4 - 1997

The future of the church

Embracing both the old and the new

Is the strength of the church also its weakness?

by Volkhard Krech

Economic problems force change upon the churches.

Surveys identify what changes and cutbacks church members and the interested public will accept and still tolerate. Volkhard Krech analyses a survey commissioned by "Das Sonntagsblatt". It is the basis of the author’s plea for a co_existence of tradition and modernity. In his opinion, it is the church’s responsibility to convey Christian principles and to turn them into individual responsibility. Volkhard Krech is a Protestant religion sociologist in Heidelberg.

Would any church worker feel reassured by this double_edged development: The Christian churches in Germany are currently losing their attraction, but religious topics are booming at present. Marketing specialists would put their finger on the issue: It s not the market that is dwindling, but the participation of Christian churches in the market.

If the Christian churches no longer have a monopoly of interpretation regarding "our most pressing concerns", while "a feeling and proclivity for the infinite" is awakening, they will have to hold their own with other "competitors" on the "market of religious services". They have to deal with individuals who are able and willing to choose independently between various options.

Cultural pluralism and an individualisation process which sociologists have made out even in religion, are two sides of the same coin. However, the necessity to prove one’s worth in competition is not a reason for complaint. Quite the opposite: The Christian churches could see this situation as an opportunity to make their mark and reinforce what they have to offer.

For this purpose, they have to identify religious needs first. Obviously, "supply" is no longer consistent with "demand". A first step would be for the church leaders to identify the ideas and expectations of their members _ and ideally of non_members, too.

Since 1972, the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) has contributed to this with regular membership surveys. However, we are still waiting for the complete results of the last survey of 1992. A survey commissioned by "Das Sonntagsblatt" of 1997 _ "What do the Germans believe?" _ has now bridged this temporary "gap". Its advantage over the survey performed by EKD is that it also comprises attitudes on religion and the Christian churches of people who belong to other or no religious groupings.

Here are just a few of the aspects of the survey that seem focal to me. First of all, the acceptance of the Christian churches isn’t as bad as its reputation would occasionally make us believe. The majority of informants deplore that "more and more people are turning their back on the church"; only eleven per cent expressly support this trend. 81 per cent agree fully or more or less with the statement, "I think it’s a good thing that the church exists". (see figure on page 3)

On the other hand, the Christian churches and their (interpretational) views hardly meet with the approval of all those who are interested in religion or at least open to religious issues. As expected, this goes both for people who are not members of a Christian church and for church members.

Even if the acceptance of the churches is rather high, almost sixty per cent agree with the statement, "The churches have no answers to questions that really concern me". The topics that need to be discussed within the churches have to compete with others. Among the "faith issues", where informants were able to specify several fields, "astrology" (approx. 44 per cent), "fate and predestination" (around 40 per cent), "inexplicable phenomena such as clairvoyance and telepathy" (35 per cent) took centre stage, but so did "Jesus as a historical figure" (approx. 38 per cent).

Correspondingly, not all members show commitment to the church and the ideas and religious practices it advocates. 49 per cent of Protestants and 35 per cent of Catholics agree entirely or more or less with the statement, "I see myself as a Christian, but the church means nothing to me." And only about 71 per cent of Protestants and 79 per cent of Catholics feel close to the Christian faith.

Interest in non_church rituals

Approximately 57 per cent of the informants claim that they believe in a divine power. But the idea that this "divine power" manifests itself in nature or is a "non_personal universal power" enjoys much greater popularity than the idea of a "personal other", of a "being". It’s only logical that there is a certain interest for non_church rituals. More than one informant in three has thought of "resorting to certain rituals or beneficial practices that are not church_related."

Of course, those who are not in a religious congregation, are more interested in such practices than others. But even more than one in three of members of both Christian religions are interested in non_church rituals.

How can the Christian churches meet the demands of people interested in religion and counteract a further decline in acceptance and attraction? One would think that the answer is simple. "Just adapt to the ideas, needs and expectations, and the pews will start filling up again." But it’s not quite that simple, for one reason.

Unlike other organisations, the Christian churches embrace both the old and the new. In their long history, they have accumulated a cultural wealth that poses both a problem and an opportunity. On the one hand, the Christian churches can’t part with old customs and adapt to new situations without losing their distinctive contours. On the other, their cultural wealth constitutes a hidden reservoir, which they can resort to and which differs from short_lived, zeitgeist_orientated offerings.

If the churches don’t want to abandon this special feature and make the most of the opportunities it provides, they have to teeter on the tightrope between their traditions and changing expectations people have of them. That is why the now fashionable comparison of churches with business enterprises has its limits. The churches’ most important task is to give their members the status of a self_responsible religious subject who can apply Christian interpretational views to experiences of their own accord and thus contribute to the development of theological knowledge and Christian practice.

The church didn’t want this individualisation

If the church doesn’t stick to this mission, the "sale of religious services" will risk being a sell_out of Christian values. Moreover, this task corresponds to the mentioned individualisation process, to the development of which Christianity itself has contributed.

But this goal is not always very popular with church members, because it can be arduous and uncomfortable. In view of their stressful professional and everyday lives, it is understandable that people are tempted to take a consumer’s stance in religious matters.

The less the relationship between expectations of the church and the church’s definition of its image tally with each other, the more important it is to make its concerns understandable, attractive and lucrative.

The churches’ most important task is to give their members the status of a self_responsible religious subject who can apply Christian interpretational views to experiences of their own accord and thus contribute to the development of theological knowledge and Christian practice.

Detailed talks are necessary to find out how the churches can meet these demands. As a consequence of the survey results and previous reflections, the following suggestions are worth considering:

1. The often unworldly experts’ theology from the top should be abandoned for a practice that takes people s experiences seriously and lets them contribute to the development of theological knowledge.

2. Another task would be to convey to people that Christian religion is not something you can "consume" like many other things. However, this is not a burden but rather an opportunity to find a "fulfilled life".

3. One ought to make it clear that Christian religion is a community_issue and is not something intimate and private. The church has to be perceived as a space where Christians help each other to find the answer to the question what constitutes Christian life today.

4. Practising Christian interpretation can be fun. If the message is good and "liberates you for life", it should not just be an empty promise but also _ albeit on a symbolical level first _ something you can experience.

5. This also means that content and form have to go together. If it is true that Christian teachings affect the person as a whole, Christian_religious practice should be sensual and see the needs of the soul and the body as a unity. In particular for the Protestant churches, the aim should be to rediscover the ritual dimension of life and to develop a taste for it. Liturgical practices and rites should adapt to this finding. I believe ritual practices provide a good grounding for familiarising oneself with Christian interpretation. Such symbolism has consequences for private and social life.

Of course, the churches should not try to impose their ideas on people. They should only make offers. But, from the cultural history angle, these offers are definitely worth flaunting and can hold their own with the competition.

They differ from other religious and secular offerings in that they have survived many cultural changes and obviously still have a great appeal and impact. Well, at present this impact is easier to see when we take a look at other continents, where churches are still growing. But don’t they have the same message, although they put it across in a more hands_on manner?

In a much_acclaimed speech at the reopening of Hotel Adlon on 26 April 1997, German president Roman Herzog noted that "on the threshold to the 21¦st¦ century" we need a new vision. However, the history of religion shows that visions aren’t easy to come by and don’t just turn up on demand. But that’s not necessary. Christianity has the great, world_uniting vision of people living together in freedom, solidarity and justice. What a great offer!

Reprint from "Das Sonntagsblatt", no. 26 of 27 June 1997, slightly abridged and translated for publication in this magazine.