I had the wonderful opportunity to engage in some amazing conversation with some colleagues earlier this week about the future of church, spirituality, and the spiritual organization we are a part of. What will we be doing in ten or fifteen years? What does spirituality look like in the future? For the everyday reader, and the majority of the people reading this, I lend you this information to give you a better understanding of what you might be currently seeing in your church or spiritual center. You may also get a better understanding of some of your own experiences as of late. If you happen to be a minister or someone deeply embedded in the running of one of these communities, this is a call to action.
I believe we are at the beginning of a major shift in how people look at church, spirituality, and their lives. Well, maybe I should rephrase that... Churches and spiritual centers are at starting to look at how people view church and spirituality in their lives. I think people in general began to shift their view on this a long time ago. There is good news here and there is bad news. The good news is I think for many concerned, this shift is beginning to seem more and more obvious. There is a pull in a new direction and there is a willingness amongst many to move in a new direction. The bad news is for the rest of the world this shift started a long way back and this group of concerned individuals are left playing catch-up.
I find myself intrenched in this conversation on a regular basis. Some of that is due to my own endeavors and desires and other times the conversation has found me. Many spiritual and religious communities find themselves behind the ball on staying relevant in the lives of their congregants. This sounds harsh, and yet there is truth in it. I am not saying that what we teach or preach is any less relevant than it ever has been, or that this is necessarily true all across the board. What I am saying is the way in which many relate the message to the congregants, the very means in which they carry out our ministry is stale for many and irrelevant for many others. We know this because the signs are obvious. The methods used in most communities have been around for hundreds of years. Which, in and of itself, is not necessarily a concern. This only becomes a concern when we are met with the awareness that human evolution has seriously ramped up its game in the last several years. Ultimately, the shift we have witnessed is a shift in the evolution of human awareness beyond what has worked before, and this we can see everywhere! What worked before no longer works, and this is true in so many areas of life (for more on this you can check out my blog "You're Not Broken... You've Been Duped.") I digress... this is now a concern. When we look at the way most people obtain new information, whether we agree with it or not, they are getting it through social media, blogs, videos, etc... All of it online. Where people would necessarily have to attend a Sunday Service in the past in order to get the message, anyone of us can now get it from hundreds of different sources from this small device in our pocket. The things that have always been taught in religious setting are now thrown around social media like doughnuts during the closing shift at Dunkin. It doesn't even matter if there is any real connection to message in any of these carefully constructed spiritually empowered memes (actually... can we pause for a moment a think about the fact that somebody actually has to take the time to make all of those memes! Like really, whose job is that and how do I get it? ok, aaaanndd we're back!). Whether this is effective or not is almost irrelevant. People think they get the message because they see it all the time. The information is everywhere for those who are looking for it. Here is the part that I think is most important, they can do it whenever and wherever they want! It is on their terms. And, there is a growing expectation that it should be available online... for free in 5 minutes segments or less - probably less. honestly, If you're the one making the video, you're lucky if we make it past the first 30 seconds. So if you find yourself running one of these communities you are probably saying, "They don't need us for the message. They don't need us for the education...." What else ya got?
Ok right, so the good news. I mentioned there was good news, right? In all of the conversations that I have had with church and spiritual center leaders there is consensus that an equal shift is needed in how things are done to meet the people. I am happy to say that so far I have not met many community leaders who aren't willing to address the need for this shift. It is becoming painfully obvious in most places that for most of us, we are on the uphill side of this mountain. We will adapt to this new paradigm and climb on!!
There is the willingness, and that's is great. The question from many of the community leaders then seems to be, "But what do we do now?" As you may have noticed the two pillars (the message and the education) that many of our communities have relied on since... well... probably forever, as we have already concluded, aren't doing so hot at the moment. Yet, these can't go away. In fact, I think we need to provide these things even better. There are millions of people out there reading little 10 word quotes scrolling past their faces thinking that they now grasp some sort of spiritual awakening!! Well fuck! It is great that the message is being spread easier and further than it maybe ever has, but I kind of get the feel its being watered down a bit, don't ya think? 🧐 At the same time there is no stopping it. As long as Facebook remains one of the largest countries in the world, with a population of some number larger than I can comprehend, spiritual memes will continue to be tossed about with reckless abandon, and I must confess I do partake in the tossing of the memes on a regular basis. It almost seems necessary.
It is time to accept what is when it comes to the way most of us are receiving our information and at the same time reevaluate the value we are placing on the information we get this way. It is clear - I hope - that scrolling through Instagram will never suffice as a spiritual practice. So what is the value of church then? For the leaders in the audience, this is the call to action: we must up our game and provide a message and a teaching that is above and beyond what anyone could possibly find online. That sounds great but how?
There is a whole other aspect to these spiritual communities that we haven't talked about yet that, dare I say, is even more important now than all of the teaching and messages that we could ever put together and that is intentional spiritual community. If there is only one thing that you take away from reading this, please take with you the feeling of importance for people coming together to be seen. I don't mean simply coming together on a Sunday morning (or whenever) to be with each other. I am suggesting that a very intentional space is created which makes possible a spiritually grounded experience where the soul of every individual in attendance is witnessed and appreciated.
The human soul doesn't want to
be advised or fixed or saved.
It simply wants to be witnessed.
- Parker Palmer
I believe there is and will continue to be a thirst for gathering with the purpose of engaging in spiritual practices, discussion, and most importantly the act of being seen. This is a fundamental requirement in any emotionally and spiritually healthy person. It is in fact, one of our most driving urges. Basic psychology shows us that we all have fundamental needs. Beyond food, shelter, and safety, allowing our souls to be seen and appreciated is top of the list. This is hugely different from the way many of us have experiences spiritual community. Previously, we often gathered around a message or a teaching and made community almost by accident. Souls were seen through a byproduct of our classes and workshops and events.
Now things have flip flopped, and this is the "how"we are talking about. Intentional community must come first. Education and message must continue, but they must continue as a way of serving the needs of the people. No longer will people come simply for a message. That can happen anywhere, and it will. We gather to see and be seen and only then are we capable of taking a message of something greater than ourselves along with us out into the world. That is the shift we are looking at.
I know that was a lot, so let's debrief for a moment here.... There are two parts to this shift. First, there is content. Everybody needs content; books, classes, workshops, blogs, videos. Whatever it is, we are all looking for ways to obtain the knowledge and wisdom for a better life. The difference now is most of us are looking for it on our own terms on our own schedule. I believe we will begin seeing more and more content available online to be streamed and downloaded. This is a major shift from how many of us are used to receiving this type of information. Spiritual communities must adapt to this new paradigm. Second, there is intentional community. People are driven by their souls desire, whether they know it or not, to be seen and appreciated. Communities that make this a priority and not a byproduct are the ones that will continue to serve their mission.
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