Practical Challenges Confronting Congregational Leaders
I once visited a state that was principally populated by railroad building
almost a century ago. At intervals, towns appeared in what was otherwise
farmland. Each town was ethnically different. Often, the principal religion was
different. Though the towns were nearly a century old, they often had little
diversity. In many, the towns remained what they were when they came into
existence. Diversification proceeded at slow rates.
That situation reflects statistically a distinct minority of places. Most
populated areas have a significant degree of diversification. Commonly, economic
development, intermarriage promoted by education past high school levels, and a
mobile society guarantee diversification.
The America of past immigration and economic development is just that: the
America of the past. A real challenge confronting many congregational leaders
today involves seeing diversification as an opportunity rather than a problem.
In this chapter, we will seek to acknowledge some of the everyday challenges
congregational leaders should expect.
Challenge # 1: The Reality of the Multi-Cultural
Congregation
When the Vietnam War ended, this area (Fort Smith, Arkansas) became a relocation center for many
Laotian refugees. Many of those people are now American family units. The
Laotian congregation that began years ago now meets in the building Caucasians
built and maintain.
A decade ago, when I bought a house, my wife and I looked at a home belonging to
a Hindu family. A couple of miles from my office is a Buddhist temple. About
five miles from the church building is a Hispanic church building which this
congregation provided for a Hispanic outreach in the rapidly-growing Hispanic
community. Less than ten miles from this Caucasian church building (there are
several Caucasian church buildings here) is an African-American church building.
In the downtown area, this congregation conducts several forms of outreach to
economically disadvantaged people.
In this congregation, we have people who are American Indian, people who are
African-American, people who are Laotian, people who are Hispanic, and people
who are various forms of Caucasian. We have members actively dedicated to
homeschooling, members actively dedicated to Christian schools, and members
actively dedicated to public schools. We have members with million dollar
incomes, members with hundred thousand dollar incomes, members with adequate but
stressed incomes, members who struggle with economic distress, and members above
65 with no retirement income.
How do congregational leaders address cultural diversity? How do they make
assemblies and works comfortable to Christians who are a part of a minority
group? The differences are obvious and many:
Men who provide leadership in any growing American congregation of any size will
face cultural diversity on some level. In the future, economically the answer
cannot and will not be to provide separate church buildings for each cultural
faction.
Challenge # 2: The Reality of a Multi-Generational Group
This is not a future challenge, but a present challenge. The wants and needs of
preschool families, the wants and needs of elementary families, the wants and
needs of families containing teenagers, the wants and needs of families with
college students, and the wants and needs of families with moved out adult
children are not the same wants and needs. Nor are the wants and needs of young
families, of families with children, of families with empty nests, and of
elderly families the samenot to mention the large variety of singles with
little in common beyond the fact they are not married.
There is a variety of tastes in songs, a variety of tastes in classes, a variety
of tastes in preaching, and a variety of tastes in interaction. Some think
strongly the answers are found in form. Others think with equal conviction that
answers are found in knowledge. Still others are devoted primarily to attitudes.
Some look on differences as a matter of faithfulness. Others call it a war.
Still others consider most differences to be a matter of preference.
Leaders easily can find themselves viewed more as referees than leaders. When
multi-generational groups seek solutions by asking elders, Whose side are you
on? the entire congregation losesthere are no winners. Differences sink to a
control issue pursuit instead of rising to a glorification of God pursuit.
Challenge # 3: The Consumer Mentality
Our society is built on consuming, throwing away, and looking for something that
is improved. Those who have been an adult for 50 years or more should share
(kindly with an understanding spirit) how much our society has changed in the
last half of the twentieth century. Fifty years ago the relevant questions were:
How long can it be expected to last? How easily can it be fixed? How similar is
it to other things of its kind?
Now something will be outdated in less than a year. It is cheaper to buy new
than it is to repair. Uniqueness is highly valued.
It is easy for a congregation to get caught up in advertisement claims rather
than let our values be seen in our deeds. Admittedly, the line between
advertisement claims and Christian influence is often extremely thin. Yet,
it is easier to claim we have the best preacher in the area than it is to meet
existing needs in the community, or to claim we have the best teen program
available than it is to teach and encourage people on how to be good families,
or to claim we have a childrens program that cannot be surpassed than it is to
exemplify the values of good parenting.
There is a huge difference between making claims and making a difference. When
congregations make a difference in a community, people quickly know who a
congregation is by what it does. People who come because we claim to be better
than our competition will just as quickly leave when someone out claims us.
(And they will!) Is faithfulness a matter of competition or a matter of service
to a Master? Is faithfulness a matter of claiming or doing?
The consumer mentality quickly can become extremely self-centered. When that
happens, the primary relevant issue quickly becomes What is in it for us?
There is little commitment beyond us, our desires, and our needs as we see
them. When that occurs, a congregation will have no long-term effectiveness.
As soon as the momentary sparkle fades, the congregation fades. The few that
remain live in the do you remember when . . . The congregation who exists by
remembering the past instead of serving in the present condemns itself to
irrelevance, then to extinction.
Challenge # 4: People Who Are Ignorant of Scripture
Ignorance of scripture comes in many forms:
Any Christian who assumes that everyone who claims to be Christian has the same
understanding of a scripture commonly has a false assumption. Leaders will
experience a huge shock if they think a scripture or a series of scriptures will
settle a matter.
Challenge # 5: Diverse Expectations
Commonly those appointed to the role of congregational leadership are shocked to
discover members are different in their expectations of leaders. A too-common
statement is this: We would not experience these problems if the elders were
doing their job!
