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Why Churches Should Focus on Values, Not Just Beliefs

Why Churches Should Focus on Values, Not Just Beliefs

Last updated on: September 26, 2024 at 8:01 am by Larry Jordan

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Why Churches Should Focus on Values, Not Just Beliefs 2024-09-26T08:01:32-05:00 Larry Jordan

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Some people want churches to focus on values, not just beliefs.

In last week’s post, I asked if seeking truth means letting go of beliefs. I never know which posts will resonate with readers, and that one did. I linked to the post in several Facebook groups, and I got a lot of comments, likes, and shares.

Some people think that churches should focus on values, rather than beliefs. Image from Unsplash/Nina Strehl

In a preface to the post, I observed that many churches post “What We Believe” statements. Does anyone think that these statements seem more like filters to keep out the “riff raff” than invitations to accompany people on their journeys? Me too.

I questioned why churches do not post “How We Live” or “How We Love” statements, and I wondered why beliefs are so important to them. Would anyone feel less welcome at a church where people do not all believe the same thing? Me neither.

Reader Response

Here is a sampling of the comments from several different Facebook groups:

“The Sermon on the Mount said absolutely nothing about what to believe. It was all about living your life in the Kingdom. The Nicene Creed was all and only about what to believe. A major shift took place in 300 years.” – DC

“It’s strange, but some religious traditions regard ‘right thinking’ as the primary solution to life’s challenges, or the primary requirement for ‘salvation.’ Other traditions are much more concerned with ‘right action’, ‘right morality,’ ‘right purity,’ and we might add ‘right emotional maturity.’ But for those who view ‘right belief’ as the most essential thing, I’d ask ‘What problem does that solve?'” — BG

“After seeing your post, I decided to look on my church website, and nowhere on the webpage is found something that says “our beliefs.“ What is there is a list that says “our values.” And the first value on there is love and grace.” — BJB

“I attend two very small churches who are not belief-based but values-based. Oh, what Freedom!” — CH

“‘No matter who you are or where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here.’ Every.single.Sunday! Someone mentioned last Sunday that we’re pretty laissez-faire about doctrine, for the win.” — JS

“What I always find amusing and interesting is that the megachurches always post the ‘what be believe’ filter on their web pages but rarely note the educational CVs of their pastors.” — TH

Values, Not Just Beliefs

Some people want churches to focus on values, not just beliefs.

Honestly, I expected a robust defense of beliefs. Instead, I received unanimous support for the importance of values, not just beliefs. To me, it is good news that some churches are emphasizing values, not just beliefs, and that some church members are enthused about that.

Maybe I should not have been surprised. After all, much of my speaking and writing is about values, not just beliefs.

The Way was inspired by a question from my adult children, “What happened to you? Before, you were a single-minded investment banker, a Republican, and a Roman Catholic. Now, you are an open-hearted and open-minded seeker. You cry more, and you laugh more. You have more friends and deeper friendships. Whatever you did, more people should be doing it.”

The book was patterned after an ethical will in the Jewish tradition. As the linked article says, an ethical will is “a document that passes ethical values from one generation to the next.” The book was (by design) NOT an autobiographic or apologetic or polemic work.

Some of My Best Friends

Some of my best friends are retired ministers. Retired ministers are among the most reflective people that I know. Often, they possess a remarkable reserve of authenticity, clarity, and humility, because they no longer answer to a congregation or an institution.

A retired minister in the Christian Church/Disciples of Christ church once told me that Christianity, especially Protestantism, is primarily a religion of the head, not the heart. That explains why many churches emphasize beliefs, rather than values.

A retired minister in the Methodist church once told me that church is answering a lot of questions that no one is asking. Would we live different lives if we had different beliefs? Possibly. Would we live different lives if we had different values? Certainly.

In my opinion, too many people take religion literally, but not seriously. They have been indoctrinated, but they have not been transformed.

In The Way, I ask, “If Jesus was not born of a virgin, if he was not divine, if he was not resurrected, would the wisdom of his words and the power of his works lose their allure, or would we follow a historical Jesus as gladly as we follow a mythological Jesus?”

Increasingly, people are telling us what they want:

less beliefs, more values
less conviction, more compassion
less head, more heart
less indoctrination, more transformation

Some people want churches to focus on values, not just beliefs. But, are churches listening?

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The Way is a Silver winner in the 2024 Nautilus Book Awards.

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About Larry Jordan

Larry Jordan is a follower of Jesus with a Zen practice. Recently, he published “The Way,” which was informed by the Eastern religions, the mystics, and the quantum physicists. "The Way" was a Silver winner in the 2024 Nautilus Book Awards. You can read more about the author here.

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What if Seeking Truth Means Letting Go of Beliefs?

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