Tracy Simmons

Because I write about faith, people often ask me what religion I am.  Sometimes I stumble over my answer. I admit I worry what people will think when I say “I’m a Buddhist.” It sounds so … trendy, which I am not. At the garden store Buddha’s statues have become as popular as St. Francis.

Spiritual abuse is far too common, but we don’t talk about it. In fact, I had a counselor here on the Palouse once tell me she didn’t have the training to work with a spiritually abused client, and couldn’t think of a single person in the area she could refer me to. I get it. Things in the religious realm are unnerving. Some people won’t go near it. Others, though, will take advantage.

The new endeavor, announced Nov. 30, will make $75 million available to help Christian pastors, “strengthen their abilities to proclaim the Gospel in more engaging and effective ways.”

I can’t help but think about tradition this time of year, which makes me think of impermanence. Tradition is often thought of as something timeless and unchanging, passed down from a previous generation. It reminds me of the lyric from “Fiddler on the Roof.” You may ask, how did this tradition start? ... I'll tell you - I don't know. But it's a tradition …”

Between 2010-2020 the nondenominational church has expanded by 2 million attendees and 9,000 congregations in the U.S., according to the 2020 U.S. Religion Census, which was released last week. The USRC is released every 10 years by the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies.

Being thankful really does change things. Because it’s a spiritual awareness, it’s pausing to recognize the good in our lives and all around us and learning to keep that perception at the forefront of our minds.

In line with national trends, most congregations in Spokane County are in decline, except for the nondenominational church, which showed a 240% increase in worshipers over the last decade.