This is a unique moment in the history of American Christianity: Legal protections for the expression of faith in the public square have never been stronger but cultural support and engagement of religion is waning. Christian leaders and pastors are ideally positioned for helping their congregations navigate this new reality.
Regarding the current legal protections, a recent Law and Liberty essay by Kelly Shackleford and Trey Dimsdale commends decisions of the American courts reinforcing safeguards for religious freedom. Time-honored precedents like the Lemon test (a rubric meant to disentangle religion from public life) have been overturned, opening fresh avenues for people of faith to express their beliefs in the public sphere without fear of retribution.
But Christianity is declining at a rapid pace in the United States. Just spend some time perusing the data in The Great Dechurching. There is no question that “in the United States we are currently experiencing the largest and fastest religious shift in the history of our country.” Based upon the authors’ estimation, 40 million people have left the church. They note that from World War II to the mid-1990s, “church membership among adults was nearly always above 70%,” but beginning in 2020 something started to change; church membership fell below 50%. Things are not looking good for Christianity.
The Tightrope between Political and Cultural Advocacy
These simultaneous realities remind us that as important as legal victories are, they are not sufficient to renew the culture if people of faith are not committed to their sincerely held religious beliefs. “If liberty is going to survive,” Shackleford and Dimsdale write, “advocacy for it cannot be either in the political realm or in the culture—it must be both in the political realm and in the culture as complementary aspects of a single endeavor.”
This is where Christian leaders come in. Ministry leaders and Christian institutions stand at a unique position at the intersection of these competing realities. As leaders of churches and cultural institutions, they live in the space between their congregation and constituencies and the broader cultural activities, helping the people of God navigate the uneasy social terrain. But Christian leaders are awakening to the reality that we no longer inhabit a Christendom—a world infused with Christian mores and values. They have a front-row seat to the social sea change rolling over our institutions and know intimately the challenge of preparing their people for this new post-Christian environment.
“As leaders of churches and cultural institutions, they live in the space between their congregation and constituencies and the broader cultural activities, helping the people of God navigate the uneasy social terrain.”
Having conversed with many pastors and Christian leaders working to lead their people through this social change, I have noticed three key approaches that I believe can help mediate the kind of cultural renewal many long for:
- cultivating the virtue of fortitude,
- creating new ventures of cooperation,
- concentrating on the local context.
If Christian leaders can use these to help frame their work, I believe we can help people think through their cultural challenges, beginning in our own spheres of influence.
1. Cultivating the Virtue of Fortitude for Cultural Engagement
First, living outside a Christendom will require the virtue of fortitude, and our Christian leaders must exemplify this kind of resiliency. In Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis described fortitude, or courage, in two senses: the kind that “faces danger as well as the kind that ‘sticks it’ under pain.” He observes that one “cannot practice any of the other virtues very long without bringing this one into play.” In other words, fortitude is the testing point for all the other virtues. It buttresses them, guiding people of faith to face the ominous clouds that lay before them and remain faithful when it pours.
“Fortitude is the testing point for all the other virtues. It buttresses them, guiding people of faith to face the ominous clouds that lay before them and remain faithful when it pours.”
And it seems to be pouring. We live in an age that Jonathan Haidt has characterized as an Anxious Generation, fueled by social changes such as continuous access to social media platforms and online video games that are rewiring childhood. We are witnessing a “tidal wave of anxiety, depression, and self-harm” that is hitting girls especially hard. Boys too are subject to similar trends of increasing rates of anxiety. Burnout is also on the rise in all sectors; the so-called Great Resignation and recent movement of quiet-quitting point to the growing dissatisfaction with the state of working life. The same phenomenon is hitting pastoral ministry too. A recent Barna study showed that in 2015, 72% of pastors were very satisfied with their work, but that number dropped to only 52% in 2022. There was a slight increase in 2023, but the study continues to show lower rates of satisfaction. Combine the impact of these kinds of technological changes, with the evolving cultural attitudes toward Christianity mentioned above, as well as the other social and cultural problems and Christian leaders are facing hard times.
“A recent Barna study showed that in 2015, 72% of pastors were very satisfied with their work, but that number dropped to only 52% in 2022.”
It seems that “fortitude” is the watchword for our age. The antidote for anxiety, at least generally speaking, is cultivating the virtue of facing danger with confidence and sticking to it under pressure. We need the people of God fully invested in their work to the glory of God, active in the world, and trusting in the strength of the Spirit to sustain them.
What does fortitude look like in our lives? As Lewis argued, we need both senses of fortitude. We need the kind of fortitude that enables Christian leaders to stand resiliently in the face of so many cultural issues and temptations. Leaders that do not merely give lip service to integrity, but stand in it, unmoved by the cultural waves. The kinds of leaders whose lives are marked by the descriptions of 2 Peter 1:5-7: “make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.” We need leaders willing to face the uncertain times with a steadiness and resilience that inspires the Christian community.
It does not mean that we are passive or idle, quite the opposite. It means that we walk in wisdom believing in Christ and trusting that regardless of the cultural winds that blow, the gospel of Jesus provides us the sure footing; a vision of that is more fulfilling and satisfying than anything else.
“We need leaders willing to face the uncertain times with a steadiness and resilience that inspires the Christian community.”
