Researcher: Boredom keeps people from attending church services

Spiritual boredom can put people off religious practices: This is shown by a recent study by the Universities of Vienna and Sussex, which was published on Wednesday in the specialist journal "Communications Psychology". Study leader Thomas Götz advises the church to pay more attention to this phenomenon and to counteract it with more appealing sermons. "The church should take the issue of boredom seriously," emphasised the Viennese educational researcher and psychologist in an interview with the Kathpress news agency.

Götz and his team showed that boredom in sermons can significantly reduce motivation to attend church services. "When people are bored, their minds wander, they perceive the content as irrelevant and attend less often or not at all in future," says the professor of educational psychology and social change. The "spiritual development" of people, which according to Götz would be particularly desirable in times of global crisis, could be significantly inhibited as a result.

Sermons are the least appealing

Spiritual boredom was analysed in various contexts such as church services, pilgrimages, silent retreats, yoga and meditation. Sermons were perceived as the least appealing, with a score of 3.6 on a scale of 1 to 5, while pilgrimages achieved the best result with 1.3. "Sermons are often too abstract and not very relevant to life. Many churchgoers can't make a personal connection to the content," Götz reported on the survey of more than 1,200 adults, mainly from German-speaking countries. Problems also include being over- or under-challenged, combined with a lack of opportunity for interaction due to the frontal presentation style - which can lead to boredom.

According to the questionnaire surveys conducted at church exits, the sermon is not one of the main reasons for attending a church service for most people. What was mentioned was rather "that you can experience peace and quiet there", or the reference to the tradition of Sunday mass in the family. Other elements of the service, such as the spiritual songs or the experience of the Eucharistic celebration, were also often emphasised. However, a sermon that is perceived as boring is often "a reason to stop coming regularly," says Götz.

Addressing the realities of life

To reduce boredom in church services, the director of studies recommended that preachers focus more on the realities of the audience's lives. They would do well to pick up on current topics, incorporate interaction such as discussion rounds or reflection phases and involve the faithful in smaller congregations. Digital and visual elements, supplementary materials and videos could also contribute to a more intensive discussion and increase attention. For other elements of the service, Götz advised repeatedly reminding people of their significance and benefits "in order to maximise their positive effects".

Unlike the sermon, the pilgrimage is perceived as attractive. Götz explained this mainly due to the variety: "You experience nature, exercise and social interaction as well as challenges due to the weather or the route, which makes the experience dynamic. In addition, everyone can set their own pace, take breaks or have conversations." This freedom prevents boredom, which can arise more easily in fixed formats such as sermons. (KNA)