Many in United Church Sidestep Talk About Faith

Talking about faith has never been considered the province of mainline Christians, who more often than not willingly concede that territory to their counterparts in the evangelical and fundamentalist ranks.

Now the United Church of Christ, one of the pillars in the liberal mainline church Establishment, offers some statistical evidence of just how uncomfortable members of that 1.6-million-member denomination are when it comes to talking about their faith.

In a recent survey of more than 2,000 members in more than 200 United Church of Christ congregations around the country, 19% of the respondents said they do not need to learn how to talk about faith because their actions speak for them. And 10% said they do not want to learn ways to talk about their faith because it would make them look like fundamentalists.

As telling, perhaps, as the statistics are some of the comments that survey participants made about talking about their faith.

One member from Hawaii said, “Why do we have to talk to others if we’re doing good? Talking is just words.”

A member from Michigan said, “If you live your faith, you don’t have to talk about it.”

And from California came the comment, “The last time I talked to someone about my faith she never talked to me again.”

Although acknowledging a reluctance to talk about their faith, some survey participants expressed a desire to overcome that.

A church member in Indiana, for example, said, “I would talk about my faith if the church could find a way to get me over my shyness. It’s not part of my tradition to overtly talk about my faith.”

Asked what would help them talk about their faith, 47% pointed to more knowledge of the Bible; 32% said discussion groups would help, and 25% pointed to opportunities to practice.

Evangelism--or talking about faith to the unchurched--has become a matter of growing concern among mainline denominations in recent years as membership in those churches continues the downward plunge that began in the 1960s.

Evangelism and membership growth was adopted as one of three new four-year priorities for the United Church of Christ at its 1988 General Synod in Ft. Worth, Tex. Other mainline denominations, including the Episcopal Church and Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), have taken similar actions.