Pastor’s opinions on church activities that might contribute to well-being

             Welcome back! I am glad you are here. This is a third in a series of blogs discussing surveys performed by Teleios of pastors who graduated from conservative seminaries (Masters, Denver and Westminster). The first two surveys covered pastors’ adherence to biblical teaching and the influence of societal pressure on their beliefs posted on Apr 8, 2015 and May 13, 2015, respectively. Today is the third topic regarding what aspects of church life influence the wellbeing of attendees?

             Personal wellbeing has been frequently studied in recent years as a general indicator of an individual’s mental and physical health.^1-5 Although variously defined, wellbeing might be considered as is a person’s emotional and cognitive evaluations of their lives, including happiness, peace, fulfillment and life satisfaction.⁶ A number of factors may contribute to wellbeing including mental, physical and financial prosperity, socialization, marriage and a positive relationship with God.^1,2,7-13

Church attendance also has been demonstrated to be associated with improved wellbeing not only as a general parameter, but also with increasing frequency of attendance.^1,2 Potential causes of this finding are not specifically known. Therefore, we surveyed pastors to learn what they perceive as contributes to wellbeing in their church. Teleios sent the survey to 976 pastors of whom 105 (11%) responded.

Our study found that overwhelmingly pastors believed the experiences of their congregation as positive to very positive, in all typical areas of church life. (Please see table for partial results). Those activities that showed the greatest ‘very positive’ responses were generally spiritual in nature including: praise, prayer, sermons, hearing the gospel and baptisms. Those that demonstrated the lowest ‘very positive’ answers were liturgical readings, amount of time spent at church, social structure within the church, Sunday school and children’s programs. Consequently, items not specifically discussed in Scripture, and potentially more rigid in design, potentially might aide wellbeing less although necessary they may be necessary at some level.

Why would church attendance help wellbeing? We do not know precisely, but potential causes could be from subordination of self-interests to those of a greater being (so personal problems are considered less onerous), social support, adoption of healthy practices through church emphasis on respect for the body, relief from anxiety through prayer and the discipline of gratitude.^14-21

In summary, our study suggested that church attendance, and especially the spiritually based activities, may contribute to wellbeing. These factors that help explain findings from prior studies that have shown church attendance having a positive influence on wellbeing.

Thanks for reading my blog. Join us next week as we continue our investigation of how the Bible might benefit personal wellbeing.

 

Table: Percent of Bible believing pastors indicating that a church activity

would have a very positive response on wellbeing

	Responses	Percent
Praise (including musical worship)	58	55%
Prayer	59	56%
Liturgical readings	6	6%
Sermons	75	71%
Hearing the gospel explained	67	64%
Amount of church responsibility by members	32	30%
Baptismal services	59	56%
Celebration of communion	49	47%
Amount of time spent at church weekly	18	17%
Socializing with other worshipers	42	40%
Social structure within your church	21	20%
Children’s programs	31	30%
Small groups	41	39%
Sunday school	23	22%

How does church best help your wellbeing? To participate in our latest poll question - please visit our website at http://teleiosresearch.com/#anchorpoll

WC Stewart

http://teleiosresearch.com/

http://teleiosblog.blogspot.com/
https://www.facebook.com/TeleiosResearch/
@TeleiosResearch
 
