Did you know that you have a spiritual temperament? This means some activities help you feel closer to God than what you do otherwise. And people have different spiritual temperaments. So, if you want to be drawn closer to God spend more time on the spiritual pathways that work best for you.
These are insights from a new branch of psychology associated with the names Myers and Briggs. The Myers-Briggs Personality Inventory is the most-used testing instrument in business human resource management. One familiar distinction from their work is between introverts and extroverts.
I first ran into the insights on spiritual temperaments reading the book Who You Are Is How You Pray, by Charles Keating. He applied the Myers and Briggs Personality Types to members of religious orders to help candidates find the one that fits them best. He highlighted the view of Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Jesuits, who urged those seeking to be closer to God to try out different approaches and disciplines to find the one that is “sweet” for each. Don’t just imitate what someone else does. Had I been born Catholic, I probably would have become a Jesuit. One of the biggest blessings in my life is that I was born and raised in a vibrant Lutheran community.
Do you feel closer to God when you are hiking in nature? Or when you are caring for others? Or when you are alone thinking about God? Or when you are with other believers praising God with high emotions? Or when you are out crusading for peace and justice? Or when you are worshiping in a building with lots of symbols using special rituals? Or when you are pondering God’s word? These questions reflect types of spiritual temperaments recognized by Gary Thomas in his book Sacred Pathways: Discover Your Soul’s Pathway to God.
I can make the most sense out of my spiritual journey as traveling the pathway of loving God with the mind. Thomas calls this the way of the intellectual. I am also an Activist who likes to try things out to see which way the Spirit is leading. But these pathways are very different from what works for most others, especially the Enthusiasts and Caregivers.
Yet unfortunately, it is the Intellectuals who have provided most of the leadership in traditional church bodies. Martin Luther was a university professor and John Calvin a highly sophisticated lawyer. Their church bodies have little room for Enthusiasts, Caregivers and Contemplatives. Lutherans in recent decades doubled down on liturgical ritual and symbols. At a time when we should be reaching out to a broader spectrum of Americans, we have actually narrowed our appeal to focus on one small segment of the general population.
When I was on the chapel staff at Valparaiso University, those who attended the high liturgy on Sunday morning were mostly adults. The students overcrowded the small contemporary service in the chapel on Sunday evenings. When I attended twenty-five years later, the pews in the cathedral were rearranged in a square in the back third of the building. Many were empty. Most of the worshippers were middle-aged and up. Many were professors.
My-son-in-law is a professor at a university in Richmond, VA. My daughter also has a Ph.D. For a number of years, they were deeply involved in a neighborhood community church co-pastored by a white Presbyterian and an African-American Pentecostal. Six years later they moved on to the historic Lutheran church close to the university. Their three boys are the only children who attend regularly. I do think there is a relationship between people with graduate degrees and the desire for the symbolism and formality of liturgical worship. Note, however, that intellectuals represent a very narrow slice of the general American population.
Much of the loss of Lutherans in the 1960s and 70s can be attributed to Baby Boomers who left to find churches that were a better fit for their spiritual temperament.
For those who want to get closer to God, the usual encouragement is to set aside time for devotion and prayer in the early morning. That does not work well for me. As near as I can tell, true morning people are only about fifteen percent of the population. I get frustrated with two-paragraph devotions because I want to dig deeper. I have trouble sticking with a rigid discipline. Yet I find that my conversation with God flows freely during the day. One of my books addresses research I did on How the Spirit Shapes Prayer.
Great article! Its freeing to hear that MY way of connecting best with God is ok and that it doesn’t have to look like someone else’s. Very affirming!
Thanks. Just think of how many believers could grow in their faith with more offerings that fit their temperament. I do believe Christian churches are going to do well in America, but that renewal will be in many forms quite different from our inherited church culture. Your congregation is certainly showing Lutheran substance in new styles.
Pastor Luecke, I appreciate you sharing your prayer life. I have my best days when I am in conversation with the Lord throughout the day as you mentioned. Great to have constant connection with Him.
