EDITORIAL: Americans AWOL in the worship wars

Posted: 5/26/06

EDITORIAL:
Americans AWOL in the worship wars

First, the good news: A new survey conducted by the Barna Group reveals Americans have increased their behavior significantly in five of seven religious categories:

• Forty-seven percent of U.S. adults say they read their Bible at least once a week outside of church. That’s the highest level since the 1980s, a 16-point climb in 11 years.

• Weekly church attendance has rebounded, from 37 percent in 1996 to 47 percent this year.

• Small-group participation has reached a new high, with 23 percent of adults saying they meet for Bible study, prayer or personal relationships outside of Sunday school. That figure compares to 17 percent a decade ago.

• Volunteerism also is up. Twenty-seven percent of adults say they volunteer at church, reversing a low of 20 percent.

• Sunday school attendance, which fell to a historic low (17 percent) in the mid-’90s, has bounced back to 24 percent of adults.

• Even the two activities whose frequencies have not changed are high: More than four out of five adults (84 percent) told pollsters they prayed in the past week. And 60 percent of born-again Christians said they have shared their beliefs about Jesus with an unbeliever.

Now, the not-so-good news: Another Barna survey shows Americans are “inconsistent in their spiritual perspectives.” This is bad news for local churches:

• Only 17 percent of U.S. adults agreed “a person’s faith is meant to be developed mainly by involvement in a local church.” Just one-third of evangelicals and 20 percent of non-evangelical born-again Americans agreed.

• Similarly, only 18 percent said they believe spiritual maturity requires involvement in a local congregation.

• Although a majority of Americans say they want their lives to matter, only a minority (44 percent) are strongly committed to “personally make the world and other people’s lives better.”

• While a slim majority (54 percent) of adults say they would “do whatever it takes to get and maintain … a deeper connection with God,” less than half (44 percent) age 40 and younger are so committed.

Ironically, Americans’ perceptions of the value and importance of church have declined while the battle over how to conduct church—specifically worship—has escalated. Advocates of various worship styles have acted as if their version is (a) uniquely inspired by God and (b) the “fix” for ensuring a vital congregation.

Meanwhile, more Americans are deciding that’s all a crock. They’re thinking they don’t need the church in order to square themselves with God. And, quite possibly, they’re figuring all the fussing and fighting over worship actually detracts from their ability to worship and follow God.

So, Barna’s surveys show us it’s time to turn loose of the worship-stones we’ve been throwing at each other. We must turn our energies toward revitalizing our churches so that Americans realize they’re oases of spiritual nurture in an arid and secular world. Let’s start with three steps:

• Build community.

People need people. That’s why the personal dimension of church is vital. Other believers embody Christ to each other. We need to provide more ways for people to build deep and lasting friendships through church. Sunday school classes and other small groups are a start. We also need to look at how we can help people connect through affinities, neighborhoods and needs.

• Improve Bible study.

Short-term, this won’t produce tremendous change. Long-term, it will make a huge difference, when people begin to see how the Bible applies practically to their lives. If a church has an abundance of good Bible teachers, then Bible study groups can be small and also can provide wonderful community. But if a church has few good teachers, it should focus on quality Bible teaching, even if the groups are large, and then build community elsewhere. God only knows how many people have been turned off from church and the Bible by bad teaching.

• Make life meaningful.

Many of our churches have been so focused on appealing to worship consumers they’ve overlooked something far more important than musical genres—meaningful activity produces meaningful lives. If our churches will provide people with guided, hands-on, significant opportunities for ministering to and serving the needs of others, people will come to realize church is a place of significant value. And that will produce a cycle of outreach and response that is absolutely (there’s only one word for it) evangelistic.

Marv Knox is editor of the Baptist Standard.