survey.

In his book, Van Loon unpacks the survey results, reflects on the insights gained, and considers what the church can learn from them. He also offers practical tools for churches that want to conduct similar research themselves.

René van Loon is a minister in the Protestant Church in the Netherlands, serving at De Samaritaan congregation in central Rotterdam. His previous publications include Kerk voor de Buurt en Lente in de Kerk.

Study Day: A Guest in the Church

Join us for the study afternoon on Friday, 21 March!
An afternoon with a rich programme: presentation of the book and its key research findings, reflections on the book, and the opportunity to participate in valuable workshops related to the book's themes.

The study afternoon will take place on:
21 March 2025, from 1:30 pm to 6:00 pm
at Mission Centre De Wegwijzer in Almere.

For more information and to register, click the link below.

_{Photo: René van Loon (by Koos van Noppen)}