For what is worth, I enjoy starting my day with reading Scripture and prayer each day even when traveling on business or vacation. I have found it to be a necessity each and every day. It does take work to avoid that time as a repeating ritual and more of an open, honest and refreshing time with God. It can vary from 10-45 minutes very quickly.
I am getting to know you as a very Spiritual man. I would not have guessed from my previous casual contact with you. I am glad you have found your sweet spot. I wish I were a morning person and could stick to a routine. But especially now that I am into this blog sharing and wondering where it is all going, I do feel close to God. I hope I am being faithful.
Richard (Pete) Peterson
David, I am a retired LCMS pastor in the state of Washington, and have been involved in the spiritual renewal movement within the LCMS for the past almost 50 years. The thought that goes through my mind is that in the Bible, the evening was the beginning of the new day (Sunset). So, to have devotional readings just before going to bed can be a very excellent way to “begin” a new day. And the Holy Spirit can use that conversation throughout the night as He speaks to the individual in his/her spirit in preparation for the next morning and afternoon.
Yes, the Spirit does work during the night. Brain studies show that the brain does re-arrange thoughts during sleep. Early morning is often a time when creativity happens in putting thoughts together in new ways. That has been my experience during weeks when I have been writing. I can’t claim it is inspiration on a level of the Bible writers, who are authoritative. But it is inspiration on how to apply biblical thruths now. Several weeks of intensive writing is physically very tiring. I do believe that is the Spirit at work. Preachers, teachers and writers cannot expect newness, but we can look for nowness.
Dave
I have often wondered about this. It seems to me that even though it seems as highly educated people seem to gravitate towards the liturgical worship style they are just as Biblically illerate if not more so than most. I once had a person come into my office and ask me what this verse meant? I responded lets take a moment and study it, they had one of the big study Bibles at home but the answer was “Oh I’d rather just ask the pastor!”
I have been enjoying your blog posts and I think you are asking some very important questions but I also think that our denomination is too stuck in the past to adapt to the future. However as a prison chaplain I have started to realize that being stuck in the “Way we have always done it” applies across the board to most denomination!
Listen to what the person in your office was really saying. He does not get much out of reading on his own. Even in highly literate cultures, lots of people have difficulty reading and finding new meanings. Luther focused on the spoken word. He had to because most who were listening were illiterate. Spiritual meaning gets passed on not usually by reading alone but from person to person. Even intellectuals are often blind to new meanings for old words. Think of what the intellectuals have done with the Spirit. He has been pushed to the side because he does not fit within their intellectual framework.
Not just churches, but almost all organizations and institutions get caught stuck at “that’s the way we have always done it.” It takes very strong leadership to bring new ways. New ways for present leaders are hard because they have to move beyond their core competence. That’s why the Spirit is so necessary, strengthening trust as well as opening minds.
Millions of young men today are being spiritually “fed” by Jordan Peterson. He speaks of suffering, sacrifice and personal responsibility. His followers desire meanining and structure . They want the hard facts. God has given us an opportunity to offer them the real structure of life under the cross and the true meaning of a life lived in Word and Sacraments.
Thanks for introducing me to Jordan Peterson. Nice to get the views of a fellow psychologist. I have ordered his book. I come from a highly structured Lutheran background that does not seem to work well anymore. I am curious to see what he proposes.
Hello Dave,
As usual, you knocked the ball out of the ballpark. It is so refreshing to receive affirmation that our spiritual temperaments can differ from person to person. Your point, to find out what really works for you, spiritually, and then “run” with it, is something I wish the whole Christian community would understand. Your point about elites and symbolism was interesting and used your own family as an example. I never connected it that way. I know the freedom of finding one’s pathway to really be spiritually connected is so important. I could identify with praying and being spiritually aware throughout the day. Thank you for all your insights.
Thanks, Elaine. This whole concept of spiritual temperaments is new in the last few decades. I am curious how it will change perspectives for church leaders. I found the Myers-Briggs 16 personality types to be more than I can teach. I am comfortable with Gary Thomas’ categories, even though he did not have a rigorous method to determine them. Much of “spiritual temperaments” will remain intuitive.
