While surveys tell us that 95 percent of Americans claim to believe in God, it's no secret that church attendance has been sliding in recent years. My own denomination, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), has been losing members since the 1960s. And, like other branches of organized religion, we are now facing a fresh challenge: a rising tide of religious books, television shows and Internet sites that invite people to practice a kind of self-help spirituality.

This issue has taken on new urgency for me since late January, when I became pastor of Fairfax Presbyterian, a congregation of about 1,000. It's a larger church with a broader range of programs than I had served previously -- as solo pastor of Calvary Presbyterian in Alexandria -- but it's no less immune to the lure of private worship.

A new job always makes you reassess. This time around, I'm aware as never before that I'm not the only spiritual guide in town. As Phyllis Tickle, who writes about religious book publishing, recently pointed out to me, "much of what 50 years ago went into a pastor's or priest's or rabbi's study now comes [directly] to the bookstore's shelves."

People don't need to hear my sermon to get a religious message, or attend Fairfax Presbyterian's Sunday school classes to learn about approaches to prayer. And it seems to Robert McKee, a42-year-old electronic engineer who serves as an elder at Fairfax, as if a great many are looking elsewhere for spirituality: "My friends at work, my neighbors . . . are the ones in the bookstores searching, on the Internet searching."

All very well, you might say. For many people, religion is a private matter. But this shift does more than threaten to reduce the number of faces in our pews. It also threatens to undermine the spirit of community that is so central to the church -- one that not only benefits church members but serves the world around them.

In our increasingly fragmented and individualistic world, it is through the strength of community that congregations can provide soup kitchens, homeless shelters and tutoring programs. Many of those activities are well supported at the moment, but they are far harder to organize and develop without a local institution as their focus. Francis H. Wade, senior pastor of 1,800-member St. Albans Episcopal Church in Washington, sees the value of that support system. A number of his parishioners are involved in the Washington Interfaith Network, which pushes for housing, education and child care. The network "connects us across the socioeconomic barriers of the city," he points out. "No individual could do that."

At Fairfax Presbyterian, we stress the community aspect of our faith through regularly scheduled programs: two youth groups, eight choirs, 14 Christian education classes, a preschool for 100 children, and a range of groups for men, women, young adults and families. With the help of a small army of volunteers, as well as several full-time staff members, parishioners also come together to feed the hungry, help the homeless and, in recent years, host Belarusian children on summer visits from their homes in Chernobyl.

Even with all this activity, our efforts to create community are sometimes undermined by competing demands on parishioners' time. "Churches are not losing people to other churches," observes my friend Kent Winters-Hazelton, pastor of Claremont Presbyterian Church in California. "They are losing them to the weekend." People are dropping out of Sunday church to pursueleisure activities -- at arts festivals, ski resorts and beaches -- and trying to make up for that by going to bookstores and Internet chat rooms. Books can be read while riding the subway; Internet prayer requests can be offered at 2 a.m. Both books and Internet prayer sites probably seem more accessible to shy people who might be uncomfortable asking a question in a public Bible study or raising a concern in a service of worship.

 

bnWhat we are up against these days is big business. Lynn Garrett, the religion editor of Publishers Weekly, the trade magazine of the book publishing industry, tells me that the religion category in publishing has been one of the fastest-growing in the past 10 years, and is currently among the top three in market share, just behind popular fiction and cooking/crafts. "Many people are pursuing a private form of spirituality," she says, "and these books are a key element."

Readers are showing steady interest in spirituality, prayer and religious living, and a rising fascination with Buddhism, grief and Christian fiction (the "Left Behind" series -- a fictional thriller based on the Bible's Book of Revelation -- has sold more than 20 million copies). The content runs the gamut, from self-centered nonsense to demanding biographical and autobiographical religious works, such as the writings of Kathleen Norris. Some bookstores even have sections called "Private Spirituality," with books ranging from the reflections of Zen masters to bestsellers such as "Conversations With God."

Although seven in 10 Americans say they can be religious without going to services, my experience is that spiritual growth requires a community of support and accountability. It is amazing to see the ways church members help each other in times of illness and loss. Visits, cards and casseroles are common signs of concern, but many congregations go much further. Some churches are making an exceptional effort to reach beyond their traditional role. The pastor, deacon and members of St. Anthony's Roman Catholic Church in Washington care for the dying in the hospital, work closely with families who are experiencing loss, help with funeral planning, organize post-funeral meals and offer a bereavement support group. Try to get that from a self-help book!

But along with this support comes accountability, and this is where some people balk. To be challenged to adhere to certain religious standards is a tough -- but important -- dimension of spiritual growth. Some of my biggest challenges in ministry have arisen out of situations in which I have had to confront church members about thoughtless or selfish acts, such as an older member berating a new member of the church. Many respond with anger and defensiveness, and then show resentment toward me that can last for years.

I hate these conflicts, and yet I believe that ministry includes this sort of guidance. Books, TV shows and the Internet simply cannot provide it. "Touched by an Angel" and "Seventh Heaven" are entertaining television fare, but they don't push people to move beyond their comfortable lifestyles. And frankly, in a spiritual marketplace that offers resources ranging from New Age guidebooks to religious classics, a person can find support for any perspective or any passion that feels good. "One thing is for sure," says Denise Giacomozzi May, chaplain for United College Ministries in Northern Virginia. "With so much specialized literature, and so many chat rooms, radio and TV options, our culture is Balkanized, fractured into untold numbers of interest groups and sub-groups that we can very easily -- I would say too easily -- lose ourselves in a tiny world of like-thinkers or like-believers."

It may seem odd for a pastor to worry about like-thinkers and like-believers, since the church is often accused of enforcing rigid orthodoxy. But I'm concerned when faith comes to be seen as only an individual, private matter. There's no limit to the narcissism of a spirituality that is completely cut off from Scripture, tradition and a community of faith.

Not that modern media are inherently lacking. "Something like 20 percent of all Americans use the Internet for spiritual purposes," says Steve Waldman, editor in chief of beliefnet.com, aWeb site that is designed to appeal to all faiths and to which I have turned on occasion when I am preparing sermons. "Yes, it is a more personal, private and in some way intimate form of spirituality. But it is not without depth. These are real relationships that form on our message boards -- real consolation is offered, real compassion expressed, real prayers traded."

In fact, the institutional church has hurt itself by failing to use the Web to energize its own communities. Churches "still represent the 'trusted brands,' " notes Waldman. "All they have to do is wake up and be creative about the Web." Fairfax's McKee believes that the church must be "open to all, seven days a week, 24 hours a day. We must provide an ear to listen; we must provide opportunities to learn about God and about becoming self aware; and we must provide an example." To do this, it is crucial that we take advantage of the Internet and other fresh forms of communication. Our Web site contains information about worship services and mission activities, links to reach pastors, and material for reflection such as daily Lenten meditations and the texts of Sunday sermons.

There's no doubt in my mind that congregational leaders and members still have something special to offer: a community of support and accountability, as well as what Waldman describes as "the feeling of someone holding your hand during a prayer, the emotional charge of a great sermon, the inspiration of gorgeous spiritual music, the evocative smell of incense." But the fact is that our customers are voting with their feet. In a world of spiritual self-help the church has to commit itself to being ever more accessible and responsive -- attributes that at the moment are sometimes more readily available from Web sites and even books and television shows.

© 2001 The Washington Post Company

Henry Brinton is pastor of Fairfax Presbyterian Church.

Author's e-mail: hgbrinton@aol.com

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