Every congregation has some. Mature Christians well along in their journey to becoming more like Christ. When asked, others can usually point them out by name. What they convey is fruit the Holy Spirit has produced in them. The Apostle Paul lists some, like love, joy, peace, and patience. Under the influence of the Spirit, these inner qualities often flourish in individual spiritual journeys over the years. How does that happen?
Most communities now have some. These are new community churches which seem to be growing and even flourishing. Most are conservative and solidly Gospel-oriented in their ministries. For those believers primed to see the Holy Spirit at work, many of these congregations give evidence of the Spirit moving with special energy. They come across as exciting, “happening” places.
Meanwhile, the traditional mainline churches seem to be sitting on the sidelines grumpily watching their continued fifty-year decline in membership and influence. So long as they stay anchored in God’s Word, they retain the Spirit in their midst. But too often the Spirit gets harder to recognize. Many were exciting and dynamic congregations that did valuable Christian ministry in their day, but too often the “happening” Spirit seems to have moved on.
Pastoring a declining church can be very discouraging. Surveys show that a large and increasing share of pastors are facing burnout. The percentage of those leaving the ministry is increasing. Where is the joy of ministry? When you are trying to do ministry with just your own energy and see fewer results you think are important, satisfying joy becomes harder to find.
But recognize that church ministry is basically the Holy Spirit’s work. You are part of his team, and he is the team leader. The Spirit wants to open your eyes to his presence and movement around you in ways more subtle than can easily be counted. In the process, you may discover more personal joy in what your life, team, or church, is accomplishing.
Martin Luther taught that the Spirit’s special role in the Trinity is to “call, gather, enlighten and sanctify” the whole church. To call includes presenting the Gospel in new ways that meet the changed felt needs of others in our times. To gather involves bringing people into Christ-focused fellowships that go beyond merely church membership. To be enlightened happens as much with what is caught as with what is taught. To sanctify involves personal journeys of becoming more like Christ. It is important to find joy in those journeys of others and find satisfaction and joy in your own personal Spiritual journey.
How the Spirit Got Lost
For centuries the Holy Spirit was relegated to the side-lines in Protestant churches. We confessed him in the Creeds but took little notice of him in our daily lives and church ministries. The Spirit came roaring back into Protestant consciousness in the emotional Pentecostal movement starting a century ago that is now spreading mightily around the world in our times. Rejoice that the Word of the Lord is growing faster now than at any time in the previous two-thousand years of the Christian church’s existence!
Yet the older church bodies anchored on their Reformation heritage hesitate to join the celebration. The theology we inherited is very head-oriented, and we are reluctant to address feelings or emotions that might lead astray. Yet Godly passion certainly has to have its place in Christian lives and churches.
We can better appreciate emotions by recognizing that Feelings can and should come at the end of the sequence of three Fs. Start with relying on biblical Facts. Then comes trusting them in Faith. In third place is the response of Feelings. Facts without Feelings can be as dead as Faith without Works. How can a believer not be moved emotionally when the facts of the Gospel are well understood and trusted?
The churches now in decline used to be called the mainline denominations. Our roots are in Northern Europe. People of those lands typically are not as comfortable expressing emotions as those from other cultures. We traditional churches of the Reformation need to recognize we are now on the defensive in this world. What we can do is learn how to help members readily express their personal feelings and passions in response to the Gospel they trust.
The challenge I am addressing is how we get back on the offensive with a fuller understanding of how the Holy Spirit is at work in our midst today. Call it a working theology. The place to start is Jesus’ own teaching. He explained to Nicodemus that the Holy Spirit influences human spirit. The Spirit actually changes our inner being (John 3). Where the Spirit brings special energy at any given time is unpredictable, like the wind. How he influences people always remains the same. He works through God’s Word and the means by which this word of grace is conveyed, like the Sacraments. We can look for the Spirit at work in the Word-centered relationships that are basic to ministry.