Pastor Luecke,
I appreciated this blog. I have taken the Myers-Briggs test and agree somewhat to what my personality is labeled. I had never considered ” Caregiver” as a form of worship! I am a retired nurse and volunteer at a hospice center. I actually do feel closer to God as I care for my patients. I feel His Presence at the bedside and find it an honor to be allowed to minister to them physically and spiritually. I feel closer to God when I am at homes for developmentally delayed adults and sharing a smile, a laugh, and a hug. So your blog comforted me as I am also am not a morning person. It takes me most of the morning to come alive 🙂
Thanks, Marilyn. Glad to hear your personal application. We have a few other Caregivers at church, and I enjoy watching them do the same things you like to do. Caregiver is not my temperament. That’s why enjoy observing it in others. The earliest churches were in the house of one of the believers. Paul mentions the gift of prophecy, evangelism and caregiving (pastor, shepherd). I think the woman of house looked after the those who needed personal attention. Clearly women were leaders in churches.
I find doing P.A.C.K. (Planned Acts of Christian Kindness) with our church group really brings the Holy Spirit to life! We plan ahead of time to do some type of giveaway or service oriented kind act for everyone and anyone that the Holy Spirit sends our way while typically out at a prearranged busy public place. Through our kind act the perfect opportunity is created to sow the seeds of the Spirit. The free gift or service provides the recipient with a little taste of what the grace of Jesus is like, something that cannot be earned or bought at any price. A Connect Card helps deliver that message as well as providing an invite to come to our place of worship, our school or any of our other Christ centered services. The most important thing is that they feel the love that Jesus has for them. The amazing faith building comes from what the Lord does with that moment. Through the everyday people comes powerful testimonies of crises they are squarely in the middle of and these moments take place with precision timing making it very clear that the Lord is orchestrating it all so that He can touch the lives of those who only He knows are in need of His love & comfort at that very moment! Amazing thing to watch unfold right before your eyes. We have been doing monthly PACK events for over 20 years and in that time we have witnessed countless God moments as we like to call them. Faith & Kingdom building to the max. PACK is now at work in 108 countries around the world. You can receive the program download totally for free just by signing up at: https://www.acts18.org/christian-kindness-program. No catch, no spam just love & encouragement!
Great! what you are doing has to be the wave of the future. I hope to find and communicate more stories of the “amazing things” and “God moments” that emerge. We recently had a house repair team fix a retainer wall for an elderly lady. It made a deep impression on her. It was the first time somebody helped her without being paid. Why help somebody else? Because that is what Christians do. It is built into the Gospel. That kind of Gospel in action will shape Christians churches of the future.
Telling those stories in a congregation is one of the things I want to help make happen through Virtual Church Fellowship. Getting it online always seems a couple weeks in the future. But it will happen. Watch for it.
Great blog Dave. There are so many ways to connect, that I never thought about, thanks for opening that door for me. We are so blessed that Royal Redeemer has so many ways & different types of worship services… Another is bible studies, we have great small groups that connect us to God & to others in the group who you may only say”good morning” to on Sun. It creates many new friendships! Keep the good connection going!
Thanks Carol One of the advantages of being a large congregation is that we can offer so many alternatives. Spread the word about your experiences.
interesting reading
Appreciated your words. Keep reading about some who feel God’s presence. Never has worked for me, but doing Servant tasks imitating our Servant King (major emphasis in Harry Wendy’s Crossways materials) works ever time. That is, I is, I am grateful to be in His footsteps! Some of the Rabbi’s dust covers me!
Dan, great to hear from you. Yes, serving others is a pathway to greater experiences of the presence of God for many. I recognize it as a major part of the piety I grew up with. You live in Columbus. The pastor of the Vineyard church there has been an effective catalyst for helping congregations realize the value of Servant Evangelism. It is a natural for Lutheran congregations.