1.      MacIlvaine et al. (2014). Association of strength of community service to personal well-being. Community Ment Health J, 50: 577-82.
2.      MacIlvaine et al. (2013). Association of strength of religious adherence to quality of life measures. Complement Ther Clin Pract, 19: 251-5.
3.      Stewart et al. (2013). Review of clinical medicine and religious practice. J Relig Health, 52: 91-106.
4.      Cotton et al. (1999). Exploring the relationships among spiritual well-being, quality of life, and psychological adjustment in women with breast cancer. Psychooncology,8:429-38.
5.      Reed (1987). Spirituality and well-being in terminally ill hospitalized adults. Res Nurs Health, 10:335-44.
6.      Diener et al. (2003). Personality, culture, and subjective well-being: Emotional and cognitive evaluations of life. Annu Rev Psychol, 54: 403-25.
7.      Diener et al. (2010). Wealth and happiness across the world: material prosperity predicts life evaluation, whereas psychosocial prosperity predicts positive feeling. J Pers Social Psychol, 99:52-61.
8.      Penedo et al. (2005). Exercise and well-being: a review of mental and physical health benefits associated with physical activity. Curr Opin Psychiatry, 18: 189-93.
9.      Horwitz (1996). Becoming married and mental health: A longitudinal study of a cohort of young adults. J Marr Fam, 58:895-907.
10.   Marks et al. (1998). Marital status continuity and change among young and midlife adults longitudinal effects on psychological well-being. J Fam Issues, 19:652-86.
11.   Lillard et al. (1995). 'Til death do us part: Marital disruption and mortality. Am J Sociol, 100:1131-56.
12.   Lipnicki et al. (2013). Risk factors for late-life cognitive decline and variation with age and sex in the Sydney memory and ageing study, PLoS ONE, 8.
13.   Schneider et al. (2014). Relationship status and health: Does the use of different relationship indicators matter?  Glob Public Health, 9:528-37.
14.   Levin (1994). Religion and health: Is there an association, is it valid, and is it causal? Soc Sci Med, 38: 1475–82.
15.   Krause (2010). Church-based emotional support and self-forgiveness in late life. Rev Relig Res, 52:72-89.
16.   van Olphen et al. (2003). Religious involvement, social support, and health among African-American women on the east side of Detroit. J Gen Intern Med, 18: 549-57.
17.   Davis et al. (1994). The urban church and cancer control: a source of social influence in minority communities. Public Health Rep, 109: 500–6.
18.   Eng et al. (1991). Networking between agencies and black churches: The lay health advisor model. Pre Hum Serv, 10:123–46.
19.   Whooley et al. (2002). Religious involvement and cigarette smoking in young adults: the CARDIA study. Arch Intern Med, 162: 1604–10.
20.   Stanley et al. (2011). Older adults' preferences for religion/spirituality in treatment for anxiety and depression. Aging Ment Health, 15: 334-43.
21.   Inzlicht et al. (2010). Reflecting on God: religious primes can reduce neurophysiological response to errors. Psychol Sci, 21: 1184-90.

Response policy

The purpose of the comment section is to promote discussion that is encouraging, propels the further search of Scripture and raises interesting and thought provoking Biblically related questions. You may feel free to disagree with me in a constructive manner using appropriate language.
I reserve the right to remove your comments if they are profane, pornographic, libelous or I do not consider them constructive or consistent with the policy stated above. By posting you no longer own your comments and you are granting me an unrestricted worldwide license to use your comments.

A sure-fire way to enhance health: Pay attention to your body!

A special guest blog from Rod MacIlvaine…

In 1 Corinthians 6:19 Paul says, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”

This would have been a very surprising statement for Paul to make to an assembly of sophisticated Greeks living in the 1^st century. The Greek view of the body suggested it was the prison house of the soul. The body was a hindrance to the freedom of the inner-self. That view caused many people in the ancient world to disrespect their bodies in many health-destroying ways.

The biblical view of the body is very different. From Genesis to Revelation the Bible asserts a unity between the physical body and the immaterial soul. What we do with our bodies affects our soul; what we do with our soul affects our body. Because we are a soul/body unity, it’s critically important that we respect our physical body as something that can impact emotions, joy and consequently many ranges of mental health.

Conversely, those disciplines that calm and center our soul on God have the potential to affect our physical health.

Specifically, in this case, Paul says, “Don’t commit acts of sexual immorality.” Why? We know today from the vantage point of modern science that these acts will create body/soul memories, imprints that often interfere with genuine long-term stable relationships, especially with those we love the most, not to mention causing estrangement in our relationship with God.

Moreover, sexually transmitted diseases are exploding today. According to the CDC, “half of the estimated 20 million STDs that occur in the United States each year are among young people.” According to RH Reality Check, the recent rise in sexually transmitted diseases continues as epidemic proportions (1).

But we can extend Paul’s principle of respecting the God-given boundaries of our bodies, to other areas as well. We live in a world where science-based studies inform us about all sorts of healthy and unhealthy behaviors. So, I think Paul would say, by application, “Look, glorify God in your bodies by maintaining good habits of mental and physical health.”

All of us know that certain habits will quickly destroy physical and mental health. Pornography is a quick way to addiction. Drug abuse is a quick way to mental instability. Abusing food is a slow path toward physical ill-health.

But the ultimate reason for maintaining habits of health is that our bodies are a portable mini-temple for the Holy Spirit. Our bodies are containers. But they are more simply disposable containers. 

Our bodies are dignified and spiritual. We are a temple reserved for God the Holy Spirit to do his work.

If we are healthy we’re going to have greater opportunities to represent the risen Christ through the power of his Spirit.

Another passage supports this as well: Romans 12:1-2 – “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” The fundamental way we steward our bodies is to present them to God each day.

And because we’re a soul/body unity, we are simultaneously presenting both body and mind.

Daily stewardship of our physical bodies is going to lead to greater long term health and happiness.

