by Dr. Neil A. Parent
Project Director, Emerging Models of Pastoral
Leadership (at the Natl. Assn for Lay Ministry)
NALM:
www.nalm.org
Even as church leaders grapple with declining numbers of priests, the closing of near empty or fiscally-terminal parish churches, and a Sunday Mass attendance that is only a third of what it was in the mid-fifties, they have yet to explore the implications of how modern life has dramatically influenced people’s attitudes toward organized religion.
While there are church-goers who remain quite satisfied with the Church's role in their spiritual journey, growing numbers of spiritual seekers, especially among younger generations, are demanding more out of religion. They are bringing new perspectives, questions and needs to the spiritual quest that the Church’s current pastoral approach and structure are ill-suited to handle. As time-tested as the Church’s pastoral system is, it was nevertheless developed for a laity that was far less self-directing, knowledgeable and capable.
Here are six ways that I see modern life and an ever-changing spirit in American Catholic laypersons shaping the self-perceptions of spiritual seekers and the resulting implications for organized religion. I leave it to the reader at this point to decide how these implications, if true, can be effectively addressed. I have my own ideas, which I will be happy to share in a another article soon.
1. Contemporary spiritual seekers experience themselves as independent, self-reliant, self- directed and in charge of their own destiny.
Thus, they are not typically swayed easily by religion's claim of spiritual authority. These seekers actually experience themselves as less and less in need of religion to guide them on their spiritual journey. As a former Catholic told the
Washington Post about an ongoing search for God, “I discovered that I didn’t
really need the middle man anymore.”
Anyone who has surveyed the religion section at
Barnes and Noble, or Google-searched a religiously-oriented question, will know exactly what that means.
2. Contemporary spiritual seekers are accustomed to making choices, and to interacting and
giving personal expression to most aspects of their lives.
The ability to "customize" is something that they expect and often take for granted. The implication is
that they perceive much of religion as already “shrink-wrapped,” and adverse to personal engagement and adaptation.
This perspective is particularly evident in the dramatically declining numbers of Catholic marriages as
young couples choose to marry, outside the Church, at non-traditional locations and in unique ceremonies that give expression to their desires.
3. Contemporary seekers are becoming content producers as well as content consumers.
Many people today see themselves as having something to say and to otherwise contribute to major issues affecting their lives. The implication for ministry leaders is that they want to be respected as capable of contributing to their faith. They want their experiences and their insights to matter -- to make a difference in the evolving story of faith.
Open Source Church author Landon Whisitt asks, “If today people can share their knowledge with
the world on the internet, can we expect them to walk into our churches and simply take what’s handed to them and do it the way
we say they should?”
4. As a result of the vast explosion of knowledge, contemporary seekers experience truth
as elusive, complex, mysterious, and originating from many sources.
The implication is that people see truth as beyond the exclusive claim of any one religion. They are becoming
architects of their own spiritual edifice, often combining elements from various religious traditions to produce something of value for them in their spiritual quest.
5. Participants in an “experience culture” like ours consider the nature of an experience as
most important and meaningful.
The implication is that laity are more interested in
experiencing God in their daily lives than to assenting to specific beliefs. They are
more interested in living an authentic way of life than in affirming creeds.
It is no wonder, then, that good preaching moving liturgies with uplifting music continually top the research lists of what members want from their churches.
6. Contemporary seekers live in an environment that produces products and services
that enhance and empower their ability to conduct their lives with efficiency and ease.
The implication? Contemporary spiritual seekers are culturally-disposed to question what they are getting from religion that adds value and meaning to their lives. In effect, they reflect on what they get from the
Church (if anything) that empowers their spiritual lives and enhances their overall sense of well-being. And they are increasingly inclined to pick and choose the best offerings from today’s burgeoning spiritual marketplace.
This article by Neil Parent first appeared in the quarterly newsletter of the National Association for Lay Ministry (NALM), Spring 2012 edition.
A webinar by catechist and author Joe Paprocki, D.Min.
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