Notes from Presentation by Dr. Patricia Killen on Religious Situation in Northwest

May 24, 2005    Vancouver , WA

Key Concept:   People did not come to the PNW to replicate their past, but to create a new life.

A.   The Religious Landscape in the PNW

In the book co-edited by Patricia Killen and Mark Silk, Pacific Northwest :   The None Zone (Alta Mira Press, 2004), the population is divided into three categories:  

adherents – those identified by religious authorities as their regular members

identifiers – those who identify themselves with a particular denomination even though they do not participate in its activities

nones – those who identify themselves with no religious tradition

The PNW is peculiar in the USA in that its percentage of adherents is the smallest of any region that was surveyed:   37%.   The percentage of identifiers was 38%, and the nones were 25%.    Thus, in the PNW, 63% are not active in any church, and 37% are.   In the rest of the USA , this percentage is roughly the opposite:   63% active and 37% not.   Likewise, in the rest of the USA the percentage of nones is 14%, and in the PNW it is the highest of any region:   25%.   Denominations are a major influence in other regions of the USA , but in the PNW denominations have little influence.

Some characteristics of the three groups:

              Adherents

1.   There is no dominant religious group as in other parts of the USA , but many small denominations.   The Roman Catholic Church (RCC) is the largest at just 11.3% of the population.   The next highest are the Pentecostals/Holiness churches and the Conservative Evangelical churches at 4.7%.

2.   The population of the PNW has grown by 70% since 1970, and the percentage of adherents has remained basically the same.   Therefore, the churches have been holding their own , but not increasing their presence.

3.   In the PNW, people tend to come to church for healing and energy , not for forgiveness.   People do not join a denomination.   They look for a church that teaches/provides what they want, and they join there.

4.   Post-denominational churches (Pentecostals, community churches, independent pastors) are thriving in the PNW.   In contrast to other denominations, these entrepreneurial pastors teach a palpable experience of the supernatural , an unmediated visceral experience of the divine.   In their church programs, they focus on teaching how to live a meaningful life .   They organize their programs to address the personal problems of people:   marriage, family, addictions, etc.

5.   People desire to carry out activities that involve face-to-face contact and that make a difference in the world, like Habitat for Humanity.

6.   Because of all the competition from many different denominations in the region, there is a tendency for churches to emphasize their boundaries and become rigid.

7.   Authority in religions in the PNW tends to be by the leader’s personal charisma and persuasion , rather than by institutional office or credentials.   It takes a strong leader to build a successful church, which is why the PNW has the highest resignation rate in the country.

8. The laity in PNW congregations tend to be independent and controlling .   They will throw a pastor out.

9.   Not only Identifiers and Nones, but also Adherents will utilize the spiritual training and resources of other denominations and other religions freely.

Identifiers

1.   The research did not determine how deep these people’s allegiance is to their preferred denomination.   There probably is a spectrum of allegiance, from definite interest to general humanist convictions.

2.   These people participate in the general PNW reverence toward Nature .   They speak of Nature sacramentally and focus heavily on environmental issues.

3.   They participate in the PNW attitude of residing more tentatively .   They do not think to set down roots and join a church.

4.   For spiritual nurture , they may read a book, attend a Luis Palau festival, discuss with friends, or go online.

5.   They hesitate to make longterm commitments .   They may join a 4-6 week program, but not longer.

6.   They participate in the PNW attitude toward religion as a personal journey .   Therefore, they do not see their journey simply following traditional lines and confines.

7.   Since they do not draw upon the wisdom and depth of a tradition, their spirituality can become very self-centered .   They can find it difficult to find mission in life and a motivation to serve the wider community.

8.   When they face difficulties and complexities in life, they do not have a tradition and a source of wisdom to cope.   They may turn to their preferred denomination if they think the church can teach them how to live life better .

9.   Among youths, they appreciate their spiritual roots but consider denominations irrelevant for their future.   Spirituality matters a great deal to them, but they do not see how traditional denominations can effectively help them.

Nones

1.   Nones are the fastest growing religious grouping in the USA , from 7% of the USA population ten years ago to 14% today.   In this, the PNW has been a bellwether for the rest of the country.

2.   The group has rather orthodox religious convictions .   Only 1% are agnostic or atheist.   Half believe that God intervenes in history, and almost half pray regularly.

3.   They tend to be well educated and well placed in life, and independent politically.

4.   They lead the battle on environmental issues , and it almost becomes a religion for them.

5.   The Nones tend to have strong ethical convictions and struggle to work out what kind of humanity we want to become.

6.   They are illiterate on biblical language, theological terminology, religious symbols, and church rituals.   They express their spirituality in more secular terms .

