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Crises in the Church: Faith in Change – Lecture in Horb sparks discussion
In a lecture in Horb, Monsignor Hermes discussed the changes in faith and the church. He emphasizes the challenges and loss of religious cohesion in modern society.
Crises in the Church: Faith in Change – Lecture in Horb sparks discussion
In recent years, a worrying development has been observed in German churches: fewer and fewer people feel addressed, and the decline in membership has reached alarming proportions. This problem was the focus of a lecture by city dean Monsignor Christian Hermes, which took place on October 24th in the Adolph Kolping Community Center in Horb. Under the provocative title “Faith is dead, long live faith!” Hermes discussed the challenges facing the churches with around 30 guests.
People's increasing distance from organized religion cannot be overlooked. Less than 50 percent of Germans are still members of a Catholic or Protestant church zdftoday reported. This is part of a far-reaching change that Detlef Pollack, a sociologist of religion at the University of Münster, describes as significant. Social cohesion is no longer based on religion, but is increasingly characterized by values such as solidarity, fairness and empathy, which are also anchored in social structures such as the family.
The crisis of religion
Hermes goes one step further and speaks of a real “polycrisis” that links various social challenges – from the climate problem to the effects of Corona to global conflicts. These challenges lead to a loss of meaning, identity and hope. According to Hermes, people no longer believe in the church, but instead believe in values such as progress, technology and human rights. This is an observation that also... Black Forest messenger takes up and emphasizes that the churches should not protect themselves from the present, but should actively support transformation processes.
Ideas about religion are also changing in society. Religion is increasingly seen as an individual choice rather than a duty, which is underpinned by processes of individualization and differentiation. These developments not only relieve individuals of clerical tutelage, but also offer religions the opportunity to reposition themselves. This is also the conclusion reached by experts such as the authors of an analysis of religious roles in modern societies, who point out the importance of these functions in a pluralized context ( bpb ).
Hope despite challenges
So what's next for the churches in Germany? It is becoming clear that adaptation and rethinking are required to remain relevant in the pluralized religious market. The loss of religious influence could also mean that societies increasingly have to look for other values to ensure their cohesion. Despite all the challenges, hope lies in the hands of communities and individual believers who should continue to work to create a sustainable religion.