by: Rev. Cameron Trimble
In a world driven by speed, distraction, and constant performance, many congregations have been told the key to survival is relevance. The logic goes something like this: if we can be “cool” enough, “contemporary” enough, or “efficient” enough, then people will come back to church.
But what if relevance is the wrong goal? What if what people are actually craving isn’t more polish but more presence? Not a smoother show but a deeper sense of sacred encounter?
Sociologist Hartmut Rosa offers a compelling framework for this moment. He argues that what makes life meaningful isn’t accumulation, success, or relevance but resonance: our capacity to feel connected to something greater than ourselves. To experience awe. To feel touched, seen, and changed by life and to respond in kind.
Rosa writes:
“The good life does not lie in the endless availability of the world, but in the experiences of being touched by something—by a piece of music, a loved one, a landscape, a religious practice, an idea or a political movement—and of answering, of letting oneself be transformed in the process.”
Here you can listen to a conversation between me and Dr. Andrew Root, who distills Rosa’s work into wisdom for congregations as part of his “Secular Age” book series.
This is what a resonant congregation cultivates:
- A spiritual space where people encounter more than just programming; they encounter aliveness.
- A community that helps people feel connected across difference, across generations, across the veil between the visible and invisible.
- A container where people can be moved and changed by mystery, wonder, grief, and grace.
That’s what Convergence helps congregations create.
In our work across North America and the UK, we’ve seen that resonant congregations do not rely on perfect tech, trendy worship, or clever branding. Instead, they create conditions for encounter with the Holy, with one another, and with the deep truths that shape our shared humanity.
As Franciscan teacher Fr. Richard Rohr puts it:
“We cannot attain the presence of God. We’re already totally in the presence of God. What’s absent is awareness.”
Resonant congregations help people remember – help them become aware. They make space for sacred attunement.
And they are desperately needed right now.
People today are saturated with information but starving for transformation. In this age of polycrisis—climate disruption, political upheaval, war, and spiritual fragmentation—we need spiritual communities that help people stay awake, stay grounded, and stay open to beauty, connection, and grace.
Here are suggestions on where to begin:
From Relevance to Resonance: 5 Steps Congregations Can Take
- Prioritize Awe Over Performance
Design worship and gatherings not to impress, but to invite. Let silence, beauty, poetry, nature, and lament have space in your liturgies. Awe softens the heart and deepens the spirit. - Slow Down the Pace
Resonance cannot be rushed. Create Sabbath spaces. Resist urgency. Allow people to arrive fully and leave transformed. - Deepen Relationships, Not Just Attendance
Create small groups and community rhythms where people can be honest, heard, and held. Trust is the soil in which resonance grows. - Let the Earth Teach You
Rosa names our relationship with the natural world as a key site of resonance. Ground your congregation’s life in the cycles of Creation. Practice seasonal rituals, gardening, outdoor worship, and ecological justice. - Hold Space for Mystery
Not everything must be explained. Let go of the pressure to “have the answers.” Make room for questions, paradox, and silence. Invite people to encounter the Sacred, not just hear about it.
Relevance might attract a crowd, but resonance forms a community.
If your congregation is ready to shift from frantic programming to spiritual aliveness, from busy survival to meaningful connection, Convergence is here to help. Through consulting, coaching, Futures Labs, and strategic visioning, we support congregations ready to become islands of coherence in a chaotic world. Let’s shape a resonant future together.