Today, faith seems a bit quieter and worship production seems more spectacle than special. It’s easy to reach a conclusion that faith and spirituality may be a dying flame. But this is quite the opposite.
In an increasingly digital age, spiritual practices are shifting to more solitary and meditational methods over flashy worship styles and influencer pastors. Young Christians are choosing stillness over spectacle. Does that mean faith is disappearing? Absolutely not! Rather, faith is evolving in reflective and personal spaces and not conforming to the noise of the world. A “quiet faith” movement is emerging.
Church history
In the 1900s, church practices focused on in-person services, community and modesty. In America, Protestant denominations were dominant. Included were the rise of Christian fundamentalism, Pentecostalism, Liturgical renewal, Catholicism, evangelism and social reform advocacy.
After World War II, churches saw a raise in religious affiliation and an increase in attendance among all age groups. Around 1960, America saw another revolution with the Jesus Movement of the late 1960s and early 70s. During this era, younger individuals found a larger purpose in Christianity through evangelism and music.
This shift in worship took Christian practices back to the original, simpler times of faith. Focusing on a personal relationship with Jesus rather than rules and regulations promoted a sense of intimacy. The focus of folk, rock and pop music birthed the Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) genre. This style of music invited more emotion and expression into services. Also emerging in this movement were new churches like Calvary Chapel and ministries that focused on more evangelical outreaches.
The 1980s brought revitalized worship styles and sermons. These additions of performance lead to increased participation from the congregation, which also invited more expressive emotions into services. With sound design and technology continuing to get better, this bled into worship practices, thus creating the “loud worship culture.”
The image of emotional highs and participation from the congregation became the norm during this reformation and continued into the 2000s. These loud worship styles are not necessarily a bad thing, however some individuals are finding spiritual burnout increasing within such atmospheres. This is setting the stage for the quiet faith movement emerging today, especially among Millenials and Gen Z worshippers.
A quiet faith movement
The COVID-19 pandemic forced many public spaces to close, including churches and youth groups. However, it opened a door for new styles of faith to emerge. Without face-to-face faith communities, practices moved online. We saw the rise of online church, online Bible-studies and guided meditations. People filled the church rows again when the quarantine mandate was lifted, but quieter practices continued.
Now, it seems we’re craving more authenticity over aesthetics. Loud worship culture created overstimulation and faith burnouts for many. With the distractions and lights, it can be hard to enter into a private space with Jesus. Worship feeling like a concert or sermons featuring a piano ballad in the background are not required to heighten the mood and emotions. It’s about connection with God and religion (1 Samuel 16:7).
To gain a better understanding and differing perspectives over this shift, a handful of interviews with Christians were conducted. First, I asked for a description of their current faith practices and if they’ve changed from the past. A variety of answers were received that all fit under the umbrella of “more intentionality than previously.” Approaching faith with more intentionality, many found a better prayer life, a stronger desire to study the Bible, consistency, better conversations and sought opportunities for community to gain perspectives and new understandings.
The overarching response when asked if they’d ever felt disconnected in a high-energy church atmosphere was, “All the time!” This was majorly due to the overwhelming energy mega-churches can bring. Additionally, they felt services weren’t truly authentic at times. One put it as, “I’m an observant so when I see the high emotional stakes, I feel like I’m doing it wrong or not feeling enough.” Another said she preferred more traditional styles of church as more modern styles tend to remove her from the sacredness of church.
On the contrary, one Christian offered a differing perspective by saying, “I think people tend to place too much blame on the staff or pastors when it’s our responsibility to get involved. That’s how you make a big church feel small.” Additionally, another agreed with this perspective offering, “When connected in community, you will naturally see the fruits of that.”
Today, many individuals are finding themselves reverting back to old traditions and the ways of church they grew up with. Others are keeping some doctrines in practice while exploring other denominations. The pull to go back to tradition for some included sacredness of traditional styles, more structure in practices, rediscovering the holiness and presence of God and bringing more intentional focus to prayer life.
