COMMENTARY: Nomadic Spiritual Seekers Are Not `Brand’ Loyal

c. 2006 Religion News Service MINNEAPOLIS _ In case I thought life had no further surprises, last Saturday I walked on water. On ice at least 12 inches thick, we strode onto Lake Harriet near downtown Minneapolis. There we found ice fishermen, para-sailers, sail-skaters, cross-country skiers and walkers, all making the best of a cold […]

c. 2006 Religion News Service

MINNEAPOLIS _ In case I thought life had no further surprises, last Saturday I walked on water.

On ice at least 12 inches thick, we strode onto Lake Harriet near downtown Minneapolis. There we found ice fishermen, para-sailers, sail-skaters, cross-country skiers and walkers, all making the best of a cold thing.


It was quiet and peaceful _ and not a little odd _ to be standing in the middle of a snow-covered lake, with no noises louder than a ski’s scrape. We were surrounded by city and yet alone, enjoying a terrain that was sturdy today but could warm enough tomorrow to become treacherous.

Savvy locals watch the signs _ fishing huts still out there, fresh tracks, impromptu notices along the shoreline _ and pass along news of which lakes can bear weight and which are closed.

This wintry experience explains an emerging reality in organized religion. For all of our certainties about denominational superiority and our efforts to standardize the religious experience, I think today’s pilgrims, especially young adults, are like the savvy Minnesotan.

They flow from congregation to congregation, from “emergent” church to “mega-church” to house church to traditional denomination, and back again. In some places, huge congregations that could hardly build fast enough a few years ago must now fight just to stay even. Conservative congregations thrive here but languish there. Mainline denominations perpetuate the same-old fights while some congregations stay below the doctrinal radar and prosper.

Today’s pilgrims seem to start out with an activity or need in mind, not a particular brand or destination. Do we want to para-sail, fish with some buddies, or walk? Are we looking to celebrate family, seek healing, make a friend, or find a quiet place away from troubles?

In faith, as in the rest of life, we are like restless consumers, searching for answers to new questions, “products” for new appetites and needs.

The quest goes quickly to “depth”: some mid-winter lake adventures require 12 inches of ice, others require 18 inches. In some seasons of life, an upbeat and superficial church might be enough, but when disaster hits or stress mounts, we want deeper, a place where people know suffering, where pastors take the time to listen, where failure and frailty are welcome. For many young adults, the depth needed has to do with seriousness, freedom from inherited controversy, an atmosphere of meaning and authority.


The word spreads. In the course of one day, a dozen people here told me which lakes were frozen solid for walking. Word-of-mouth sells churches, too, and just as readily negates those that don’t measure up. One visit might be all a pilgrim gives.

On any given icy day, relatively few venture onto the lake. Around Lake Harriet, we passed a steady stream of walkers and runners, but fewer than 10 percent ventured onto the ice. It’s like that for American churches, too. Even in crowded cities and suburbs, relatively few first-time visitors venture into churches. When they do, it is with higher intentionality than traditional churches are accustomed to noticing.

Then the seasons change. Just like that, no more ice-fishing huts. Today’s pilgrims change directions readily, too. Marketing techniques that worked five years ago seem insincere now. Virtual community _ blogs, parish web forums, on-line religion _ seems welcome now, but if I were to look a season ahead, I’d say person-to-person looks promising.

KRE/JL END EHRICH

(Tom Ehrich is a writer, consultant and leader of workshops. His book, “Just Wondering, Jesus: 100 Questions People Want to Ask,” was published by Morehouse Publishing. An Episcopal priest, he lives in Durham, N.C. His Web site is http://www.onajourney.org.)

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