Irresponsibly Unresponsive September 26, 2009
Posted by Dan R. Dick in Christian discipleship, spiritual practices, The United Methodist Church.Tags: Christian discipleship, spiritual practices
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What responsibility does the individual have for her or his own spiritual growth and development? At least 70% of people leaving The United Methodist Church give “spiritual needs not met” as one of the reasons for their departure. (Based on 429 “exit” interviews, 2002-2003) But what do they mean when they say this? And what does such a statement imply about ones relationship to a church?
First, let it be said that a person’s spiritual needs should be met (or at least supplemented) by their community of faith. This is one of the reason’s why the community of faith exists in the first place. However, spiritual growth and formation is a mutual, interactive process involving an individual in a community with mentors and guides and God and the Holy Spirit. Everyone has a part to play in the process. There is no room for passivity or inaction. Yet, many Christians don’t see it this way.
When I probed to find out what people mean when they say their spiritual needs aren’t being met, the following explanations emerged:
- They don’t like the worship services
- They don’t like the preacher
- They took issue with something the preacher or other leader said
- They didn’t like the Sunday school/education offerings (if they participate at all)
- There is nothing offered for their specific life situation (i.e., young families, young adults, youth, service opportunities, etc.)
- They feel the church isn’t serious enough about something (e.g., prayer, outreach, social issues, Bible study, etc.)
- They feel the church preferences one (or a few) group(s) or individual(s) over others (them)
- They got bored
- They feel that no one in the church is actually concerned about their spiritual growth
- They feel unsupported in their own attempts to learn, grow, and develop
