Fluctuations of Faith and The Quest for Community

This study explores the dynamic relationship between fluctuations of faith and the quest for community among Norwegian millennials using a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative data from a survey of 585 participants with follow-up interviews. The research reveals that faith is not static but evolves throughout life, and for many, it changes back and forth several times. The study also looks at when these changes seem to happen and elaborates on what lies behind them. The application of McAdams' Life Story Theory suggests that these faith narratives are integral to individuals' broader life stories and identity formation, where one looks back at different vantage points in life, and what you see may be different from how you once saw it. The relation aspect seems to be an important point, where warmth, trust and integrity play a central role, which makes it interesting to look at this also through the lens of the integrative model of organizational trust. Among the stories of those who have distanced themselves to a greater extent from the faith, an interesting aspect nevertheless emerges. It seems to be a form of longing for the community that once was a part of their life, at least where trust re-emerges, even if the community was perhaps left intentionally at an earlier point in life. Perhaps faith does not stand alone? Perhaps the Christian community has an attraction in itself that should not be underestimated, at least for those who have once experienced it. How can the church meet fluctuation of faith, be experienced as relevant through the different seasons of life, and help the individual with the transition from mere longing to actual reintegration with a community?