Ouchy Reflection of the Modern Religious Society

2005 Barna Survey

9/27/2005

How People Rate Themselves Regarding Spiritual Maturity

The recent Barna survey explored seven dimensions of spiritual development, asking survey respondents to rate themselves on a five-point scale that included being “completely developed” in the specified area of spirituality, “highly developed,” saying they were “about average” in their development in that area, or that they are “not too developed,” or “not at all developed” in the area in question.

Americans rated themselves most positively in the area of “maintaining healthy relationships.” Close to half of all self-identified Christian adults (48%) said they are “completely” or “highly” developed in that aspect, with 46% saying they are “about average” in this dimension, and just 6% claimed to be below average. An above average rating (i.e., either “completely developed” or “highly developed”) was more likely among people in the South and Midwest than among people living along the east or west coasts.

The second-most favorable rating was for serving other people. About four out of every ten self-described Christian adults (41%) said they are “completely” or “highly” developed in that aspect of their spiritual life, while half said they are about average in this area, and 8% said they are below average. Hispanics and people who attend a house church were the groups most likely to say they are above average (53% and 57%, respectively) when it comes to serving others.

Reflections On the Findings

The survey results did not surprise George Barna, who directed the research, but he did consider the data to be insightful. “The fact that so few people have thought about how they could intentionally and strategically enhance their spiritual life reminds us that spiritual growth is not a priority to most people,” he explained. “Americans are generally satisfied with being ‘average’ in their spiritual maturity. That betrays the fact that we do not serve an ‘average’ God, or one who is honored by people who are lukewarm about their faith.”

“It is also quite striking that the aspect of church life that receives the greatest amounts of time, attention and energy—that of teaching people the content of the Bible—is one of the two areas in which people feel least well-developed. The recent trend toward the adoption of technology to help in the teaching of important biblical truths is a welcomed addition to the toolbox of our preachers and religious educators. The research suggests,” Barna noted, “that most people do not feel as if they are learning enough about God, the Christian faith, or their role in the world—and most of them don’t seem to care.”