Spiritual Health Post-Pandemic

 The United Church of Canada generally didn't fare particularly well as a result of the COVID pandemic and that could be said of many denominations and Christian communities. The extended mandated closures resulted in a drop in attendance once regular worship resumed. Some congregations which were on life support before the pandemic closed their doors permanantly. Happilym this didn't apply across the board There is an encouraging number of newcomers to our congregation since we came back together and the services are now both in person and on Zoom. Still, there are lots of concerns. 

What do we know about spirituality in general, though, out of the world-changing pandemic experience? We may be less institutional in our faith expression, but what do we really know about what matters to folk, what has shifted in their spiritual lives? And how do we scratch where people itch, spiritually speaking? 

I just read the published results of a study from the Fetzer Institute in the States called A Study of Spirituality in the United States Since Covid that involved more than 3600 participants. The US is certainly different than Canada when to comes to Christianity and spirituality but i found the synopsis interesting. 

I won't try to interpret what the insitute found but here is the mission statement and some of the findings. You can decide if some of this rings true for you. 

Our Mission

Inspired by our founder John E. Fetzer, our mission is “helping build the spiritual foundation for a loving world.” We work to achieve this mission by catalyzing a movement of organizations and funders applying spiritual solutions to social problems so that all people can flourish.

Among the Study's Findings

•  Engaging in prayer, art, and time in nature were the most frequent practices reported by the nearly two-thirds of interviewees who consider themselves both spiritual and religious.
•  Survey participants reported that almost every spiritual activity people practiced supported their spiritual growth and mental well-being.
•  Seven out of ten people said being in nature gave them a sense of hope. Nearly three-quarters of people found prayer—however they define it—helped them endure difficulties.

This study and its 2020 predecessor together affirm through interviews, focus groups, and two surveys that spirituality is an inward and outward experience—it offers a sense of identity, offers tangible benefits, defines individual and group practices, infuses daily practices and experiences, and supports our religious life, our search for meaning and purpose, and our connections to the transcendent.

Subtle but notable differences in findings between the 2020 and 2022 surveys reflect that toward the latter stages of the pandemic people experienced:

• a little more doubt in a higher power;
• a little less feeling of connection to a higher power, all of humanity, the natural world;
• a little less aspiration to be spiritual; and
• a little less engagement in spiritual and/or religious activities.