Rod

W. Rodman MacIlvaine, III, D.Min

Director of Faith-Based Research, Teleios

W. Rodman MacIlvaine, III, DMin is on the adjunct faculties of both Oklahoma Wesleyan University and Dallas Theological Seminary. He is the founding senior pastor of Grace Community Church in Northeastern, Oklahoma – a church that has worked extensively to serve educational needs in the Spanish Speaking Caribbean. A Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach, Dr. MacIlvaine works with men and women in transition, especially those who are shifting into second careers. Dr. MacIlvaine specializes in apologetics from an historical and theological perspective. His emphasis is in showing how adhering to God’s word has generated many benefits to societies, cultures and individuals.

1.     http://rhrealitycheck.org/article/2014/01/14/report-sexually-transmitted-disease-cases-increased-2012/

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Tools needed to mature your relationship with God

Welcome back to my blog. We are on a fascinating journey evaluating what the Bible says about wellbeing. We recently discussed the first step to entering the gateway to Biblically based wellbeing: acceptance in Christ’s forgiveness for our misdeeds by faith in his death on the cross (Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 3:23-26). Then we evaluated the importance of understanding that our salvation is permanent – no matter what - and that we should not feel guilt in daily life (I Peter 1:4-5, John 10:27-31)! 

This is a great start but is there more? Can we further improve our lives with the benefits of Christianity and the Bible?

The answer comes from the Bible’s 5-step approach to maturing our relationship with God which helps us access additional benefits to our wellbeing. I call this method the ‘5 tools to maturity’ and they are taken from Acts 2:42 and 47. They are as follows:

·       Prayer

·       Praise

·       Fellowship

·       Receiving Biblical teaching

·       Reach others with Biblical truth

These five tools describe the activities in the very first church in Jerusalem and provide a model to us today for what actions individuals and the church should perform routinely. Importantly, these five activities are confirmed in later verses in the epistles.

Why are these 5 tools important? When implemented consistently, and in balance with each other, these activities appropriate God's Word into our daily lives. We will consider them individually in upcoming blogs.

For now it is important to emphasize that the 5 tools may enhance personal wellbeing, not only when performed individually, but even more so done in aggregate. A number of studies have shown that church attendance, which would allow for these five tools to be expressed in a community setting, may enhance personal wellbeing (1-4). Further, several studies sponsored by Teleios also have noted that individuals who perform these activities have enhanced wellbeing and especially when performed in aggregate (5-6).

This is exciting news! Consequently, scripture tells us that we can have a sure and certain relationship with God, guilt free, and He provides us measures to propel our spiritual growth leading to better personal wellbeing. What great promises! Join us in upcoming blogs as we look individually at these 5 tools, and why and how they can promote wellbeing. Thank you for joining me today. I look forward to seeing you next time. Please tell me your questions and comments and please share this blog with your friends.

WC Stewart

http://teleiosresearch.com/

http://teleiosblog.blogspot.com/
https://www.facebook.com/TeleiosResearch/
And now on Twitter @TeleiosResearch!

 1. Parsons S, Cruise P, Davenport W, Jones V: Religious beliefs, practices and treatment adherence among individuals with HIV in the southern United States. AIDS Subject Care STDS 2006;20:97-111.
2. Reed P: Spirituality and well-being in terminally ill hospitalized adults. Res Nurs Health 1987;10:335-44.
3. Keefe F, Affleck G, Lefebvre J, Underwood L, Caldwell D, Drew J, Egert J, Gibson J, Pargament K: Living with rheumatoid arthritis: the role of daily spirituality and daily religious and spiritual coping. J Pain 2001;2:101-10.
4. Cotton S, Levine E, Fitzpatrick C, Dold K, Targ E: Exploring the relationships among spiritual well-being, quality of life, and psychological adjustment in women with breast cancer. Psychooncology 1999;8:429-38.
5. MacIlvaine WR, Nelson LA, Stewart JA, Stewart WC. Association of strength of community service to personal wellbeing. Community Ment Health J 2014;50:577-82.
6. MacIlvaine WR, Nelson LA, Stewart JA, Stewart WC. Association of strength of religious adherence to quality of life measures. Complement Ther Clin Pract 2013;19:251-5.

Response policy
The purpose of the comment section is to promote discussion that is encouraging, propels the further search of Scripture and raises interesting and thought provoking Biblically related questions. You may feel free to disagree with me in a constructive manner using appropriate language.
I reserve the right to remove your comments if they are profane, pornographic, libelous or I do not consider them constructive or consistent with the policy stated above. By posting you no longer own your comments and you are granting me an unrestricted worldwide license to use your comments.