Jesus taught his disciples that the Father will send another Advocate, whom they will know ”because he lives with you and will be in you.” This Advocate, the Holy Spirit, “will remind you of everything I have said to you” (John 14). We do not look for the Spirit as somehow independent from the Father and Son in the Trinity. Jesus explained, the Spirit will not speak on his own authority (John 16).
Martin Luther himself had a very vibrant appreciation for the Holy Spirit—in his early years. He wrote two moving Pentecost hymns in 1524. But a year later, hundreds of thousands of Germans revolted against the established order, motivated they claimed, by the Spirit who brought them freedom. It was a civil disaster. Clearly the bubbling energy unleashed by Reformation forces had to be toned down. A generation later, the Reformed movement started by John Calvin established a very rational theology in which there is little room for the spontaneous Holy Spirit, and that understanding shaped centuries of Lutheran thinking.
Consider the current situation of traditional churches that share centuries of Reformation heritage. We are now hardly overflowing with excess spiritual energy. Can we upgrade the attention we pay to the Spirit we confess in our creeds so that we can benefit from the special energy he can unleash?
The charismatic movement fifty years ago among Protestants was especially strong among Lutherans and Episcopalian/Anglicans. We share the same theological roots at the beginning of our churches. To be appreciated is the many, many references to the Holy Spirit in the Anglican Book of Common Prayer. Our branch of Protestantism has the right Spirit-focused theology.
I see myself addressing Protestants. Roman Catholics, too, have a heritage of openness to the Spirit. But, as at Reformation times, the needs of the institutional church too often have blocked the Spirit’s movement. What they are now seeing is a mass movement away from their traditional forms toward expressing Christian identity through Spirit-driven Pentecostal forms.
Do we older, Protestant-established church bodies want to turn around our decline? We can re-discover the Holy Spirit and more purposefully open ourselves to the special energy he brings to church life.
Agreed! And thank you!
You are welcome!
The Russian Orthodox Church exhibits energy with out charismatic enthusiasm you posit as the evidence of the Spirit. But they do have the Word and Sacrament, the Nicene Creed and Liturgy. The Orthodox revival is notable in the Coptic Orthodox Church of Egypt amid persecution and even martyrdom in a Muslim dominated society. The Spirit comes through the means of grace and manifests in faithfulness, not outpourings of enthusiasm. A mature marriage is characterized by trust and commitment rather than by enthusiasm and lovers’ quarrels.
While there is truth in the idea that we address people’s felt-needs, we are not quacks by physicians who point people to their real need(s). Often the ministry of the Law is the tool for diagnosis informing us that our deepest felt needs- for euphoria- may be what is killing us. It is our desires that need curing, not necessarily satisfying. The Christian life is usually not giddiness over winning the lottery, but gratefulness that the cancer was found in time.
Thanks again for pointing toward Orthodoxy. I know something about the Lutheran Church of Ethiopia, which has been doubling in size every ten years and is now up to 10 million followers in Southern Ethiopia. My take on the situation is the Coptic church there has not kept a good hold on its followers and the Lutherans are offering vibrant community along with orthodox teachings.
Thank you and God bless you. We are so thankful you are writing and posting again. We need to hear and heed these words about the Lord and Giver of Life (the Holy Spirit)..
Bill, good to hear from you. Glad you are still active and thinking about ministry. Last time our class got together, we numbered about eight plus spouses.
A timely message for the church today
FORMULA OF CONCORD-SOLID DECLARATION ARTICLE XI
He testifies to all men without distinction that it is God’s will that all men should come to Him who labor and are heavy laden with sin, in order that He may give them rest and save them, Matt. 11:28.
71] According to this doctrine of His they should abstain from their sins, repent, believe His promise, and entirely trust in Him; and since we cannot do this by ourselves, of our own powers, the Holy Ghost desires to work these things, namely, repentance and faith, in us through the Word and Sacraments. 72] And in order that we may attain this, persevere in it, and remain steadfast, we should implore God for His grace, which He has promised us in Holy Baptism, and, no doubt, He will impart it to us according to His promise, as He has said, Luke 11:11ff : If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If ye, then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him!
