Concordia University Wisconsin Assistant Professor of Theology Rev. Thomas Pietsch recently joined a Wisconsin Public Radio panel discussion exploring a growing national trend: a renewed interest in faith and religion in everyday life.
According to Pietsch, the data reflects something many church leaders have already been noticing. Throughout history, people have often turned toward faith during life’s most significant moments, whether in seasons of great joy or times of uncertainty.
“I’ve seen people have a baby for the first time and they receive a gift so great that it forces them outside of themselves and they start thinking spiritually,” Pietsch shared during the discussion. “But also in times of anxiety.”
As rates of anxiety continue to rise, particularly among teens and young adults, Pietsch said it is not surprising to see church attendance stabilizing and, in some places, increasing. In his own congregation, he has noticed more young men in the pews on Sunday mornings, a trend echoed by other church leaders participating in the conversation.
Still, Pietsch noted that curiosity about faith is only the beginning. The greater challenge is helping people move from intellectual interest to lived faith through worship, community, service and participation in the life of the Church.
“It’s one thing to intellectualize the faith or think that it’s good for society or good for me,” Pietsch said. “But it’s another thing to actually begin a life of love toward your neighbor.”
At Concordia, this integration of faith and daily life remains central to our mission of helping students develop in mind, body and spirit for service to Christ in the Church and the world.
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Concordia University Wisconsin is a Lutheran higher education community committed to helping students develop in mind, body and spirit for service to Christ in the Church and the world.