Embracing the Practices of Faith

For the last year, I’ve been writing this blog with an eye towards seeing how liberal Christianity might understand a variety of issues from perspectives that are different from those of more conservative and/or fundamentalist Christian groups. At least a part of my intent is to acquaint the world with the perspectives of serious Christians who happen to have liberal and progressive views.

Sometimes I wonder if a congregation’s main task is simply to find like-minded people who might relate to a liberal church like this one. In the other hand, perhaps we need to discover what approaches to Christianity result in the discovery, development, and articulation of liberal/progressive views.

This past weekend, I attended the Annual Meeting of the New York Conference of the United Church of Christ. The keynote speaker was Diana Butler Bass, author of “Christianity for the Rest of Us: How the Neighborhood Church is Transforming the Faith.” Perhaps some of you who are reading this blog were also in attendance. Dr. Bass wrote her book after a three-year research project about what thriving mainline liberal churches actually do. (I haven’t read the whole book yet, but I like what I am reading so far.) She discovered that when people in those churches engaged in simple practices like prayer, study, hospitality, and celebrating diversity, to name a few, that have always been associated with Christian communities, the congregations enjoyed increased success. The measure of success was not necessarily about budget and membership size. Rather, the measure of success was the resultant spiritual depth, commitment, and activity within the congregation. Such simple practices, performed with depth and commitment, do also tend to attract more people into the fellowship.

I like her recommended approach. It’s not fancy; it’s not manipulative. But it seems to respond to what people are hungry and thirsty for: a sense of deep belonging and ways to help life make more sense in a balanced way. Her approach recommends that we begin where we are and then expand as it seems appropriate. Most the practices she saw taking place in these “successful” congregations are simple but they are not gimmicks. What I mean is that the practices are simply what Christians have done historically. They are not designed as attempts to swell the ranks of the congregation, but because they are done with humility (that is to say, inviting all honest questioning) and because they connect the religious life with expressions of compassion and justice in the wider community, they often do have the effect of attracting more people.

Perhaps over the next few weeks I will write about some of the specific practices. For now, I invite you to celebrate the ways you already experience connection with the divine spirit, and I invite you to share what works for you.

Wayne Gustafson
“No matter who you are, or where you are in life’s journey, you’re welcome here.”
The United Church__of Christ