Why Isn’t the Church More Important to More People?

Do you find that Christian church services are formulaic, irrelevant and unengaging? If many people find them so, then why would they go to church? I am a follower of Jesus with a Zen practice. And I have an eclectic spiritual life and an interspiritual understanding of Ultimate Reality (which may NOT be intentional, personal, or supernatural).

Every week, I participate in a Zoom call with 10 or 20 progressive Christians in Amarillo. Yes, you read that right. Amarillo. When I say that Amarillo is “a hotbed of progressivism,” people chuckle. (And especially folks who have ever been to Amarillo, heard of Amarillo or lived in Amarillo!!) Regardless, these are great people, and our discussions are insightful and thought-provoking.

The group discusses readings from a wide variety of sources, including Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Native American, and Sufi traditions, as well as secular sources and science writers. These readings are always relevant and timely, and they offer practical wisdom for real-life problems. Such as how to heal divides between people of different political and religious beliefs.  Although the readings are NOT always from Christian sources, the group has a Christian perspective, and members can recognize the similarities and dissimilarities among various worldviews.

Why Would Anyone Go to Church?

The other day, we were discussing why people are leaving the church. I wrote about that here, here and here. During the discussion, someone offered that people are busier than they used to be. True, but most people find time for the things that are important to them. And that begs the question, “Why isn’t the church more important to more people?”

My answer was pretty visceral. “Why would anyone go to church?!” I asked. ” Sing, hear a reading, hear another reading, hear another reading, hear a talk about the readings, sing again, go home.” Many Christian churches follow a three-year lectionary cycle. So, if you attend church for 60 years, you will probably hear at least 20 sermons about the same readings. Surely, I did.

Recently, I made some minor changes to The Way, and I reviewed my description of my religious, but not spiritual, upbringing:. “My spiritual life, such as it was, consisted of spending one hour every week falling asleep to a boring homily and reciting responses to a lifeless liturgy among a few dozen uninspired people who barely knew each other.” Harsh? Yes. Honest? Also yes.

• Do you go to church for community? You can find more community in a discussion group or a service club. I wrote about that here.
• Do you go to church for contemplation? You can find more contemplation at a Quaker meeting. I wrote about that here.
• Do you go to church for devotion? You can find more devotion at a Hindu fire ceremony. I wrote about that here.
• Do you go to church for moral teaching? You can find more moral teaching in the Buddhist precepts (without the misogyny and homophobia). I wrote about that here.
• Do you go to church for practical wisdom? You can find more practical wisdom in a Zoom call with insightful people. I wrote about that above.
• Do you go to church for a sense of transcendence? You can find more of a sense of transcendence in a Native American sweat lodge. I wrote about that here.

Maybe you have had a wonderful experience at church, you have been blessed with all of these spiritual experiences at church, and you wonder why so many people are leaving church. No worries. I’m glad that church is working for you. I wish that it worked that well for more people.

What Should a Modern Christian Church Service Look Like?

Is it time to completely overhaul Christian church services, to provide many more opportunities for community, contemplation, devotion, moral instruction, practical wisdom, and transcendence? Most of the spiritual experiences listed above involve only 10 or 20 people, not the 100 or 200 people in the typical Protestant church or the 1,000 or 2,000 people in the typical Catholic church.

I know that there are many Christians who would NOT be comfortable exploring Buddhist, Hindu, Native American, or Quaker spirituality, on principle. “Do they worship other gods or no gods?” No, I submit that all of these traditions are exploring the same Ultimate Reality, which they describe in different terms. Religions are like languages, pointers to something greater.

“Can we possibly serve two masters, say Buddha and Jesus?” Yes, I submit that if we are following Jesus, then we are largely following Buddha, Krishna, Lao Tzu, Muhammad, and others, too.  Last week, I wrote about that here.

Recently, John Thatamil, a Christian theologian, recommended religious pluralism. He reminded the audience that Jesus said that we can NOT serve two masters, namely God and mammon. But, Jesus did NOT say anything about those who practice other religions, and Thatamil chided Christians for subscribing to the harmful and popular practice of “Christian supremacy.”

• Could Christianity be more centered on informal interactions among small groups, rather than formal rituals among large groups?
• Could Christianity be more grounded in spiritual experiences of God, rather than intellectual speculations about God?
• Should  Christianity be more open to the practices and teachings of other sacred and secular traditions, as well as to the findings and proddings of history, philosophy, and science?
• Should Christianity be more premised on a substantial sense of awe, mystery and paradox, rather than a superficial sense of “certainty” and superiority?

Do you find that Christian church services are formulaic, irrelevant and unengaging? If many people find them so, then why would they go to church?