73] And since the Holy Ghost dwells in the elect, who have become believers, as in His temple, and is not idle in them, but impels the children of God to obedience to God’s commands, believers, likewise, should not be idle, and much less resist the impulse of God’s Spirit, but should exercise themselves in all Christian virtues, in all godliness, modesty, temperance, patience, brotherly love, and give all diligence to make their calling and election sure, in order that they may doubt the less concerning it, the more they experience the power and strength of the Spirit within them. 74] For the Spirit bears witness to the elect that they are God’s children, Rom. 8:16.
Thank you. Great section. I had looked for Luther quotes under the Creed. Thanks for pointing this out under a section dealing with coming to faith. Systematic theology has to acknowledge that basically faith is not fully explained rationally.
I see whar you are saying, and my heart says, “Amen!”
Thank you Rosemary. I appreciate your affirmation.
Thank you. I am grateful there are Lutherans unafraid to talk about experiencing the Holy Spirit’s presence as power to bring a regeneration of vitality and life. If we get stuck in what was, how will we be free for what the Spirit is and will be doing anew. Since the Spirit like the wind blows where it wills, we might want to stay open, watch where the trees are swaying and the leaves rustling, so we can go catch some Wind in our sails.
Frank,
I like your reference to the trees swaying and leaves rustling. Yes, watch where the Spirit is blowing. The reality is that he is blowing in many community churches. The question is what we can learn.
Dave
well said!
Thank you Karen. Good to hear from you again.
Luke 8:16 “No one after lighting a lamp covers it with a jar or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light.
We are that light, not our church building. So what are we doing to keep that light burning bright and how are we lifting it high for all to see? Those need to be the two questions every congregation needs to be asking and answering.
Agreed Lee. Thanks for sharing.
It is a nice surprise for me today that I reconnected with your blog. Maybe it is because I am writing one too (padredave.substack.com). My openness to the Holy Spirit has been increasing for the past 50 years, with ups and downs. Praise God the ups have been consistent for the past 30 years!
God is good!
Aren’t we classmates? I graduated from the Senior College in 1962 and from St. Louis in 1967. God bless your ministry. I pray we are making a difference drip by drip.
Thank you. It’s a critical conversation to be having. I fear most mainline pastors and bishops are simply resigned to decline. I appreciate efforts to renew and change the trajectory in the Spirit. One thing I’ve noticed about the growing churches is that they have learned how to preach to the modern/post-modern mind, addressing real life questions people are struggling with, and doing so with helpful and relevant scriptural diagnosis and gospel prognoses. We could learn a lot from them on this score. Consistent, Grace centered, life application preaching brings people back for more, week by week. And it also seems to motivate people to talk about what they are getting from church at home and at work, gradually bringing others to “come and see.”
I agree completely. The “market” for churches is changing rapidly in favor of ministries that touch lives in real ways. Most community churches, almost all of which remain biblically centered, are responding well. The traditional training of our ministers has become a drag on creativity. Market forces will prevail and out churches will see accelerating decline, which I see in my Ohio District. Almost half of our congregations can no longer afford a full time pastor. So be it.
Do we older, Protestant-established church bodies want to turn around our decline?
Having been part of and an observer of various Protestant-established church bodies, my experience is their top priority is to put on a good performance with their worship service, give people their weekly dose of “religion,” maintain the congregation at its current size, and avoid anything which could put the status quo at risk. Churches are not unique among human organizations with these priorities. After all, there are church buildings to maintain and clergy and staff to employ.
Any reading of scripture, Old or New Testament, would suggest getting comfortable with the status quo is the exact opposite of serving God and seeking and serving Christ in others. For churches and church bodies who do want to turn around their decline, here are some questions to start with:
How is God working through us today?
