The Congregational Consulting Group, organized in 2014 by former consultants of the Alban Institute, is a network of independent consultants. We publish PERSPECTIVES for Congregational Leaders—thoughts on topics of interest to leaders of congregations and other purpose-driven organizations. — Dan Hotchkiss, editor
While many people seek out like-minded gatherings to avoid conflict, my experience as a consultant over the last 14 years tells me there is a large marketplace of people who prefer gatherings of people with diverse viewpoints who can discuss issues without screaming at each other. By creating diverse congregations, we have an opportunity to lead society out of its current polarized condition, rather than reflecting it ourselves.
The more I talk to members of my own congregation, the more I discover that they struggle with belief, and it’s the message itself, not just its institutional forms, that they struggle with. The language Christians have used about life with God for centuries—the Trinity, sin, atonement, the Resurrection—doesn’t make sense anymore, even to some of my oldest and most dedicated members. Even a basic belief in God is no longer shared. So maybe it’s time for those of us who are ordained to be more honest about our own struggles to believe.
The election is upon us and so is anxiety. As we await results and anticipate reactions, we fear that our country, our communities, and our congregations may unravel.
People often behave badly when captured by anxiety. Leaders react to bad behavior in one of two unhelpful ways: over-control and withdrawal. We focus our energy on the people behaving badly, only to discover that we have no control over them. Or we ignore bad behavior, to our own peril and the organization’s detriment. These are the extremes—but there is a middle way.
Leaders must hold steady in the face of anxiety. We do this by pausing to observe and interpret so that we can intervene effectively.
Board members, tired of repetitive requests for approval or permission, often say, “We should write some policies.” This impulse is correct: Policies can spare the board much tedium and help ensure consistent handling of like situations. But in practice, efforts to write policies often frustrate and disappoint. It’s a lot of work and does not always stop the flow of management questions coming to the board.
Fortunately, a board can create “Leakproof” policies. The key is to reverse one of the assumptions most boards bring to making policy: that authority must be dispensed timidly, a little bit at a time. A wise board flips this script and delegates full management authority, then sets limits and adds guidance until it is ready to let others make decisions away from the board table.
Denominational headcounts have declined sharply in recent decades, reflecting both the overall drop in religious affiliation and the rise of nondenominational churches. In this new religious landscape, congregational leaders are considering new options for affiliation.
This presidential election year reminds us, once again, how deeply polarized we are as a nation. The faithful on both extremes of the political spectrum live in separate echo chambers, fueled by social media and the news channels they choose to watch. I am also susceptible to this phenomenon!
A key factor that sustains and deepens polarization is a lack of listening. Listening to build connections is challenging when some folks are closed off and opposed to taking in new information. I know that some of you are thinking that this is an obvious statement. We all know that when folks listen well, it improves relationships and can heal interpersonal breakdowns, but what sounds simple is really quite difficult.
I’ve been conducting focus groups with laity and clergy across the US for the past decade. A major topic is the clergy’s lack of trust in their denominations, the denominations’ lack of trust in their clergy and laity, and lay people’s lack of trust in both their clergy and denominations. Distrust is having a corrosive impact on church life today. It is at a much higher level today than it was when I first started doing focus groups.