By Stephen R. Clark
EPA’s Cause of the Year for 2026 is Spiritual Engagement. Articles published on the subject in 2026 will be eligible for the contest in 2027.
But what exactly is spiritual engagement?
Perhaps spiritual engagement is about holy matrimony?
My wife regularly gets annoyed with me because I’m always reading. She’s not upset that I’m reading, but that I don’t always put down what I’m reading and pay attention to her when she has something to talk about. She wants me to be visibly engaged so she can know that I’m truly taking in what she’s saying. Paying attention, being engaged with my wife as she shares, is definitely to my advantage in the long run. (And all the husbands say “Amen!”)
Revelation 19:7 and other passages name us all as the bride of Christ, indicating a relationship that’s fairly intimate. One to which we need to be attentive.
Understanding how to nourish a relationship with Christ is important.
Perhaps spiritual engagement is about behavior?
James cautions us to not just hear what our bridegroom is telling us, but to put His words into action. Not doing so, James warns, is foolishness. “Because if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like someone looking at his own face in a mirror. For he looks at himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of person he was” (James 1:23-24, CSB).
Just as old married couples begin to look alike, what we should be seeing in the mirror is an increasing Christlikeness.
Understanding how we look and behave in Christ is important.
Perhaps spiritual engagement is about answering “Who am I?”
Recently I’ve had several conversations with fellow believers in my church about the reality that many who claim the label of Christian seem to have no idea what that really means.
Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!” And in Ephesians 2:10, he explains that we were created to accomplish tasks God has prepared for us.
Understanding our identity in Christ is important.
Perhaps spiritual engagement is about what to do after saying “I do”?
I grew up in a Pentecostal church where sermons were frequently full of fire and brimstone with the intent to “strongly encourage” people to get right with God. These messages were particularly effective during storms when the thunder and lightning seemed timed with the pastor’s prime points. The altars were full at the end.
While this meant people left the church “ready to meet the Lord,” it didn’t mean they were necessarily ready to live out their faith in the world where they lived and worked and had their being. Spirituality was for Sundays. Monday through Saturday, it was all about surviving.
Understanding how to be a Christian in the world is important.
Perhaps spiritual engagement is about spiritual adulting?
Even when pastors and churches do a great job of providing opportunities for equipping their flocks through various discipleship tactics, personal irresponsibility can thwart spiritual engagement.
Recently, in one of our men’s groups, the leader asked who had read the Bible through at least once. Of the twelve or so present, only four of us raised our hands. Most in the room had been Christians for years.
Understanding personal responsibility as Christians is important.
Perhaps spiritual engagement is about all the above?
So, what does spiritual engagement look like to you? To the readers of your publications?
However you define spiritual engagement, how you communicate that to your readers can help them function more perfectly in their role within the body of Christ.
I’m a church brat. This means my entire life has been centered around church. As a little boy, I gave my heart to Jesus every Sunday in children’s church. One could never be too careful! I don’t have one of those dramatic “before I knew the Lord I was a heathen” stories. I’ve done all my heathening right in the middle of my imperfect Christian walk.
For me, spiritual engagement is all I mentioned above and so much more. Different circumstances and stages of life can shift the emphasis on where I need to do the work of faith. But it’s all necessary.
Over the years, I’ve found a lot of great guidance in various Christian publications like Eternity, Discipleship Journal, HIS Magazine, Christianity Today, Holiness Today, Moody Monthly, Common Good, Influence, The Wittenburg Door, Christian Life, and so many more. Several have faded away with new ones taking their place, in print and online. These and other resources were and are essential for helping me grow in Christ.
Each brought and brings varying perspectives to the concept of spiritual engagement, which helped and continue helping shape me into a better, more well-grounded follower of Christ.
So, how will your publication or website speak into this legacy of teaching on spiritual engagement in 2026? This church brat, for one, is looking forward to reading your contributions. Because, the truth is, spiritual engagement is a neverending story for each of us. And because of my intermittent heathening, I need all the help I can get!
Stephen R. Clark is a writer living in Lansdale, PA with his wife, BethAnn, where they are members of Immanuel Church. He is an associate member of the EPA and managing editor of the Christian Freelance Writers Network blog (tinyurl.com/cfwriters). His writing has appeared in Bible Advocate, Outreach, The Baptist Paper, Influence, and other periodicals. Learn more at StephenRayClark.com.
2026 Cause of the Year
EPA’s Cause of the Year for 2026 is Spiritual Engagement. Articles published on the subject in 2026 will be eligible for the contest in 2027. EPA’s Cause of the Year themes, by design, are general topics. Publications are free to adapt the theme to fit their mission and purpose.
Posted December 4, 2025