So why do I feel guilty?

Welcome back to my blog. The last several weeks we have started a fascinating journey on what the Bible says about wellbeing. Although the word ‘wellbeing’ is not used specifically in Scripture, many Christian lifestyle behaviors might positively affect this measure. The current medical/psychological literature indicates this is the case!

To review, we initially discussed the first step to entering the gateway to improved Biblically based wellbeing is acceptance by faith in Christ’s forgiveness for our misdeeds by his death on the cross. Then we evaluated the importance of understanding that our salvation is secure!

So then why do I feel guilty? This appears to be a common emotion in our society and almost certainly reduces wellbeing. The exact incidence of guilt is unknown in the general population or in the church, but for young adults that Jeanette and I have had the privilege to teach the Bible, guilt is present in almost all of them at the beginning our study. Interestingly, these young adults had grown up in the church and would consider themselves Christian.

Teleios therefore surveyed recently a group of attendees of a conservative Bible teaching church to determine their levels of guilt and underlying reasons. Look below at the results! Who knew?

Table: Reason for guilt and additional effects for those expressing feeling of guilt

Question	Percent
God has never forgiven me for my sins	2%
I think I have been forgiven through faith in Christ but I am unsure if all my past sins really are forgiven	5%
I am forgiven my sins through faith in Christ, but I have committed sins since, and I am not sure they are forgiven	5%
I am forgiven my sins through faith in Christ, but I have committed sins for which I really do not want to stop	13%
I am forgiven my sins through faith in Christ, but I have committed sins since, and I fear God is angry	5%
I am forgiven my sins through faith in Christ, but I am unsure if my current good works are enough.	41%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Self-identified Christians appear to suffer guilt, on a spiritual basis, at three different levels:

Ø  Unbelieving Individuals - These respondents have not understood the complete saving grace provided by Christ’s death, accessed by faith alone.

Ø  Spiritually Insecure Individual - These believers have failed to understand that they are secure in their salvation and cannot become unsaved.

Ø  Disturbed Relationship with God - This group is perhaps the most common. They understand they are saved and secure but still believe they must work to satisfy God for his acceptance on a day to day basis.

What's the answer for these guilt dilemmas? We dealt with the first two in the past two blogs: we should realize that we are saved by God’s grace alone and that our salvation is safe. Otherwise, we have little basis of a productive relationship with God and we are exposed to guilt because we remain concerned about unforgiven wrongdoings. 

What about the third reason for the Christian who still suffers guilt despite being saved and secure? Please give her the following points:

Ø  The Bible makes no provision for guilt for a believer. Search the epistles and see if you can find it!

Ø  The Bible indicates that we have free access to Christ, our great high priest, to help us with every need at any time! We can approach God with courage, unimpeded and unafraid. Hebrews 2:17-18, Hebrews 4:14-16.

Ø  The Bible indicates that Christ died once for all our wrongdoings. For anyone who does not believe they have been forgiven, there is no alternative provision for their sin. Hebrews 6:4-6, Hebrews 10:12-18.

Therefore, the solution to misdeeds for the Christian is to not ask for forgiveness but to acknowledge God's merciful forgiveness that has already been granted (Colossians 1:14, Ephesians 1:7), recognize His acceptance and our access (Hebrews 10:19-22) and change to become obedient, moving forward and maturing in the faith (Galatians 3:1, Galatians 5:7, Romans 6:16-23, Hebrews 5:11-6:1).

What a healthy outlook! As a Christian we can know that we are forgiven, sure in our relationship with God through Christ, know we have a wonderful high priest to help us in our time of need, and when we commit a wrong, we are confident of our forgiveness. Guilt is not part of the biblical Christian life!

Thanks for visiting with me today. Next week, with the sure foundation of our relationship with God already established, we will discuss the tools needed to mature this relationship and acquire the benefits to our wellbeing that Scripture promises.

Is guilt a problem for many Christians? To participate in our latest poll question - please visit our website at http://teleiosresearch.com/#anchorpoll

WC Stewart

http://teleiosresearch.com/

http://teleiosblog.blogspot.com/

And now on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/TeleiosResearch/

Response policy

The purpose of the comment section is to promote discussion that is encouraging, propels the further search of Scripture and raises interesting and thought provoking Biblically related questions. You may feel free to disagree with me in a constructive manner using appropriate language.

I reserve the right to remove your comments if they are profane, pornographic, libelous or I do not consider them constructive or consistent with the policy stated above. By posting you no longer own your comments and you are granting me an unrestricted worldwide license to use your comments.