Episcopal Church Foundation Vital Practices - Blogs

March 23, 2011

Soul Food Pyramid

Have you had 6-8 servings of sacred story? What about the recommended monthly 2-4 servings of Christian action?

The Soul Food Pyramid outlines what is needed for a healthy, balanced spiritual diet.

Developed by the folks at St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church in Dublin, a suburb of Columbus, Ohio, the Soul Food Pyramid plays off the well-known USDA Food Pyramid. And just like that pyramid, the Soul Food one isn’t a “rigid prescription but a general guide.”

The Soul Food Pyramid was an outgrowth of soul-searching by several leaders of St. Patrick’s. Attendance at Sunday School was erratic, with 30 kids one Sunday and five the next. They talked with parents to see what was wrong with the program. They found that parents were thrilled with the Christian education, but busy lives meant that they couldn’t attend every week.

“We tried to figure out: What do we want people to know?” said the Rev. Stephen Smith, rector at St. Patrick’s. “We came up with the idea of a food for your soul pyramid, a process by which they gather information and enter into Christian formation so that their souls may be kept alive.”

They introduced the pyramid in late fall and have spent the last few months incorporating it into every aspect of church life. Newsletter announcements include a note about how many servings the event is worth. When they plan for the month, the staff and leadership team makes sure that there’s a variety of options to fulfill the different components of the pyramid.

Sure, the pyramid is a bit of a gimmick. But it seems to be resonating among the congregation. It’s easy to remember yet challenging enough to push people along in their journey.

Too often churches assume that parishioners know the key elements of living a Christian life. “But the reality is that the culture doesn’t do Christian education anymore. And it hasn’t for 40 years,” said Stephen. “If we expect people to know the difference between the Old and New Testament, we have to teach it in the church. We have to get very basic and very clear about everything we want people to know.”

How would you stack up to this Soul Food Pyramid? How would parishioners?

Try using it for a month and see. And if it seems worthwhile, then you have the OK from Stephen and the good people of St. Patrick’s to steal it and implement in your own congregation. After all, we’re all striving for the same thing.

Want to learn more about the Soul Food Pyramid? Contact the Rev. Stephen Smith at revd.up@att.net