Order, Disorder and Reorder
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Week 2: Order, Disorder and Reorder
Reasons Millennials and Gen Z are Leaving the Church
This summer, I had the opportunity to attend Annual Conference. Annual Conference is where all of the Methodist churches in a specific area (for us it is the state of Missouri) gather to discuss business, learn together, and fellowship. A part of Annual Conference is ordaining new pastors (clergy). This year, the pastor of that service was Rev. Dr. Cynthia Wilson, who gave a really empowering sermon on where our priorities should lie as a church. In the sermon she discussed a recent Barna Survey about why Millennials and Gen Z are leaving the church. The findings were that our generations find church to be irrelevant, intimidating and impotent. For as long as I can remember churches have been talking about why young people are leaving the church. A large part of my job is having faith conversations with young adults, and though I didn't have that language before this summer, I would say that I agree. Church is irrelevant, intimidating and impotent. I don't think it has to be, but on a general scale, I could agree. For the past several months I haven't been able to get this out of my head. I think there is beauty in faith community (otherwise I would not be here), and I recognize the Church has messed up in a major way. At some point we have lost the faith of our upcoming generations. I think this is because many church are stuck in a place of trying to provide a moral code instead of spiritual guidance and connection. Richard Rohr, Franciscan friar and founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation, is a faith leader that does a lot of incredible work in the arena of re-thinking faith. In his book The Wisdom Pattern, Rohr talks about how religion (specifically Christianity) has shifted its focus, "It is no longer about the Great Mystery, mystic union, and transformation, but merely social order and control. Moral codes and priesthoods are enlisted for the sake of enforcement and some measure of civility. For many, if not most, Western Christians, it is basically a crime-and-punishment scenario, instead of the grace-and-mercy world that Jesus proclaims." In the first few chapters of the book, he talks a lot about the danger of dualistic thinking, for example, conservative and liberal. When we let ourselves get stuck in these false dichotomies, we lose our abilities to see another way, a way towards reconstructed faith. Rohr identifies three phases of faith development, that I think could be helpful to this conversation: order, disorder and reorder.
Order (Construction)
This is a natural starting point in faith. It provides containers for our faith that provide security and rules. Rohr writes in one of his daily Meditations, The Universal Pattern, "While they aren’t perfect, these containers give us the necessary security, predictability, impulse control, and ego structure that we need, before the chaos of real life shows up. As far as I can see it, healthily conservative people tend to grow up more naturally and more happily than those who receive only freeform, build-it-yourself worldviews. We need a very strong container to hold the contents and contradictions that arrive later in life." This is where many people begin their faith journey. Conservatives can get stuck in this phase. This would be were a lot of mainstream churches would exist. These spaces thrive because structure is appealing, and I think that providing "answers" can temporarily ease anxiety.
Disorder (Deconstruction)
Inevitably, our ordered view of the universe will fail us. Our worldview will be questioned and tested through the events of life. As Rohr claims, this happens when we hit one of the "big six": love, death, suffering, sexuality, infinity, and God. This is where we see complexities and realizing that things aren't as ordered as they might appear, in this space that involves recognizing the harm that can come from certain church spaces. Some will continue to live out ordered faith even if it is killing them. Some will reject all order, which is a post-modern world view. Some will continue seeking meaning in their spiritual practice. This is the disordered (deconstructing). Just like conservatives can get stuck in the first path, progressives can get stuck on this path. One of the hardest things about deconstruction, is the lack of certainty. It feels like nothing makes sense, and it is uncertain if there will ever be security again. Getting stuck here can be damaging and can lead to the loss of hope and our sense of meaning, which can be detrimental. However, this stage is crucial to move from ordered and into re-ordered. It is important to journey through this darkness, and the loss of our child-like innocence in faith. Embracing the doubt and questions are crucial to move forward.
Reorder (Reconstruction)
There a lot of different words for what can be described as this reordered faith. This is the phase of faith where you can rest in the complexities, understand that there are different ways to view and practice faith. It can also be described as enlightenment or salvation. Rohr states, "We all come to wisdom at the major price of both our innocence and our control. Few of us go there willingly; it must normally be thrust upon us…It amounts to the best of the conservative and the best of the liberal positions. People who have reached this stage, like the Jewish prophets, might be called 'radical traditionalists.' They love their truth and their group enough to critique it; and they critique it enough to maintain their own integrity and intelligence. These wise ones have stopped overreacting but also over-defending. They are usually a minority of humans." Reconstruction is about seeking wisdom from the Divine and finding a path forward that seeks harmony with God, world and self. There is a willingness to surrender to the mystery, and choosing not to settle into harmful systems, thus creating space for accountability, hope and peace.
Reconstruction as holy work
Richard Rohr describes those who have a reconstructed faith as, "People who have reached this stage, like the Jewish prophets, might be called 'radical traditionalists.' They love their truth and their group enough to critique it; and they critique it enough to maintain their own integrity and intelligence. These wise ones have stopped overreacting but also over defending." Jesus's ministry consisted of just that. He was settled, curious, shook the status quo, and didn’t settle for injustice. There was a settled confidence, clear mission, and deep love of people. There is no mistaking the fact that Jesus calls us to love one another above all else.
John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, often spoke of "working out our own salvation," meaning that salvation is a life-long process of wrestling with our beliefs. Philippians 2:12-13 (NIV), "Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose." In this passage, we can see each of the stages: order, disorder, and reorder. The new believers followed Paul's teachings and constructed their beliefs. The internal, ongoing work is when things get hard. Deconstruction and Reconstruction are hard work, but I believe require a great deal of wrestling and conversations with the divine. There is something noble about seeking answers, but when we grip them so tightly that we can no longer see the fact that we are causing harm, something needs to change. This idea is crucial to any sort of justice work: recognizing the harm, learning from it, and finding a better way that prevents the same harm from happening again. When we release dogmatic thinking, we give ourselves the freedom and permission to dream with God.
Resources:
Annual Conference Sermon - Rev. Dr. Cynthia Wilson
Crew Guide - Deconstruction 101
Crew Guide - Disorder and Reorder
The Wisdom Pattern - Richard Rohr
CAC - Order: Part 1 Weekly Summary
CAC - Disorder: Part 2 Weekly Summary
CAC - Reorder: Part 3 Weekly Summary
Discussion Questions:
Do you believe church to be irrelevant, intimidating or impotent? Why or why not?
In your opinion, what would be the non-negotiables that you have to have in order for something to be considered church? What is church and what do we need for something to qualify as church? What can be redeemed and what should be thrown out?