What is the new work which God is calling us to do?
What are the gifts which God has given us individually and as a community to do this work?
How can we be a way in which others experience God’s presence and love?
My thought is this type of discussion would help churches and church bodies recover what they may have lost. It is also very likely that the Holy Spirit would be very much present in this type of discussion.
You are asking the right questions. I have been trying to promote such discussion. It happened forty years ago when my book Evangelical Style and Lutheran Substance did indeed bring healthy interaction. I think the Fuller Seminary connection was important, along with a supportive approach of the Synod mission staff. I spoke at about 30 districts and Synod entities. Alas, the politics changed and I became persona non grata with those who regained the majority at the 2010 convention. I keep hoping God will make something productive come out of all this blogging. We just don’t have much visionary leadership now. Poor leadership has consequences. As I see it in my Ohio District, decline is accelerating.
Holy Spirit discussions in terms of vibrant relationships with God raises the hackles of some Lutherans, because the term “enthusiasm” apparently jumps out into their thinking. There can be the fallacy of all-or-nothing supposition in this gut reaction. “You’ve got to be ‘charismatic’ or you’re not a true Christian,” is one fallacy, but another is to label “aglow with the Holy Spirit” (Romans 12:11 RSV) as schwarmerei.
Yes, Lutherans are quick to label Schwaermerei. It does seems the attitude for many is all or nothing–if you let in the Spirit, bad things will happen. It is the same attitude that if a church seems successful, it must be doing something wrong. It’s a shame. I like the attitude of the BPM as a coalition of the willing. The others will be left behind. So be it.
I really enjoy your perspective on affirming Christian communities are most vibrant when open to and affirming of God’s Holy Spirit. While the numerical growth of a congregation can happen with good marketing techniques if it lacks the Holy Spirit the community tends to be shallow and short lived. Your present conversation seems to be aimed at the need to practice spiritual disciplines that allow us to be more open and affirming of the Holy Spirit working in and through us. I’m excited to see where that conversation leads.
I’m also hoping you might touch on “spiritual warfare.” In my own spiritual journey the times I’ve been most aware of God’s Spirit working in and through me have also been the most challenging spiritually. It seems the old adage “Satan doesn’t bother attacking the ones he’s already caught” rings true for me. It would appear that the more we invite the Holy Spirit into our lives, or for that matter into our churches, the more Satan buffets us. Perhaps that’s why churches and individuals avoid focus on the Holy Spirit and tend to make the Christian life more of an intellectual exercise than a spiritual one? It feels safer, more “in control” even if it’s less lively. I suspect giving up lively spiritual warfare for tamer intellectual arguments as the way to live out the Christian life leads to not only a tamer but lamer Christianity. Perhaps that’s why so many Christian communities are limping along.
I’d like to hear your thoughts on, “does being more open to the Holy Spirit necessarily put us more on the spiritual warfare lines?” If so, what helps Christians to “stay in the battle” for a focus on the Holy Spirit rather than withdraw at the first signs of battle?
Glad to see your focus on the Holy Spirit. As you know, bringing greater awareness of the positives of the Holy Spirit is a big enough challenge for me. I don’t know much about the negatives, of which there are many. As you know, our LCMS is big on control and knows little about generating fresh energy that comes from the Spirit. At present, I don’t see taking on spiritual warfare. Again, I don’t know much about it.
Dave, thank you for such a timely article on the Holy Spirit. So appreciate all the comments to see that others are interested in the health of the Holy Spirit in our world today. Such a blessing to continue to acknowledge that the Holy Spirit lives within us and is guiding us along the way if we will listen to its “Groanings and “Nudging”. Your article and insightful words are a blessing!
Hi, Elaine. Glad you are still active promoting better appreciation of the Spirit and what he does. When I am done with this series, I hope to turn it into a book that I hope will help the cause.