Religion, re-set
Many of America's traditional houses of worship are in decline—yet spirituality is on the rise and innovation is emerging
This holiday season, many people will attend a religious service, though many of America’s traditional institutions are in decline or closing. Pew Research says 41% of Americans have grown more spiritual during their lifetimes, while only 24% report becoming more religious. What’s driving the shift?
NEW YORK—The 164-year-old Church of St. Ignatius Loyola, located here on Park Avenue on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, faced a tough decision a few years ago.
In the spring of 2020, the city had become the epicenter of America’s first bout with COVID. As aid workers from surrounding hospitals began pitching tents in Central Park to manage the sudden surge of thousands needing immediate care, the church was forced by the city to close its doors for the first time since its founding by Irish immigrants more than a century ago. By the end of the summer, more than 30,000 New York City dwellers had lost their lives to COVID, including more than a dozen St. Ignatius parishioners.
Lockdown got scary. Parishioners became silent. Donations plummeted. The collection plate was no longer being passed from the pews, and wealthy donors began to hold back. “We had to think fast and decide to take big risks,” recalls Father Michael Hilbert, S.J., then the associate pastor.
Though some older and wealthy parishioners said that only in-person gatherings would be “real church,” sermons and homilies began getting Zoomed (and now are broadcast over a new media system). The website was updated for the first time in 25 years, featuring (for the first time) video profiles of both staffers and top donors. A weekly newsletter was created and emailed to all 6,000-plus parishioners. A podcast hosted by a parishioner about spirituality was launched. ZOOM social hours were created (and still are being held regularly online). And last but not least, choir members recorded themselves singing specific hymns in a certain key on their smartphones—creating video clips which were then edited together to create a virtual choir performance that was broadcast to parishioners until the lockdown was lifted.
“We actually gained supporters,” Hilbert says, but St. Ignatius remains an exception.
Spirituality, Reconsidered
As traditional pews grow emptier nationwide—only 24% of all Americans say they attend religious services at least once a week, down from 31% a decade ago— a new form of spirituality is rising, one that doesn’t necessarily involve Sunday mornings or stained glass, Saturday Shabbat services, daily Salah prayers or fasting during Ramadan. According to the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI), a slim majority of Americans (53%) say that religion is the most important or one among many important things in their lives, down from the 72% of Americans who felt that way a decade ago.
Instead, a very significant shift is taking place in America’s religious landscape, and it's most pronounced among the nation’s youth, many of whom are turning away from organized religion and toward a more personal, direct and often digitally assisted experience of spirituality.
American religion hasn’t completely failed yet at retaining and recruiting new members, says Wendy Cadge, a sociology professor at Brandeis University and founder of the Chaplaincy Innovation Lab. “Though participation in traditional religious settings (churches, synagogues, mosques, schools, etc.) is in decline, signs of life are popping up elsewhere.”
Attendance and affiliation (or more colloquially, “butts-in-seats, budgets and buildings”) are no longer the only metrics needed to capture the full state of American religion, she says. Research and recent surveys indicate that while affiliation with organized religion is on a steady decline, Cadge says spirituality — defined as a broader, more personal practice — is increasing.
What’s driving the shift?
According to the Pew Research Center, about 27% of U.S. adults now identify as "spiritual but not religious," up from 19% five years ago. This increase is evident across all demographics but is particularly notable among younger Americans.
In a PRRI survey which asked more than 5,600 adults across the United States about their experiences with religion, 26% of respondents said they identify as being “religiously unaffiliated,” up 5% from the 21% who felt that way a decade earlier.
Also according to PRRI, more women (51%) than men (29%) who are religiously unaffiliated consider themselves to be spiritual.
Many of those surveyed by Pew and PRRI cite disillusionment with religious institutions because they feel they have become too rigid in their doctrines, were involved in sexual abuse scandals or their churchgoing experiences were “bad for their mental health.” More people are seeking a spirituality that aligns more closely with their personal values and experiences, particularly regarding social justice, environmentalism and inclusivity.
Social media and the internet now invite users to explore diverse spiritual perspectives without the need for physical attendance at religious services. Online platforms—many not yet sanctioned by traditional religious institutions—now offer everything from guided meditations to live-streamed yoga classes to forums for discussing spiritual experiences.
Younger parishioners are demanding more decentralized forms of power to enable them to participate in religious and spiritual activities and share input more directly with religious and spiritual leaders. It’s not always granted as broadly as what’s being sought.
Women, in particular, feel overlooked. At St. Ignatius Loyola before the pandemic, requests by female parishioners for the church to focus more closely on women’s issues resulted in a new speaker series featuring prominent female leaders, some of whom are parishioners. “People are turning away from top-down forms of power and are turning more toward more personalized, direct and on-demand experiences of spirituality and social activism” run by peers and not always religious leadership, says Cadge.
And that’s not all. Creative expression through arts is another path to spirituality as is involvement in social justice causes—not just as an ethical obligation but as a spiritual pursuit which embodies the values of compassion, stewardship and interconnectedness. This is especially true among those who may feel alienated by traditional religious doctrines but are deeply committed to principles of equity and justice (A Study of Spirituality in America by the Fetzer Institute)
New Rules
So what does this mean for the future of spirituality in America? It suggests a landscape where spirituality is increasingly individualized, less tied to the strictures of organized religions, and more intertwined with personal well-being, social values and global concerns.
This shift may challenge increasingly higher numbers of traditional religious institutions to adapt and evolve, but it also opens up a vibrant tapestry of spiritual expression that could enrich American cultural and spiritual life in unforeseen ways. Says St. Ignatius Loyola’s Father Hilbert: “Digital helped us to enable different forms of participation.”
As the country's religious complexion continues to change, one thing remains clear: spirituality remains a vital part of the American experience, even as the forms through which it is expressed continue to evolve. The future of faith in America may look different from its past, but it appears no less vibrant and transformative.
“Robert Putnam [author of Bowling Alone] was right when he declared a decade ago that religious disaffiliation has ‘the potential for completely transforming American society,’” says Cadge, “but Putnam also predicted that religious disaffiliation also ‘has the potential for just eliminating religion’ —and I beg to differ.
“Before we conclude that this transformation is solely about decline,” Cadge says, “let’s make sure we’re looking in all the right places.”
What’s your take and experience? Please share your insights in the comments section. We always love hearing your insights.
Well written. Thank you Marcia.
I am a strong proponent of separation of church and state.
I wonder if going the other way under the incoming administration - notably with education and the courts will drive more people AWAY from "religion".
Marcia, I consider myself a "runaway Catholic" who hasn't stepped inside a church for many years. I'm in my late 80's, and have relied on a walker for several years. But I've kept my faith alive and growing. One of the best methods I use to maintain my faith is Pastoral Reflections Institute, created by Msgr. Don Fischer. I've known him for years and consider him a good friend and mentor. Try listening to Dom, who's podcasts are daily and based on a scripture for the day and a short homily a long with it. Think you might like it.