7.   They see life as a spiritual journey in which we are free to ask questions and pursue options.   They don’t see the churches providing the spiritual nurture and wisdom that they are seeking, so they search beyond religious institutions.

8.   They trust their own experience and the experience of their peers, rather than any church tradition.   They are “spiritual but not religious.”

9.   Nones can be reached at crucial points in their lives.   Transitional events such as marriage, death, divorce, raising children, etc. are occasions when the symbols and services of the church may be valued.

10.   What they do with the church they want to be face-to-face and make a difference in the world.

B.   The Situation for Denominations in the PNW

In the flow of history, church leaders are caught up in a difficult time and place.   From the 1960’s, the general USA society has experienced a process of disestablishment.   There has been a general distrust of institutions:   government, courts, schools, bib business, medical establishment, employers, etc.   In regard to churches, the locus of spiritual authority has shifted from the Scriptures or the tradition or the clergy to the individual’s personal experience.

One hears a great deal of anger toward the church in the PNW.   However, we should see in these feelings also basis for relationship.   Anger always is the result of a ruptured relationship.   People do care about the church and what it stands for.   They wish the church would live up to its espoused role.   Anger reveals a frustration and a desire to reconnect.

This unsettled situation has made every church body, congregation, and pastor feel vulnerable.   The question of survival is always there.   As a result, church life in the PNW has been pioneering in several significant ways in the USA :

• Churches have had to create new approaches to nurture and outreach, which have often models for the rest of the nation.
• Pastors have had to become entrepreneurial in order to be successful.  
• Congregations and pastors have had to be effective in providing spiritual nurture if they expected people to come, stay, and support.
• Successful congregations have developed effective programs helping people to cope with real life problems.
• Especially Pentecostal and post-denominational churches have thrived by providing people with the experiential in their spirituality.

Churches in the PNW have had ambivalent attitudes and approaches to ecumenical relations.   On the one hand, because they are all so vulnerable, they have been willing to cooperate with each other in many ways.   On the other hand, there has also been an impulse toward sectarianism.   In their struggle to survive, denominations have also often set up clearer boundaries over against others.   They have needed to compose an enemy in order to define and justify themselves.

Recently, the largest denomination, the RCC, has realigned itself politically.   In the past, the RCC’s natural allies have been the mainline denominations with whom they worked on issues of poverty and social justice.   Recently, however, the RCC has allied itself with conservative evangelicals on moral issues such as homosexuality, abortion and assisted suicide.

A particular historical burden for churches in the PNW has been the transplanting of the model of church and ministry from back East.   In stable farming communities, if one follows the rules of life and Nature, one will generally survive.   However, the atmosphere in the West has been much more volatile.   Life was a “crapshoot,” either boom or bust.  

Therefore, the old rules which churches urged upon their members simply did not work in this new environment.   Spirituality, like the rest of life in the PNW, became a personal adventure.   It has tended to be individualistic, episodic, emotionally intense, and loosely connected to any church tradition.

D.   Guidelines for Ministry in PNW

People in the PNW see themselves in an open religious environment.   They must find their own way.   Along with many in the greater USA , people here see themselves as spiritual seekers.   They accept this goal as an important part of meaningful living.   We need to respect this seeking and develop models that prove effective in helping people experience the divine and gain wisdom for living.

An important part of the general spiritual venture in the PNW is the natural environment.   People find Nature a spiritual experience.   Issues around care of the environment are shared values and a strong commitment.   The church will gain credibility and respect as it effectively leads in this arena.

A major project may be to develop a theology of Creation that speaks to the interests and values of the PNW.   The greatness and beauty of Nature gives a sense of the greatness and beauty of God .   But Nature also is overpowering and destructive.   It is an ambivalent spiritual experience.   What is the God we meet in Nature?   We need to draw upon the resources of Scripture and apply them to the issues about which people in the PNW care.

Some practical suggestions for ministry that arose in the presentation and discussions are as follows:

• Develop extra-ecclesial centers of spiritual training where seekers can grow in commitment and discipline.
• Develop educational curricula that demonstrate how the traditional categories of theology (Nature of God, Church, Salvation, etc.) answer the fundamental spiritual questions of life.
• Develop practical programs of human engagement around real-life issues for young couples, immigrants, newly married, young mothers, etc.
• Train a cadre of spiritual mentors in the congregation for seekers.   Have your church become known as a mentoring community, providing wisdom for meaningful living.
• Enable people to move beyond the quest for their own healing to a commitment to social justice.   Help people to see their personal wholeness in the wider context of the whole community.

Herb Hoefer

May 25, 2005