Church as Source of Well-Being 

Churches can be places where people come together and form relationships that are a primary source of their health and well-being.  People show up at their church for lots of reasons.  A primary motive would seem to be to hear and affirm the word of God and to share in that effort with others who (they suppose) are also believers. 

But there is apparently only modest understanding of the potential personal/social benefits of people’s time spent in church and engaging in church activities and programs that bring them together.  In fact churches’ person-to-person social relationship features are often dismissed as irrelevant.  Nothing could be further from the truth. 

People can establish a personal relationship with God that enables them to feel positive outcomes (importantly, I think that the more that a person feels they are contributing to God’s purpose in that relationship, the more powerful a force for good it can become).  However, we know enough about human behavior to know that one’s relationship with God does not represent unusual human behavior. In fact social relationships of all kinds, including those with God, are the essence of being human.  In one of the most detailed and extensive studies of human well-being in natural settings over time, Professor George Vaillant concluded, “The only thing that really matters in life are your relationships….”

Somehow the leaders of the church have to come to grips with this powerful force for good that can emerge in places of worship.  If we don’t notice and understand the broad “what and how” potential of our churches to affect positively the well-being of parishioners, then we are unlikely to seek ways to enhance it.

Our huge mega-churches can offer examples of how to go about offering diverse opportunities for parishioner engagement in church-facilitated activities and programs (-- as well as how to introduce attractive motivations for people to show up at church during the weekly service).  

The trouble with learning from what have been the mega-church successes in recent years is that it is all to easy to assume that the reason for their success are either (1) their size, or (2) the charismatic nature of the senior pastor.   Yes, many people seem more eager to come to a church that they perceive is where “everybody” else wants to attend, and yes, people like to hear uplifting sermons that give them a sense of receiving an emotional gift. 

But so often it is the mega-church’s flexible places and times of service that fit the lives of parishioners, the small group formats that can serve as potential sources of enjoyable social communion, the varied activities that address the interests of diverse members of that congregation, and the creation of gatherings among those with special-needs and unique-interests -- that keep people coming back and serve as opportunities for enhancing health and well-being of all who come.

It is the creation of settings that empower people to find enjoyment, relief, challenge and a sense of belonging that supported my own purpose in beginning this Aging and the Church blog two years ago.  During this time, I have begun to see more clearly that the issue is one of an adaptation of the visions of church leaders at all levels -- from bishops to church councils -- to notice and understand the potential of broadened perspectives on the powerful forces for good that lie within a more open understanding of God’s purposes for His churches.

Bruce