At FBCA, we began our 3-year “Flourishing Together” journey back in January at the Launch Weekend. We learned about the Global Flourishing Study. We were introduced to the 6 flourishing domains and the 12 question “Flourishing Measure.” We heard from Kate Long and Scott Heare about this landmark project and confirmed our church’s participation.

The rest of the world found out about the Global Flourishing Study on April 30th. At a news conference in Washington, D.C., a team of over 40 researchers announced the results of the first wave of GFS data published in the science journal, Nature.

This 5-year longitudinal study of over 200,000 people from 22 countries statistically represents about 64% of the world’s population. The results of the study – and their implications – will continue to be reported in the coming months. However, there are some interesting initial findings.

For instance, low to medium income countries like Indonesia (which reported the top score at 8.1), Mexico, Kenya, and Tanzania have higher average composite flourishing scores than more affluent countries like the U.S., Sweden, Germany, and Japan (which reported the bottom score at 5.9).

The study suggests that some societies may have pursued wealth and prosperity at the expense of meaning and purpose. Prioritizing economic advancement and material gain seems to devalue personal connections and spiritual devotion.

One of the most striking findings from the first wave of the GFS is the strong association between religious identity and flourishing. Across the 22 countries, there is an almost 1-point higher score (on a 10-point scale) for those who attend religious services weekly compared to those who never attend.

All of this points to the basic human need to answer the question, “Why?” While physical health and financial wealth are great, they don’t satisfy the deep longing of our souls. It turns out spiritual health and close social relationships are required to produce the character and purpose that make life meaningful.

The initial GFS data supports our emphasis this year on “Flourishing Together… Rooted in Christ.” We will continue to unpack the domains of happiness, health, meaning, character, relationships, and financial security. We will explore how flourishing Christians who are part of a flourishing congregation contribute to a flourishing community.

Remember that we define flourishing as “living life as God intended.” Let’s recommit ourselves to being a Psalm 1 church that produces fruitful disciples and influences our world for Christ. Blessed people bless people!