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Any duplication, reproduction, or modification of this material without express written consent from Asbury Theological Seminary and/or the original publisher is prohibited. Contact B.L. Fisher Library Asbury Theological Seminary 204 N. Lexington Ave. Wilmore, KY 40390 B.L. Fisher Library’s Digital Content place.asburyseminary.edu Asbury Theological Seminary 205 North Lexington Avenue 800.2ASBURY Wilmore, Kentucky 40390 asburyseminary.edu PERSONAL MID CORPORATE SP:m:rruAL GlOfi'H 'lHR0lGH 'IRE DISCIPLINE OF SILENCE AND SOLI'lllDE by James Allisoo Belcher A dissertatioo subnitted in partial fUlfillJEnt of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Ministry Asbury 'ftleological Seminary Kay 1989 Approved by DepartDent Date Personal and Corporate Spiritual Growth Through the Discipline of Silence and Solitude James Allison Belcher The Summerville United Methodist Church experienced a steady decline in most phases of corporate life from 1976 through 1986. The major groups in the church experienced significant loss of members. nle majority of the church members appeared unconcerned about their spiritual growth and the growth of the church. This writer determined the underlying problem in the church to be acedia, or spiritual apathy. Attempts to breathe spiritual life into the church through revival services, fellowship activities, and attendance campaigns failed. The lack of spiritual life precluded the members' participation in these programs. The writer determined that a small core-within the Summerville Church must experience spiritual renewal before the entire congregation could experience renewal. The writer sought voluntary participants for a small group project utilizing the discipline of silence and solitude as a means to spiritual growth. Twelve persons participated in the project. These persons reacted to a series of twelve sermons on the theme of silence and solitude during the Sunday morning worship services. They met each Tuesday night to consider the previous Sunday's sermon and practice silence and solitude in their own lives. The practical experiences with silence and solitude came in the form of increased devotional activities, meditation, and the reduction of the busyness and noise levels in the participants' lives. The writer used two methods of data-gathering. The correlation of a pre- and post-research questionaire determined the participants' growth in their observances of silence and solitude. The observation method of data-gathering determined the effectiveness of the project on the corporate life of the church. The research questionaire indicated the participants grew in their understanding of silence and solitude and in their willingness to incorporate the discipline into their daily lives. Observation revealed significant growth in the program of the Summerville Church following the completion of the project. Several small group participants moved into leadership positions. Spiritual growth ministries, such as prayer groups, prayer chains, and revival services, became an integral part of corporate life. Attendance in several of the church's major groups increased. The Council on Ministries adopted an evangelism emphasis. The congregation undertook several capital expenditures, including: re-roofing of the church building; re-carpeting of the sanctuary and Sunday School wing; parsonage renovation; and the purchase of new hymnals, a new baby grand piano, and new organ speakers. The data indicated that the small group project utilizing silence and solitude as a means of spiritual growth served as a catalyst for personal and corporate spiritual growth in the Summerville United Methodist Church. AI11'HORIZATION In presenting this Project/Dissertation in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Doctor of Ministry degree at Asbury Theological Seminary, I agree that the B. L. Fisher Library shall make it freely available for reference and study. I further agree that permission for copying of this Project/Dissertation, in part or in whole, for scholarly purposes may be permitted by the Library. It is understood that copying or publication of this Project/Dissertation for financial gain shall not be allowed without the written permission of the author. 1989 James Allison Belcher ALL RIGHTS RESERVED TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Title Page .