They sketched out a classic 'churchy' looking building. There were spires and old stone structures, surrounded by graveyards - generally places that looked like churches. I sketched out a 1960s concrete and glass structure. At the time, the church we attended was meeting in a Further Education College so that was the building I drew. I was secretly feeling pretty pleased with myself. As the discussion in the class moved forward and some others described the worship in their services as boring, I was able proudly to proclaim that we had electric guitars, and doughnuts before the service (meeting as we called it).

This small incident was a microcosm of the relationship I had to tradition when I was growing up. I saw it as pretty irrelevant to the practice of faith. What could those old, cold buildings possibly have to offer? By extension, what could the kind of Christianity that happened in these places ever offer me? In my mind it was stale, repetitive and irrelevant to the late 20th Century world in which I was growing up.

Fast forward to 2016 and while I haven't lost my love for electric guitars in worship (and I'm always happy to be offered a doughnut) I realise that my youthful view was far too reductive. The tradition of the Church, liturgy, the creeds, apostolic succession, the Eucharist and much more all play an important role in my expression of faith. It seems many others are on a similar journey -- especially younger people.

Across the US and the UK there is a movement of younger people from an evangelical background who are reconnecting with the heritage and tradition of the Church.

This takes many forms, but it caught my eye this week that the Prayer Book Society -- a group dedicated to promoting the Book of Common Prayer -- is proclaiming a "National resurgence" in its use. The Book, which forms the basis of Anglican liturgy and theology was first written in the mid 16th Century and revised in 1662. Although some parishes have continued to use it since then, many have moved away from it, either using Common Worship -- the more contemporary liturgical style, or doing away with liturgical worship altogether.

However, the Society now says that many younger people are expressing an interest in the Prayer Book. "Many young people... are coming across The Book of Common Prayer for the first time," said spokesperson John Service. "They are struck by the beauty and relevance of the language which has inspired writers like Shakespeare as well as churchgoers down the ages."

24-year-old Fergus Butler-Gallie who's training to be an Anglican priest says he's noticed a pattern with younger people who are keen to have more substantive expressions of worship. "The words... found in The Book of Common Prayer satisfy that hunger as they rediscover past patterns of worship and understand their significance," he said.

It isn't just the Prayer Book, though. Younger people seem to be rediscovering more traditional, liturgical expressions of worship across the board.

The Rev Erik Parker has blogged about the phenomenon of being a 'high church millenial' -- in the Lutheran tradition. Rachel Held Evans has written a book about her journey from evangelicalism to Episcopalianism. It isn't just Protestant denominations either. Some young evangelicals are becoming Roman Catholics, with one writer suggesting, "college [is] a ripe breeding ground for interest in Roman Catholicism. Among the traits of the Catholic Church that attract... students - and indeed many young evangelicals at large - are its history, emphasis on liturgy, and tradition of intellectualism."

Indeed, there seems to be a thirst for Orthodox Christian faith as well. The most popular piece I've ever written for Christian Today was about the Jesus Prayer -- an ancient prayer of the Orthodox Church.

Lambeth Palace, the home of the Archbishop of Canterbury, itself now plays host to a community of young people from around the world, who live under a rule of regular prayer, meditation and worship.

For the rest of the story click here: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/why.are.young.evangelicals.seeking.out.traditional.worship/95623.htm