Don’t You Expect Your Congregation to Grow?
We have been asked, “Why have you designed your new church to only accommodate your current membership? Don’t you expect your congregation to grow?”
The answer is no, we don't expect our membership to grow. It has remained stable for more than twenty years. The explanation begins with the fact that Sufism Reoriented does not actively seek new members and only responds to those who feel drawn internally to approach us. In that way, Sufism Reoriented is like the spiritual orders of the Catholic and Buddhist traditions that call for a degree of commitment that cannot come about through persuasion. It can only come freely from within and with love.
Those who are drawn to this particular spiritual path find themselves irresistibly attracted to spiritual principles and wish to dedicate their lives to God. They value love as the central force of Creation and identify God as love. They also feel a natural affinity for the spiritual director of Sufism Reoriented, known as the Murshid or Murshida. In addition, on a practical level, there are four basic prerequisites for membership:
- A commitment to try to be 100 percent honest in all things, with kindness
- Abstinence from use of illicit and hallucinatory drugs
- Abstinence from sex outside of marriage
- Productive and responsible engagement in the world, including being self-sufficient, having established financial balance, and having a surplus of energy to be used in service to others
In the past, spiritual orders often maintained patterns of life that were isolated from the world. But the principles of our founder, Meher Baba, begin with the belief that God is to be found everywhere and within everything. Meher Baba said the task of this age is to spiritually transform everyday life – to infuse all tasks and activities with love and to make the mundane world an arena of divine life. He encouraged members of Sufism Reoriented to lead active lives in the world, to pursue careers and raise families. He wanted them to develop their talents and abilities as fully as possible so they can use them for the welfare of others and to aid their communities and the world at large.
Children of our members are not themselves considered “members.” They do not attend our worship services or lessons on spirituality. Some choose to attend our Sunday school classes, which instill basic principles of love and the unity of all faiths, but most do not become members of our congregation when they reach maturity, nor are they in any way pressured to do so. One must be internally drawn and exercise adult choice to join Sufism Reoriented.
Given the nature of membership in Sufism Reoriented, it is not surprising that participation has remained stable for over twenty years, consisting of around 350 members in Walnut Creek and around 125 in Washington, D.C. Since a deep commitment to the principles described above is at the heart of our worship and spiritual study, we do not expect our membership to grow beyond our current levels. For this reason, we have designed our Prayer Hall for a maximum of 400 people, the same number accommodated by our current church building.