Alan Jamieson on Christian Stagnation and Growth

The last couple of months I’ve been doing some work for a church developing a ‘discipleship pathway’. The leadership team have a belief pathway that helps them lead people from cynical through sceptic and seeker stages to new believer, growing believer and mature believer. They also have strategies for reinvigorating ‘stagnant believers’.

My brief has been to outline what people should be able to know and do at each of the believers stage, outlining short courses that could be used to equip Christians. There’s an obvious connection with my reviews of resources at Educating Christians.

However the deeper I got into this the more questions I had. In our conversations we found ourselves examining our assumptions over what makes a Christian ‘stagnant’. Is it withdrawal from church activities? Is it losing enthusiasm for worship? That would be the institutional view. But what about loss of passion in relationships at home and community? What about loss of effectiveness, graciousness and clarity in engagement with the wider world?

I’ve found Alan Jamieson’s book, “A Churchless Faith” helpful in exploring why people drop out of Evangelical, Pentecostal and Charismatic churches. Allan interviewed a number of people who had left churches, most of whom still had some form of Christian faith. He enquired into the factors of disillusionment, boredom, burnout and growth in faith. (See Prodigal Kiwi, a blog Alan shares with Paul Fromont in New Zealand)

To explain what he means by growth in faith Alan draws on the work of James Fowler, especially as it’s found in “Stages of Faith: The Psychology of Human Development and the Quest for Meaning”.

1. Innocent (Intuitive-Projective).
   Little awareness of belief patterns – typically found in very young children.
2. Literalist (Mythical – Literal)
   Security is found in literal beliefs, rules, and authoritative teaching. Usually found in the faith patterns of children.
3. Loyalist (Synthetic-Conventional)
   Belief is conformist, acutely tuned to expectations and judgments of others. There is a strong sense of the peer group, expressed in belonging in the church community. Belief is often expressed in dualisms – us and them, right and wrong. Usually found in teenage patterns of faith.
4. Critic (Individuative – Reflective)
   There is an emergence of new sense of self taking responsibility for actions, beliefs and values. Often this is a painful experience. There is a new objectification – the examination of beliefs, values and expectations that have been received up to now. Often young/early adults develop their own sense of faith or drop it altogether in this stage.
5. Seer (Conjunctive)
   Belief develops again, with the capacity to hold together polar tensions. There is a growing awareness and acceptance of ambiguity, complexity and paradox. Once again the believer is able to engage in symbol and myth. There is an openness to other traditions and communities. This is a point usually reached in mid life and can be the result of ‘mid life crisis’.
6. Saint (Universalising)
   Preservation of self is removed from the centre or focus of an individual’s life. There is a shift in motivation to complete acceptance of the ultimate authority of God in all aspects of life.

It seems to me that most Evangelical churches, particularly program-oriented congregations, when considering their Christian education needs, are working on the stage three level. Participation in the congregation’s programs is valued highly. Lone rangers are considered with suspicion or concern. Approved curriculum is preferred over open questioning and exploration.

So how does a congregation support the development of new Christians at the same time as revitalise the faith of people moving through stages 4 and 5? Do new Christians need to go through a literalist black and white phase?

As we look through this situation one thing becomes clear. The development of mature leadership is closely linked with the capacity of people to engage in levels 4 and 5.