More Church Does Not Equal More Spirituality
Category: Uncategorized
The evangelical blogosphere is buzzing about a recent report by the Willow Creek megachurch (see Church Marketing Sucks and Christianity Today). Willow Creek surveyed its own congregants, along with congregants from a range of other evangelical churches.
The results of the survey are causing a paradigm shift at Willow Creek. Previously, church leaders had assumed that the more people got involved in church activities, the more spiritual growth they would experience.
What they found is that this equation (more engagement with church –> more spiritual growth) was only working for Willow Creek congregants who were relatively new to Christianity. The closer congregants felt to God, and the further along they were in knowledge of Christianity, the more they felt church was NOT adequately serving them.
These findings ring a bell with me. I don’t think they are just applicable to Christians in megachurches, because I’m experiencing something similar in my own life. Since joining my first (and only) Unitarian Universalist congregation about five years ago, I’ve assumed that the more I get involved in church activities (worship, community events, and committees), the more I’ll grow spirituality.
Now I’m having some doubts about that equation. The church year started two months ago, and I’m not feeling more peace, more insight, and a closer relationship with God, despite being at church activities several times a week.
So what is the solution for people like me who want to grow in faith, but are finding that more time at church just isn’t doing it?
Willow Creek pastors Bill Hybels and Greg Hawkins are grappling with the same question, and they have offered at least two ideas that resonate with me.
The first is that congregants have to let go of the idea that church is their sole source of spiritual sustenance. The second and related idea is that congregants need more tools to integrate spiritual practice and reflection into their lives outside of church.
There are still many questions to be asked:
How can we continue to grow in faith even after we have a strong knowledge of our tradition and a sense of relationship with the divine?
How can people of faith seek spiritual sustenance outside of the church, while still maintaining a sense of connection to the community?
To what extent can congregants expect a church to fulfill their spiritual needs?
To what extent can the congregation expect congregants to be continually and meaningfully engaged with the congregation?
October 30th, 2007 13:48
The phenomenon I’ve noticed is that newcomers get super involved in church activities because they’re enthused, and then eventually church activities become chores as they become less “new” and less enthused. But somehow, that newfound spirituality they once felt and that committee-joining fervor they once felt have become conflated, and it’s hard to let go of the latter without feeling like one’s giving up on the former.
It’s also hard to not let being disappointed about committees and “church politics” affect one’s feelings about the spirituality.
October 30th, 2007 14:05
Volunteering alone does not create spirituality. I think that they augment what we do on our own. Granted, I am not one with a huge spiritual practice unless you count sleeping in… but I know that I go to church more for community then for spirit. It is my solo exploration that drives my spiritual life… not the folks sitting around me on any given Sunday.
October 30th, 2007 16:45
Thanks for responding.
Hafidha, what you wrote describes really well what I’m feeling now — it’s nice to have your perspective that this is a wider phenomenon and other newcomers experience it too.
Jacqueline, there are definitely times when I’ve considered sleeping-in a spiritual practice!
October 30th, 2007 20:58
Some things that folks volunteer for at church are spiritual and some things are work. In my program council days, I told people to be sure to balance the two. And only you can decide which are the work things and which are the things that turn you on spiritually. For me, for example, doing yard work around the church was spiritual in an odd way, while to most people it was work. To others, working on the annual stewardship drive was spiritual but to me it was pure work–stepping in just to fill a void (because /someone/ had to do it) rather than enjoyment.
So mix in an adult ed class or a small group ministry thing along with those things that you feel obligated to do out of a sense of duty.
Will
October 31st, 2007 00:35
Hi Will,
Thanks for commenting. I think you’re right that part of what I’m struggling with is the need to sort out what is truly spiritually nourishing, and what is not, and to get a balance of the two.
November 1st, 2007 10:44
[…] Several days ago, I posted about the fact that “More Church Does Not Equal More Spirituality” and was feeling a little down afterwards. Reading these comments helped me…. […]
November 17th, 2007 06:46
Will, good suggestion. I think it’s also important that newcomers have someone - minister in a small church, or newcomers’ guide at a larger church - who can really advise them on this. It’s so easy to push newbies into joining things, but someone should really be looking out for them and helping them to stay spiritually healthy (not burned out and cynical!).