2. Creating New Ventures of Cooperation
A second point of struggle is the growing divisions in the Christian community. We live in a partisan age, where churches and other Christian organizations are feeling the tension. It seems like every major denomination is going through some sort of division. Most recently, at least a quarter of United Methodist churches have left the denomination, and more departures are on the horizon as churches divide over moral issues. Alongside all this denominational splintering, non-denominational churches are on the rise. There are many so-called nones, who are leaving the church all together, but there are also plenty of “nons” walking out the door and down the street to the non-denominational church with the lights and big drums and the active children’s ministry.
Whether we recognize it or not this ecclesial transformation is changing the relationship between the church and society. The traditional denominations that have spent generations building institutions—colleges and seminaries, missionary training centers, camps, and all kinds of nonprofits—are now crumbling, while churches that have no formal affiliation (or limited affiliation) with any larger network of churches or institutions are the fastest growing communities in the U.S.
These two trends are fragmenting the church and raising serious questions about any unified ministry efforts and any unified vision of cultural engagement. The problem is, as James Davidson Hunter argues, cultural change does not seem to happen through the simple “change in the beliefs and values in the hearts and minds of ordinary people or in the creation of mere artifacts.” Change happens through networks of leaders and institutions that guide cultural activity.
I am an optimist at heart; I trust the Lord, who proclaimed, “I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” I recognize that amid this great ecclesial reset, there are opportunities. I believe that Christian churches need to build new coalitions at the local level that are interested in cultural renewal. Many denominations are still working toward these ends, but there is a growing need for new cooperative efforts. The church has a long history of institutional building. As Hunter argues, “there are intellectual, economic, and managerial resources available within the church and among Christian to make a profound difference in every sphere of life.” Christians need to work together for cultural renewal.
“Christians need to work together for cultural renewal.”
I can see these kinds of coalitions working on several levels.
- First, a general level among groups with radically different doctrine and church structures but united in their moral perspectives. They might partner in all kinds of social programs, initiatives, and institutions that help reinvigorate society.
- Second, any churches that are closer in doctrine and structure, such as those who have left the same or similar denominations, should find ways to partner in ways similar to how denominations have historically worked together for the good of their congregations and communities I realize that some churches left denominations for good reasons and might be apprehensive to partner with new groups, but for cultural renewal, we need networks of churches working together to shape our culture.
- Third, I don’t think we should give up on traditional denominations either. Anyone who knows the history of Protestantism knows that denominations developed for good reasons. If there are avenues to continue to work within denominational structures, there are good reasons to pursue them in good faith.
As all of our institutions are being overhauled, we need to build new (or renew) coalitions and networks of like-minded people and communities of faith.
3. Concentrating on the Local Context
Finally, armed with fortitude we need these coalitions working at the local level, committed to seeing their communities flourish. Pastors and Christian leaders must lean into the local. Our world is principally driven through social media and regular news cycles, which naturally orient our focus toward the latest “viral” issue that is often reflective of a larger cultural struggle or global conflict. When we bury our heads in our phones, our attention is directed to many other places besides the immediate world around us. We need to learn, or even relearn, how to be present in the local communities around us.
“We need to learn, or even relearn, how to be present in the local communities around us.”
A local focus does not mean we ignore national issues—elite national institutions, including political, educational, and economic institutions, can often have an impact, direct or indirect, on things at the local level. We should be concerned about what is happening at the national level and carry out our civic duty to advocate and vote for the candidates and policies that align with our sincerely held religious convictions.
But at the local level, we can be personally involved and invested in ways that demonstrate the truth and beauty of the gospel. Individuals should get involved with local schools, businesses, and nonprofits. They can volunteer at local libraries or parachurch organizations. As the Lord commanded Israel when they were headed into exile, “seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare” (Jeremiah 29:7). There is so much opportunity for cultural renewal happening at the local level.
The precedent for an attention to the local is the principle of subsidiarity, a consistent feature of social teaching in many Christian traditions. Subsidiarity argues that, whenever possible, issues ought to be handled by the lowest, most proximate authority, rather than a distant higher one. This principle is often applied to the political sphere and undergirds federalism, the notion that states, cities, and local municipalities are in a better position to solve problems than the federal government. The same principle should apply to pastoral care and Christian ministry. The classic biblical example of subsidiarity is found in the advice of Jethro the Midianite to his son-in-law Moses, as recorded in Exodus 18. Jethro encourages Moses to delegate and allow others to deal with problems in their immediate context.
Local Christian leaders are in the best position to dispense pastoral care and help address problems for their community. Books such as The New Localism are recognizing the importance of a local focus and trying to reorient our thinking and Christian leaders should listen. One simply way to help get started is researching the history of your town, get to know the local leaders and businesses, think about the problems that are pressing and the way Christians should respond. Good pastors know their people and communities. They know their histories, weaknesses, and temptations. They understand the nuances of their struggles and see the issues that are at stake— issues that are often far more complex than any general national solution can address.
“One simply way to help get started is researching the history of your town, get to know the local leaders and businesses, think about the problems that are pressing and the way Christians should respond. Good pastors know their people and communities.”
These are unusual times; the courts are strengthening religious liberty protections while the culture rejects religion. In this cultural moment, we need in a united effort to help secure religious liberty and defend the goodness of Christianity for the public square, but we also need Christian leaders leading our churches and cultural institutions to guide their local congregations and constituencies in fortitude and cooperation. This coordinated effort gives me hope that we can see the kind of cultural renewal that many long for.
