As faith communities prepare for the Advent season, nostalgia for the past becomes commonplace. Many faith communities hang the greens, practice the traditional hymns, host traditional events, and read the season’s scripture stories. But the potentially negative impacts of nostalgia on ministry innovation are often overlooked.
The late Dr. Svetlana Boym was a scholar of comparative literature at Harvard University who wrote prolifically about nostalgia. In her 2001 book, The Future of Nostalgia, she offered this definition: “The word ‘nostalgia’ comes from two Greek roots: νόστος, nóstos (‘return home’) and ἄλγος, álgos (‘longing’). I would define it as a longing for a home that no longer exists or has never existed.”
Boym described what she sees as two types of nostalgia: restorative and reflective.
Restorative nostalgia is a longing to return to, or restore, a time and reality of the past, even perhaps one that never truly existed. Reflective nostalgia, on the other hand, is the process of reflecting on and honoring the past without idealizing it.
Restorative nostalgia is common in most faith communities around the country today. Many leaders and congregations talk about the “good old days” when sanctuaries were packed to the brim, Sunday School classes were filled with people of all ages, and offering plates overflowed.
But this begs the question: Were the Church’s “good old days” really that good, and for whom? Is it necessarily the case that simply attending worship every Sunday means someone is growing in their love of Christ and discipleship?
The ‘Good Old Days’ and the Future of Your Ministry
One challenge with restorative nostalgia is that it’s a longing for a reality that either never existed or only existed for a select few. When a faith community attempts to enact change or embrace a creative ministry idea, restorative nostalgia often acts as an unproductive tether to the past. This tether produces issues like a fear of taking risks, lack of support for change, and a false separation between “church” and “community.”
“Nostalgia and progress are like Jekyll and Hyde: doubles and mirror images of one another,” Boym wrote. As church participation statistics illustrate, there is no going back to the “good old days.” Faith communities instead must learn to embrace both nostalgia and progress for fruitful ministry in 2024.
Reflective nostalgia offers a reframe that embraces the positive aspects of tradition while not attempting to return to the past.
Faith communities who embrace this perspective are set free to honor their traditions while listening to the leading of the Holy Spirit as they move forward in their ministry.
This perspective enables them to meet people where they are with relevant and transformational ministries in their contexts today.
As Advent approaches, the temptation is strong to implicitly or explicitly buy into restorative nostalgia. But senior ministry leaders can set the tone and model a more productive relationship with nostalgia instead.
Consider these critical questions about the role of traditions and nostalgia within your faith community.
- Does your faith community seem to embrace a more reflective or restorative perspective on nostalgia? Where did that originate?
- Where do you see a sense of nostalgia emerging in your current ministries?
- If you and other leaders were to suggest a change to a tradition, how do you think it would be received by the wider faith community? Why?
- When and how can you talk openly with your faith community about nostalgia?
If your faith community is stuck in restorative nostalgia, the Innovation Lab can help you move forward through our customized consulting and coaching services. Contact us today to learn more.
About the Author: Meghan Hatcher is the director of the Innovation Laboratory. She has served diverse faith communities through pastoral leadership, youth ministry, new church development, community engagement, and ministry innovation. Meghan has a Bachelor of Journalism, a Master of Science in Sustainable Development and Applied Sociology, and a Master of Divinity.