Stages of Faith
Many conversations I’ve had recently with people in the Seeds and Water community have revolved around “the edge of faith”
I’m trying to process a very painful experience and/or I have very hard questions about God.
Note: This is actually a very important part of the faith journey. Experiencing a “dark night of the soul”, feeling like you’re lost in the wilderness mentally and emotionally, hitting a spiritual wall, having someone mistreat you, etc…is inevitable. Life is painful and unfair. Something is going to cause you to come to the edge of your faith or worldview.
As I’ve listened and discussed these with people in our community, and with dozens of others over the past 15 years or so, I’ve discovered that some American churches (especially Evangelical/Conservative churches) don’t know how to welcome or walk with people through such a season.
Some shame, shun, or at best, gently ignore people who are going through an “edge of faith” experience. Most churches, staffs, and volunteers haven’t spent the time to become trauma-informed. Additionally, some mistakenly view the “edge of faith” as a sin or a problem, when in fact, it’s a critical part of faith as revealed in countless stories throughout Scripture and Christian history.
A friend and I were talking about the book, A Critical Journey: Stages in the Life of Faith and it reminded me that many churches don’t have a good understanding or strategy for walking with people through the stages of faith. Here’s a short summation of the book and stages of faith.
Recognition of God: Awakening to faith and recognizing God’s presence.
The Life of Discipleship: Learning the rhythms, habits, and pathways of following Christ in your life, relationships, and location.
The Productive Life: Here, people focus on achieving and contributing, using their talents in service to others and God.
The Journey Inward: This stage marks a shift from external activities to internal reflection and seeking a deeper connection with God.
The Wall: Individuals encounter a significant challenge or crisis that tests their faith and requires surrendering to God’s will.
The Journey Outward: After overcoming ‘The Wall’, individuals return to the world with a renewed sense of purpose and a desire to serve others selflessly.
Many churches tend to focus most of their strategy and expertise around #1 and #3 and are outright ignoring, antagonistic toward, or just desire the understanding to lead people through #2, #4, #5, and #6.
Seeds and Water Collective was started to walk with people and guide churches and organizations through the stages of faith. If you’re wondering how we walk with people through this, check out “What We Do” and “Our Culture”. If you’ve come to the “edge of faith”, you might need to know a few things:
You’re not crazy. The emotional, spiritual, and even physical stress you feel is part of life and faith. God sees you and wants to bring you healing, peace, and rest.
You’re not sinning by asking difficult questions or having serious doubts about faith or your religious experience. If Jesus can cry out in anguish from the cross, “My God, why have your forsaken me?”, you can cry out with anger, sadness, and hard questions too.
You’re not alone. There are so many other people out there going through difficult, but important parts of this faith journey. Your story is unique and there are those of us who want to hear as much as you want to share and walk with you through it.
If you need guidance, or help in processing, or simply to talk, we hope you’ll reach out to us.
If you’re a church that wants help and guidance with leading people effectively through the stages of faith, we hope you’ll reach out to us.