The past two and a half years have been massively challenging for our culture. Controversies around how to handle the pandemic, political tension, and now a war in Ukraine have all colluded to bring many into a state of crisis. Where is the truth? Is there truth? Who and what can be trusted? All these tensions and more have driven many into poor mental health and spiritual doubting.
The spiritual crisis has led many to walk away from involvement in the local church. Quite a few have started going through a phenomenon known as ‘deconstruction’. That is, many have started rethinking and re-examining their faith. Calling into question many basic tenants of the faith. In that process, some have ended up walking away from faith altogether. The religious preference category, ‘None’ has grown dramatically over the past few years.
Should we be biting our nails about this? Is this the end of the Christian Faith? I really doubt that. Jesus promises to build his Church. It’s ultimately his job to keep his promise that there would be a church intact until he returns. I have no doubt that he will keep that promise.
What we do need to pay attention to, however, is how we care for and lead those who are deconstructing their faith. It’s actually a healthy stage of spiritual development to have a season or so of serious questioning and wrestling. In the right environment, such a person usually resolves their struggle with a stronger, more mature faith. A faith constructed of beliefs and perspectives that they have personally tested and affirmed. A faith that goes from, “this is what I was told by others is true” to, “This is what I now know to be true.”
The biggest determining factor in a healthy resolution of this very common faith crisis is a non-anxious, loving, and curious faith community. Sadly, many in the church, what with all the other challenges we’ve faced in recent years, have been left in a condition that is very anxious, defensive, and incurious. Our self-protective measures to cope with a pandemic, political unrest, and now a war that has made the economy unstable have left many in the church ill-prepared to minister to those suddenly asking deep, sometimes threatening questions about Jesus and his church.
But there is hope. There always is. Helping those who have walked away or are in the process of leaving the faith to believe again, is as basic as our own spiritual self-care. The same spiritual practices that help us cope with chaos are the same ones that equip us to minister to our brothers and sisters who are struggling with the big questions of life. This Is not meant to be a cookie-cutter fix for all ills, your mileage may vary, but here is a list of spiritual practices that will not only re-ground you in your faith journey but might very well set you up to care for someone in distress spiritually:
- Keep hoping in the Word: regular time meditating on scripture re-sets our true North. Set a regular time each day (just a few minutes) and stick to it. Be realistic and go easy on yourself if you’re not perfect at it at first.
- Maintain your connection to other Christians: make worship attendance but also unstructured time a priority. Break out the calendar and make a plan to worship together and just hang out together.
- Put the focus on others regularly: Find a way to serve at or beyond the local church. Serving others has a clarifying effect on us spiritually. Home-Sweet-Home and Circle of Concern are just two examples of ministries that need volunteers. It really makes a difference.
- Commit a Random Act of Kindness: Really, get sneaky and help someone near you in your neighborhood or circle of friends. Prank someone with an act of kindness that really demonstrates God’s love, mercy, and grace.
What other ideas can you think of that are refreshing, faith-affirming, and focused on others? Share them on our church’s Facebook page or simply make it a conversation piece around the coffee table this week in worship.
You never know, you just might find yourself refreshed and renewed enough to help someone in crisis. Someone who needs to believe again.
See you in the mission field!
Pastor Mark
0 Comments