• i Authorization. ii Table of Contents. · • iii List of Tables • vi Acknowledgments. • .viii Chapter 1. The Introduction ••. 1 The Problem • • 2 The Phenomenon of political Corruption. 6 The Phenomenon of Affluence 11 The Phenomenon of Busyness. 14 The Problem of Isolation. 17 The Problem of Acedia . · · · 19 The SOlution. · · . · · · · 20 The Solution to Corruption. · . · · · 23 The SOlution to Affluence · 24 The SOlution to Busyness. · · · · 26 The SOlution to Loneliness. · · 28 The Conclusion. · · . · · · · · · · · 30 2. The Methodology . · · · · · · · 31 The Development of the Project. · 32 The Definition of Terms . · · · . · · · · · 32 iv Chapter Page The Review of the Literature. • . 36 The Development of the Study Manual and Sermon Series . • . • • . 47 The Methods of Data-gathering . • . 49 The Implementation of the Project · · · · · 52 The Compilation of the Pre-test Data .• 52 The Conclusions from the Pre-test Data. • • 56 The Scope and Limitations of the Project. · · · · 58 The Implementation of the Sermon Series and Small Group Experiences · · · · 60 The Evaluation of the Project . • . • . · · · · 72 3. The Biblical and Historical Reflection. · · · · 73 The Biblical Reflection • • . · · · · 73 The Historical Reflection 82 The Early Historical Reflection • 83 The Recent Historical Reflection. • 98 The Silence and Solitude in Other Religions . • 104 The Conclusion. .-. • 107 4. The Theoretical Reflection •• · 109 The Need for Silence and Solitude 109 The Difficulty of Silence and Solitude. • • · 116 The Implementation of Silence and Solitude. • . 122 The Benefits of Silence and Solitude. · · · · · 133 The Conclusion. · 145 5. The Summary and Conclusions . · 147 The Summary of Important Elements . · · 147 The Correlation of the Data . · 150 v Chapter Page The Conclusions from the Data . • • . 155 The Long-term Consequences and Recommendations. 161 The Conclusion. • • . • • . • . • . • • . 162 Appendices A. The Pre-test and Post-test Instrument . · 163 B. The Sermon Series OUtlines. · 169 C. The Study Manual .. • 181 D. The Data Tables . • 211 Bibliography • . • . • . • 225 LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1. Most Important Daily Activities .•. • 211 2. Most Time-consuming Daily Activities • 211 3. Activities in Morning Routines • • · • 212 4. Percent of Time Spent with People. • 212 5. Number of Respondents Who Enjoy Being with People a Large Percent of the Day .•.. · . 213 6. Number of Respondents Who Have Daily Quiet Time. • 213 7. Number of Respondents Who Have Quiet Time When They Can Get Around to it. • . • . • . 213 8. Rituals and Activities Comprising Quiet Times •. • • 214 9. Frequency of Prayer •• 214 10. Frequency of Writing in Journal. • • 215 11. Frequency of Bible-reading ..• • • 215 12. Frequency of Reading Inspirational Literature Other Than the Bible . • • 216 13. Frequency of Meditation. • . • • 216 14. Respondents with Designated Places for Devotional Activities . • 217 15. Favorite Places for Devotional Activities •••. • 217 16. Respondents with Designated Times for Devotional Activi ties • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 218 17. Favorite Times for Devotional Activities. • 218 18. Comparison of Respondents Who Keep Sound Systems Turned on in Their Homes • • . • • • • • . • • • • • • • 219 vii Table Page 19. Comparison of Respondents Who Keep Sound Systems Turned on in Their Automobiles . • . 219 20. Number of Respondents Who Take Walks Alone • 220 21. Number of Respondents Who Sit Alone and Daydream ..... 220 22. Number of Respondents Who Sit Alone and Read ..• • • 220 23. Number of Respondents Who Take Trips/Vacations/ Retreats Alone . • . • • • • . • . • • 221 24. Number of Respondents Who Feel the Need to Get Away from Daily Pressures. • • . • . 221 25. Number of Respondents Who Need More Personal Time. • 222 26. Number of Respondents Who Feel Like People/ Circumstances/ Schedules Dominate Their Lives. • • • •. 222 27. Number of Respondents Who Feel Their Lives Are Out of Control . • • • • . • . • • . • . • • • • • • 223 28. Number of Respondents Who Want to Slow the Pace of Their Lives • • • • • • • . • • . • • •• •• • 223 29. Number of Respondents Who Want More Order/Structure in Their Lives • • . • • . • . • . • . .. • . 224 30. How Respondents Rate Their Lives on a Day-to-Day Basis.