Maturing Faith - Part One

During my time in this imposed exile, I have had plenty of moments to think and reflect on the spiritual journey and my faith. In the end, that may be the blessing of this long and draining Title IV process. I have been considering over the course of the past two to three months the question: what makes for a mature faith? How does one quantify growth? What are the key factors in one’s life experience that promote faith?

As I reflect on my time as a leader in the Episcopal Church, I am wondering if our denomination’s zeal and passion for ‘liturgy’ has in effect diminished or jeopardized any chance we have for encouraging the members of our ‘flock’ to grow into their faith. In the past, I would be the first person at the table to defend the notion that worship, in the Episcopal tradition, is ‘at the heart of all that we do.’ However, I now seriously call into question that way of thinking. I wonder, from visiting other communities of faith during my exile, if Christian Formation is the true center of congregational life, which, in turn, influences our worship, stewardship, and justice ministries.

In a study completed in 1990, entitled Effective Christian Education: A National Study of Protestant Congregations, which was conducted by the Minneapolis-based Search Institute and funded by the Lilly Endowment, the project director Peter L. Benson noted, “Nothing matters more than Christian education. Done well, it has the potential, more than any other area of congregational life, to promote faith and loyalty.” You can find the complete, eighty-two page report by clicking here.

The study surveyed over 11,122 people in 561 congregations in six denominations. I am sorry to say that the Episcopal Church, for whatever reason, was not part of this report. But, over twenty years later, the findings in this research project hold important truths for the Church as we journey forward in faith.

Think for a moment about Christian Formation in your faith community. If it looks anything like mine, this is what you will probably find on any given Sunday morning: a small percentage of the congregation actually participating in a diverse offering of programs. Most of this dismal affair, in the Episcopal tradition, is based on the notion that once ‘graduation” takes place, sometime during eighth or ninth grade, due to confirmation, there is little, if anything, to keep people coming back and growing their faith.

I heard recently of a local congregation whose confirmation class, filled with teenagers, consisted of five sessions! Let’s just say (benefit of  the doubt) that each class lasted two hours. Is ten hours enough time to prepare someone for Christian “graduation”? As parents, would we allow such a process to take place in our local schools? Would we say that our child was sufficiently prepared to move onward in their life after ten hours of algebra, or Spanish, or American history, or playing the oboe? Why is this standard good enough in the Church when it is not the same standard used in daily life? Even more, mind-boggling, is that a Bishop showed up and agreed to confirm these kids after such little preparation. This example alone should seriously call into question what local congregations are doing in regards to a “life-long” formation process.

It is my belief that because our education system is so broken in the Church, the effects are now clearly seen in the day to day routines of our members. How many members of your congregation read the Bible during the week or actually pray? (The study found that 66% of those persons studied NEVER read the Bible when they were alone.) How many members of my congregation work in a soup kitchen or homeless shelter? (Seventy-eight percent of the adults studied NEVER spent any time promoting social justice)  How many members of our congregations have stood in a rally to oppose injustice or discrimination? (Seventy-two percent NEVER marched, met or gathered with others to promote social change.) How many members of your congregation and mine live lives completely unaffected by their faith? (Data unavailable from the study – but you can probably imagine what that number would be.) There is a moment in the movie Apollo 13 that clearly states the obvious: “Houston, we have a problem.”

What makes for change? How does the Church address such problems? The researchers in the study discovered a number of key factors that, when present, promote faith.

Family. There is that old adage – “When a family prays together, they stay together.” Apparently, it is true; the study found that the greatest impact on a person’s faith occurs when families participate in devotions together, parents (my emphasis) talk about their faith to their children, and the family does service projects together.

Second. "The more a congregation embodies the Christian education effectiveness factors," the report claims, "the greater the growth in faith by youth and adults, and the greater the loyalty to congregation and denomination." (page 54)

Third. “Researchers visited 52 congregations that do a good job of promoting. faith maturity -- in which Christian education is the center of congregational life, influencing the church’s worship and outreach. ‘The whole program of the church is Christian education . . . [and] the vision of Christian education was a holistic one,’ recalled José Abraham de Jesus, UCC area conference minister for the Chicago Metropolitan Association, Illinois Conference.

“Among the factors that create an effective Christian education program, according to the study:

• Teachers who have mature faith and who know educational theories and methods.
• A pastor who is committed to education, devotes time to Christian education and knows educational theory and practice.
• An educational process that applies faith to current issues, examines life experiences, creates community, recognizes individuality and encourages independent thinking and questioning.
• Educational content that "blends biblical knowledge and insight with significant engagement in the major life issues each age group faces." Effective adult education emphasizes biblical knowledge, multicultural and global awareness, and moral decision-making. Emphases for youth include sexuality, drugs and alcohol, service and friendship.
• A high percentage of adults active in a congregation.
• An education program with a clear mission statement and clear learning objectives."

(What Makes Faith Mature by Eugene C. Roehlkepartain, The Christian Century, 1990)

A vibrant, life-changing faith is not about an adherence to a particular set of doctrines or dogma. A maturing faith, in my opinion, is about a way of life. It seems to me that the Church should be in the business of encouraging and even demanding the members of our faith community to embrace a call to move from “childish ways” towards a life-transforming faith that has a dramatic and lasting impact on the believer. I am crazy enough to believe that it can still take place in our particular institution. We have to have the courage, faith, and nerve to make whatever change is needed (even at the expense of the liturgy) to promote such growth following the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

More on this in tomorrow’s post. Until then….

Love One Another - Brian


Items of Interest from the General Convention of the Episcopal Church:

The Presiding Bishop's Opening Remarks at the General Convention

President of the House of Deputies Opening Remarks to the General Convention