Pastor's Blog
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- Published on Monday, 13 February 2012 10:16
It's a topic that Jason and I spend an awful lot of time talking about: how is faith formed in people. It may seem like a simple questions, but as our culture moves away from church participation and value in overt faith expressions, it's certainly not an easy one.
What does seem clear is that it is not a theological issue. People are not leaving one tradition because it has lost it's way and joining another (trading in "wrong belief" for "right belief"). Denominations and congregations across the theological spectrum are in decline. People are not switching churches, they're walking out of them. But why? I'm wondering: if it is not about what we teach or preach, then what is the reason and what is the solution. May be it is more about how we do it, than the content. Here are five reasons I think we're seeing a decline in faith.
- We've taught that Christianity is about what you believe. Christianity is about what we believe, but only in part. As Paul says, "knowledge puffs up, but love builds up" (1 Corinthians 8:1). Christianity is ultimately about the love that God has for us (we call it grace) and our response to that love is loving God and loving others. In other words, Christianity, at its core, is about relationships (with God and each other). I once had a parishioner of a former congregation tell me "I don't see why I should go to church. I know what I belive, I learned it in Sunday School." If there is nothing more to faith than proper belief, then I have to agree with him, there really is no reason to go to church. But in my opinion it's sort of like saying "I know I'm married, I took pre-maritial counseling and I've got the licenses, but we don't live together any more."
- We've taught that faith formation is about imparting good morals to our children. This is one I've heard sociologists and church goers say alike, that religion is about learning how to act. True, an important part of Sunday school and VBS is teaching our children how to act. The Ten Commandments are a central part of our faith. But that's certainly not all of it. If we are approaching Christian education with the opinion that we need to impart good morals to our children, then we are certainly setting them up to reach the conclusion of point one. Over the years I've had several parents bring their children to confirmation class saying "I don't know what to do with him/her, hopefully you can teach them how to behave." It's not a surprise to me when that family disappears after confirmation (or even during), after all, I more than likely failed to effect the change in their child which had been developing the previous 12 years.
- We've taught that the best place for faith formation is in the church building. This is the sense that because we have hired someone to lead the church or teach our children, it's their job and not our own to work on faith. This is the idea that drives the oppinion that the pastor has to teach every Bible study because "I don't know as much as he/she does." It's true that pastors have devoted a lot of time to study of the Bible, faith, and spiritual matters, but that doesn't mean they know it all. When we reach the conclusion that they're the only ones who can teach, we limit our faith formation to those times when we are at church. It's sort of like thinking that the only time to practice reading is at school when the teacher is present, after all they are the ones trained in it. If we are going to be proficient in our faith, using it daily and valuing deeply, then we need to practice more than just at church. I once spoke with a deeply devout person, whom I thought of as a an example of faith, asking her if she would be willing to teach a Bible study in her house. Her response caught me by surprise. "Oh, I couldn't do that, I don't know enough. Besides Bible studies are just for Sunday." She may not know as much as she liked (I know I don't), but she had an awful lot to share.
- We've taught that our faith is between "me and Jesus". Again, like all of the others, there is a kernel of truth. Faith is a very personal thing, both in how it is expressed and how it is received. But when we teach each other that it is only a personal thing–that all that matters is a personal relationship with Jesus–then we've set ourselves up for an anemic faith that means little to us. One of faith's functions is to draw us out of ourselves. That's hard to do if it's all about me. Jesus tells us the two greatest commandments are "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind and all your strength . . . [and] love your neighbor as yourself" (mark 12:30-31). While Paul does introduce the idea of taking care of oneself as an expression of faith, it is a distant third–an expression of our love for God (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). When we think that faith is between me and Jesus, we're flipping what the Bible teaches, placing ourselves first and God last. It's never just about "me and Jesus", faith is an incredibly social thing. We learn our value for faith from those around us. Faith itself draws us into relationship with God and others. I remember talking to a parent once who said, "We don't believe in indoctrinating our children, we want them to make their own choices. That's why we don't bring them to church." I found it funny to think that by not teaching them faith, they were not indoctrinating them. They were teaching them, they taught them that faith was not important. Every child has the ability to make a choice about the role of faith in their life. Isn't it then important to give them the necessary information to make an educated choice?
- We've taught that personal taste and preference is the most important thing in congregation selection. We often choose a church because we like the pastor, the people, the style, but if personal taste is the only thing, then our connection with the church will be weak and potentially hinder our faith. Basing our connection solely on personal preference means that when something happens that we don't care for or don't like, we pull out and go shopping for another church. Rather than seeking reconciliation or understanding, we leave. This creates a shallow faith that ultimately leads to little or no faith practices. Like point four above, when the focus is on me and what I want, then faith can do little to call me out of myself and challenge me to grow. Instead, our faith ought to challenge us to work through our differences with people, respecting where we disagree and reconciling where we have hurt others. We can only do that if our commitment to one another is strong. Just as a marriage can not be built upon what I get but rather what I give, neither can a church. Early in my career as a pastor I had a conversation with an individual who disagreed with my perspective on the ordination of woman. As we talked about it and I tried to respect his position while also honoring my own, he became more and more agitated until in a near rage he said "Don't tell me I'm wrong. I've been to five churches before who've told me I'm wrong and I've left everyone of them." Our church was number six on his list. How could either of us grown in our understanding of faith if every time we disagree we never talk again? I think a faith built on personal preference is what leads us to ability to see the faults in others while seeing only what is good in ourselves. It's the first step to calling the church hypocritical and not wanting to be a part of it. In actuality it is we who are the hypocrites.
In reflecting on these points, I find myself thinking that the solution seems quite obvious. It's actually the solution many "religious experts" are suggesting in one way or another. The solution is to make faith a communal part of our daily life. It means doing devotions together as a household or with someone else daily. It means seeking out opportunities to be with other people of faith and sometimes even ones with whom you disagree. It means intentionally reaching out to others with a connection of faith, both inside the church and outside. It means that faith formation becomes a constant part of our life together - challenging and encouraging one another.
I've blathered on now a bit too long. I haven't said all that's on my mind, but it's time to stop and ask you: What do you think is the reason people are leaving the church and what do we do about it?
