All in all, yes, I believe that a single church could change a nation absolutely. However, I do think that it would face many challenges. But when has that stopped God before? I think there just needs to be people there willing to answer the call and to aid in the change, but at the end of the day, it’s all through his power which is limitless.

The culture in which a church stands is something that does not change by itself or at a fast pace. It is something that is incremental and has a laser-focused goal in mind. For the Clapham Sect, this included but did not limit themselves to the slave trade. In a modern concept, this could include things like homelessness, poverty, or suicide prevention. 

I think in today’s society, a single church would in some ways have a harder time changing an entire nation. Despite things like the outreach that social media has, I think that it is sometimes harder for modern churches to cut through and actually make connections to their community, much less the entire nation. We have a lot more ideas and things taking up our headspace, and I feel sometimes we are in a much more individualistic culture. This leads to people being less motivated to help out and be generous with their time and money. 

Seeing Holy Trinity Clapham still functioning as a thriving church today was very encouraging. Also seeing the age demographic being so young was refreshing. I think that it’s very easy to think of the younger generation as being disinterested in going to church, but I don’t think that’s the reality of the situation. My generation, as well as any generation or people group, just needs to be invited to the table, but if opportunities are not easily available, people might not want to grasp it. I think that it was very interesting that they had an evening service, as that brings in a lot of the younger generation. Showing up to meet people where they are already at is such an important way to begin a change.