What is a “Contemplative” Church?

A contemplative church is one that deliberately makes room for silence, stillness, and deep thought — Scripture followed by quiet rather than Scripture followed by more noise. It isn’t a style of music or a denomination. It’s the practice of slowing down enough to hear God, based on passages like Psalm 46:10 (“Be still, and know that I am God”) and 1 Kings 19:12, where God’s presence comes not in wind, earthquake, or fire, but in the sound of a low whisper. 

In a world of endless notifications, that kind of stillness has become one of the most countercultural things a church can offer. 

First: What Actually is the Church? 

Before asking what the church should become, it helps to know what Scripture says it already is. You’ve probably heard that the church isn’t a building, it’s the people. True — but Scripture says far more than that. 

The temple of God. “You are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God… in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord” (Ephesians 2:19–21, ESV). God’s presence no longer dwells in a holy of holies. He has made his people the dwelling place of his Spirit. 

The body of Christ. “For just as the body is one and has many members… so it is with Christ” (1 Corinthians 12:12, ESV). Dietrich Bonhoeffer described the church as Christ existing as community. Somewhere along the way we started treating church as an event we attend rather than a body we belong to. 

The bride of Christ. “I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband” (Revelation 21:2, ESV). That’s where the story is going.

If that’s who the church already is, the question becomes practical: how do we live into it here and now? 

Three Marks of the Future Church 

1. Contemplative

The contemplative church is a thoughtful church — marked by quiet reflection, moments of stillness, and deep, serious thought in a world that is shallow, loud, and false. 

The Hebrew word behind “be still” in Psalm 46:10 is raphah, which carries the sense of sinking, relaxing, going slack, becoming quiet. Be still, be relaxed, be quiet — and know that the Lord is God. 

Elijah learned this on the mountain. A great wind tore through the rocks, but God wasn’t in the wind. An earthquake came, then a fire, and God wasn’t in either. Then came what the Hebrew describes as a sound of thin silence — a voice, quiet, small, and thin. That’s where God spoke. 

None of this means there’s no place for celebration. It means we’ve over-invested in hype, and it has cost us the stillness where God often speaks. 

Here’s the most important part: stillness is not the absence of activity. It is resistance to the world and obedience to God. Choosing silence is counter-formation — a deliberate refusal to be shaped by the rush of the world so we can be shaped by the stillness of God instead. 

2. Charismatic 

This word makes some people nervous, so here’s what it does not mean: not a volume level, not a worship style, not a debate about spiritual gifts, and not a focus on the gifts over the Giver. 

It means dependence. The future church is deeply dependent on the Holy Spirit — the ruach, the pneuma, the breath of God. 

“Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts” (Zechariah 4:6, ESV). Paul asked the Galatians a question worth asking ourselves: “Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?” (Galatians 3:3, ESV). And to the Thessalonians he wrote plainly: do not quench the Spirit. 

The sobering part is this. A church can have good music, strong systems, and rising attendance, and be running entirely on human ability — and never notice that the Holy Spirit has left the building. 

3. Christocentric 

Christocentric means Christ at the center. The future church lives with an ongoing awareness of who Jesus is, and reorients around him daily — morning, noon, and night — rather than reaching for him only in emergencies.

Isn’t this just the early church? 

Yes. That’s the point. Read Acts 2 and you’ll find all three marks at once. 

The believers were gathered in one place, waiting — that’s contemplative. The Spirit came like a mighty rushing wind and filled them — that’s charismatic. Peter stood up and preached that God has made Jesus both Lord and Christ — that’s Christocentric. 

And then: “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul” (Acts 2:42–43, ESV). No production. No emotional manipulation. No chasing relevance. Just heaven meeting earth among ordinary people. 

The future church may look less like an upgrade and more like a return.

The Question Underneath All of It 

Here’s the honest question this raises, and it isn’t free: Are we willing to become the church God is calling us to be — even if it costs us comfort, control, and the world’s approval? 

That’s not a question about programming. It’s a question about willingness.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does “contemplative” mean in a church context?

• It means a church that makes deliberate room for silence, Scripture, and reflection rather than filling every moment with sound and activity. It’s about creating space to hear from God, not about adopting a particular musical style or tradition. 

Does “charismatic” mean speaking in tongues?

• Not as it’s used here. In this message, charismatic means dependence on the Holy Spirit — praying for God’s power rather than relying on human competence. It’s about who the church is leaning on, not how loud or expressive its services are. 

What does Psalm 46:10 actually mean?

• The Hebrew word translated “be still” (raphah) means to let go, relax, or become quiet. In its context the verse is God’s word to a chaotic world, and it invites us to stop striving long enough to recognize who God is. 

Where can I visit a church like this in the Quad Cities?

• Christ’s Family Church meets at 4601 Utica Ridge Road in Davenport, Iowa, serving Davenport, Bettendorf, Moline, and Rock Island. Sunday services are at 9:00 and 10:40 AM. 

Come Be Part of It

If you’re tired of the rush and hurt by the noise, there’s something here for you. Join us any Sunday at 9:00 or 10:40 AM in Davenport. Click below to plan a visit, watch the full Future Church series, or find a Life Group.

And if you want to see a contemplative church in practice: on Wednesday, September 30, we’re reading the whole book of Romans aloud together, the way the first Christians would have heard it. Everyone is welcome.