Strength Through Liberation
As a member of the Leadership Development team at LeaderWise, I have the opportunity to walk alongside pastors and church leaders from different denominations, different sized churches, and different parts of the country. Our work together might be about mission, vision, and values; it might be about conflict resolution; it might be a boundaries seminar or an educational program about family systems. I might be offering coaching or Reflective Pastoral Supervision to a clergy member or offering a workshop to an entire congregation or judicatory body. Part of what I love about this work is that every situation is different and affords me an opportunity to tailor whatever I do to the specific context.
As different as all these congregations are, however, almost all of them have certain aspects in common: their members are aging, their total membership is declining, their budgets are shrinking, and their pool of volunteers is dwindling. Numerous studies bear out this anecdotal experience. In 2020, a Gallup poll showed that the number of US adults who claim membership in a church, synagogue, or mosque fell below 50% for the first time since they began measuring this number in 1937. The most recent information from the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) shows that as of 2022, nearly 27% of Americans identify as religiously unaffiliated, a group often referred to as the “nones.” In general, the percentage of people who claim religious affiliation and regularly attend worship services tends to be highest among the Silent Generation and Baby Boomers and declines with each ensuing generation.
This is not a new trend, and this information is probably not surprising to anyone who is still reading my words here. My experience has been that people who are connected to church work spend quite a bit of time and energy talking about the reasons behind this trend and wondering how to reverse it. In our various engagements with churches, my colleagues and I often encounter at least one person who feels that if their church could just bring in more families with young children, all their problems would be solved. Many churches and church leaders are heavily invested in figuring out which new program will attract those coveted young “nones” and turn them into church members.
The Pew Research Center released a fascinating report about “nones” in January of this year. Among their findings:
Most “nones” were raised in a religion but have moved away from religious labels and affiliations
A majority of “nones” retain belief in God or a higher power
Most “nones” cite either skepticism about religious beliefs or negative experiences with religious people or organizations as the main reason they are not religious
On average, “nones” are less likely to vote or to have volunteered lately
On average, “nones” are less satisfied with their local communities and their own social lives
From my own professional and personal experience, I believe that both religious folks and “nones” are concerned about many of the same issues and share a desire for the world to be a more welcoming and loving place. Churches, however, are bound up in centuries of tradition and dogma and practice that have lost relevance for a lot of people. I wonder what it might look like for the church – both the large institutions and the local parishes – to reevaluate and reimagine what their mission really is and to liberate themselves to pursue it. I wonder whether this type of liberation will be a source of strength for the future.
One organization where I have seen liberation happening is a client I am currently working with – Lutheran Outdoor Ministries (LOM). LOM, the umbrella organization for camps and conference centers affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, has been working for several years now on a program called Total Inclusion, the aim of which is to make their facilities and programs completely welcoming and inclusive to traditionally marginalized populations such as people of color, people in the LGBTQ+ community, and people who are differently abled. The effort reflects the organization’s belief that inclusion is not merely inviting everyone to participate in their programs, but truly believing that everyone belongs in their programs.
The Total Inclusion initiative has been costly. For example, camps and conference centers are coming to terms with the fact that many of their facilities are not accessible for people who are differently abled; they are also wrestling with how to acknowledge that some of their facilities are located on former plantations or on unethically acquired indigenous land. Camp directors have shared stories of donors withholding million-dollar donations because they don’t agree with the decision to welcome transgender or non-binary campers and counselors. Nonetheless, LOM and its member organizations are committed to the notion that all of God’s people are God’s people and deserve the same access to outdoor ministry, and they are beginning to see the fruits of their efforts. Many camps report increased registrations and have shared stories of the difference that the effort has made in individual lives. LOM, and the people they serve, are getting stronger because of their focus on liberation.
How have you seen or experienced liberation in the church?
What is your vision for strength through liberation?
