In the introduction to the last book of the Bible, the author looks forward to the future of Christian ministry by asking seven real congregations what the Spirit is saying to their churches (Revelation 2-3). His powerful prologue suggests that he may be more interested in beginnings than endings, that the ongoing work of mission is at least as significant to him as preparation for apocalypse now and, as the last two chapters demonstrate, that God, rather than wishing to bring everything to a cataclysmic crash, is preparing for a whole new order of creation.
If the Spirit is the key, what is being said to us now? We recognize our warning signs already. Recent polls provide alarming statistics about the rise of “nones” (non-affiliated adults in the U.S. are about one in five); Protestantism is shrinking (around 14 percent since 1972); only 20 percent of Americans still read the Bible regularly (in my current college class 73 percent say they “never” read it); and those who have no religion at all in the U.S. number around 15 percent. And we are not alone. In a recent article on Jewish congregations, Lisa Goodstein summarized a recent Pew Research Center study that demonstrated an identifiable major change in Judaism: “ a rising number of American Jews say they are not religious, and are less likely to raise their children Jewish” (New York Times, October 1, 2013).
These trends have been evident for some time and in her carefully researched book, “Christianity After Religion, The End of Church and the Birth of a New Spiritual Awakening,” Diana Butler Bass delineates the religious and cultural factors that have created them. She particularly points to phenomena that cause many Americans, particularly younger ones, to proclaim that even although they are not religious, they are spiritual, meaning that even though they reject religious affiliations like churches and synagogues, they still have deep spiritual affinities. Bass’s studies and interviews convince her that these changes are not catastrophic and argues, to the contrary, that they may lead to new and more involved spiritual intensity in the years to come.
We can hope that she is right, but serious questions come to mind. Are we merely experiencing a post-adolescent phase — a kind of mid-life crisis — or is there a deep spiritual problem in America? Is it possible to achieve mature spirituality by oneself, or are corporate worship and the fellowship of group study and prayer essential? It is one thing to be a monotheist, but quite another to be monognostic, to coin a word (i.e. a person whose knowledge and faith is isolated and based only on what he or she knows or believes or prays for alone). In the Reformed tradition, we think that the Spirit often works best in groups rather than in solitary confinement. When does individualized spirituality become delusion, self-worship or a-theistic?
In recent past issues I have encouraged church leaders to study the gifts of the Holy Spirit and how they are, or are not, present in their own congregations. The implication is that we are in the midst of a serious spiritual crisis that cannot be addressed solely by technological innovation, increased story telling in sermons, the remodeling or relocating of church buildings or more national mission conventions. Although it may appear naïve or downright obvious, it seems to me that unless our leaders and congregations engage more deliberately and actively in spiritual discernment and sincerely ask what the Spirit wants, current solutions to the disturbing trends will only produce fleeting results. John’s question remains. What is the Spirit saying to the churches right now?
EARL S. JOHNSON JR. is a retired pastor living in Johnstown, N.Y., and an adjunct professor of religious studies at Siena College.