“I heard a lot of youth are being pulled to more traditional practices because it makes them feel like what they’re doing is real. Honestly, we could all be progressing towards being more holy.”
COVID-19 forced us to take a step back and breathe. It caused more mindfulness in our faith-based and spiritual practices. Journaling and quiet meditation was found to be more intentional and peaceful. Time spent in nature with God’s creation invited more connection than the flashy practices of production based faith. In these quieter times, faith was being deconstructed to be reconstructed according to God’s will (Psalm 46:10, Matthew 6:6).
However, we can’t dismiss the rise of social media and its implications throughout the 2020 pandemic.
The complicated role of social media
Paradoxically, social media both challenges and promotes quiet faith. Social media platforms are filled with many guided meditations, influencers sharing experiences, quick yet impactful sermons and small Bible studies. These resources promote a quiet faith movement. On the contrary, social media can bring the stigma of perfection and pressure to perform aesthetically. This can involuntarily create dissonance, disconnect and anxiety around the topic of faith and authenticity.
So, what do these more digital practices mean for churches? Honestly, it can provide more opportunities for outreach. Churches are not in any danger of closing or underrepresentation during Sunday services. Attendance may be lower, but media practices also encourage the conversation to continue beyond church doors and Sunday services. Congregations can remain connected throughout the week through podcasts, prayers, studies, meditations and church community activities.
However, with social media being a norm in our everyday life, it’s easy to get distracted from prayer life and faith practices or fall into comparative faith. Those interviewed for this article believe social media can be a dangerous mix, as other peoples perspectives can help or hurt. Overconsumption of media has inadvertently made things complicated for faith practices. While some may find helpful sermons and messages from pastors online and influencers, others find it hard when it comes to comparison.
“There is a fine line between comparative faith. It can feel convicting, overwhelming, or like you’re basing your journey off someone else’s,” one confessed. Another explained how social media has taken them out of their prayer and journaling life by losing time scrolling. Overall, “it’s important to feed your brain and heart the right content because it matters.”
Burnout in faith
In today’s fast-paced world, with differing perspectives and opinions, faith can sometimes feel like just one more thing “to keep up with.” As one Christian put it:
“Pray about it. Whenever there’s a problem or you feel burnt out, immediately go to God. There is something that is deeper rooted within you if you’re feeling disconnected. At that point, it’s so important to find community. You should not go through life alone otherwise you’ll live a life of bitterness and loneliness, and that’s not what God desires for you. Burn out is unfortunately what most people are used to because we’re all so busy. When we’re too busy, we allow ourselves to not be as convicted.”
While social media has its evident pitfalls, a social media movement may reimagine and encourage another spiritual reformation. It may encourage more connection, conversation, conviction and questions to arise which may lead to another revolution.
Conclusion
The way you practice your faith starts with God and you. It’s important to find what works best for you. Whether it be continuing the conversation in small groups, attending different churches until you find one that feels like home, connecting yourself to faithful friends or spending time journaling or walking in creation to connect with God. It’s okay to take a step back from the more stimulating and flashy styles of worship to be alone with God (Mark 1:35, Matthew 11:28-30, Romans 12:2). As another devout Christian put it:
“Churches aren’t a one size fits all. There is a special church for everyone. I understand the burnout and frustration, but you have to push forward. There will be good times, there will be low times. But, you have to remember that even if you’re feeling burnt out or disconnected, don’t take away your worship to God. He’s worthy if our worship even when we don’t want to or feel like it, so praise Him anyways. If you can find your peace in Him, He will restore your strength and guide you. It’s okay to take breaks, but that doesn’t mean you take a break from God.”
It’s worth noting this shift of online and quiet faith activity is not a rebellion, but rather a return and revival among all generations (Lamentations 3:25-28). Faith is not silent, dying or fading. In solitude, it’s becoming deeper, more intentional, intimate and more authentic than it has ever been before.
Featured image: Photo by Chris Dixon on Unsplash
Edited by Abbigail Earl & James Sutton