That statement is declared in reference to every situation imaginable! Is the
parking lot too small? The elders should have taken care of that! Are there
too few classrooms? The elders should have seen that coming! Does the preacher
not have the emphasis a member wants? The elders should talk to him! Is the
building too cold or hot? The elders should take care of that! Do groups of
Christians disagree with each other? The elders should settle that! Has a
member chosen to disregard Christian values? The elders should do something.
Do the elders delegate responsibility? Those people are not elders!
What person would volunteer to meet such diverse desires? No matter how
spiritually unhealthy expectations may be, when elders endorse change for the
sake of improvement (in accord with scripture), they often face a storm of
criticism.
Several questions need to be asked and discussed. What is an appointed
congregational leader? What expectations should exist? How should expectations
be determined? If the decisions of appointed leaders disagree with a members
expectations, how should he (or she) react? Are the best interests of the
congregation (whether now or in the future) more important than a members
personal desires?
Challenge # 6: Economic Stress
Years ago I preached in a congregation that was quite active in benevolence. One
day some people appeared who never had worshipped with the congregation. Our
organization and ways were unknown to them. They came to ask one question: When
do you receive your allowance from the government? They knew we were active
benevolently. They were certain we were funded by the government. They made it
plain they wanted their share of what the government gave us.
If your reaction is this: Ridiculous! We fund what we do! Nobody gives us
anything! may I suggest that too many members act in much the same way. Members
often feel free to place demands on the congregations budget as though a
limitless amount of money were given by some mysterious outside source. Those
limitless funds enable independent congregations to do anything they wish.
While most members acknowledge that the membership is the source of a
congregations funds, many of these same people do not seem to understand they
are included as part of the source of the funds. The beginning of the
twenty-first century created much stress on congregational budgets. The drop in
the value of the dollar and the rise in gasoline prices created a lot of
economic distress. If the distress trend continues into the century,
congregational leadership will face some increasingly difficult choices.
Shrinking funds coupled with increasing costs are a bad combination! If the
trend of deepening the economic stress on Christian individuals continues,
congregational funding will decrease. If congregational funding decreases, that
will impact missionary work, local outreach, internal programs, buildings built
or increased, facility heating and cooling, and even the ability to maintain
what is owned. Congregations may no longer be able to do what they have done for
decades.
Should that happen, wonder who will be declared to be at fault?
Challenge # 7: A Critical Society
Name one authority figure in the American society that is not criticized.
Presidents, Senators, Congress men and women, mayors, board members, teachers,
bosses, owners, celebrity figures, and winners are among those who are fair
game for criticism. Anyone who disagrees with my view, conclusion,
expectation, convenience, or personal desire can be, should be, and will be
criticized. I am more likely to criticize another person than I am likely to
encourage another person. The sad fact is that the majority of people know more
about how to criticize than how to encourage.
Unfortunately, our tendency to declare criticism includes elders. No matter
how hard they work, no matter that all they do are acts of volunteering, no
matter what percentage of time they get it right, and no matter how caring
they are, the criticism they receive is louder than the compliments they
receive.
Few elders are prepared to endure the amount of criticism they receive. In fact,
negative attitudes often come as one of the biggest shocks to men who accept
appointments to leadership. These men commonly are courted fervently by
congregations to become appointed leaders.
It is difficult to be urged so appreciatively and to be criticized so harshly.
Declaring open season on some of the finest men in the congregation is both
unjust and cruel. Yet, unfortunately, to be critical seems to be in the
spiritual DNA of too many congregations.
Challenge # 8: Intuitive Knowledge
Have you heard? Elders know everything! Or so too many congregations think!
Too many Christians think elders know endless realities without being told
anything. They know who is in the hospital with no one calling. They know who is
struggling with depression with no one writing. They know who was absent last
Sunday and why.
They know all the secret stuff including the real whys. They know motives. They
know problems. They know needs. They know solutions.
They not only know, but they know instantly. How? We do not knowit is a
mystery!
To many of us, the expectation of elders having a mysterious intuitive knowledge
is an unreasonable, foolish expectation. Many an exasperated elder has said,
How was I supposed to know when no one told me? Yet, amazingly, they often are
blamed for not knowing something no one knew, or not knowing when no one called
them, or not knowing when no one talked to them. The assumption that he knew
has torn the heart out of many good men who serve as elders.
Challenge # 9: Changing a Negative Image into a Positive Image
A favorite story involves elders ringing a doorbell as they arrive on a
prearranged visit. A curtain suddenly parts and just as quickly closes. A
preschooler runs through the house announcing loudly, The elders are here! The
elders are here! The elders are here!
Many elders visit people on a weekly basis. They pray with people, encourage
people, show compassion to people, and help people who experience problems. A
significant part of congregations who are blessed by visiting leaders much
appreciate those visits, prayers, and encouragement. Most of those visits occur
because the congregations leaders care about the congregations members.
However, there is also a significant group of members who do not want the elders
to visit. It comes as quite a revelation that many of these people associate
such visits with bad experiences which produce undesired results. A visit from
elders is associated with something is wrongthey are coming to disfellowship
us, or condemn us, or lecture us, or demand something of us.
A significant challenge is found in turning negative concepts of visits from
appointed congregational leaders into positive concepts associated with
compassion, caring, and encouragement.
Often that transformation confronts many problems before it occurs. There is a
persistent conclusion that such encounters are bad events, not good events. Good
men are surprised when they encounter these negative concepts.
Challenge # 10: Determining Who Are Members
One of the first questions elders face today is this: Who is a part of the
congregation? Understanding that number factors into most of their decisions.
What needs to be done involves an understanding of how many people are the
leaders doing for. Addressing expectations involves knowing how many are
expecting. Wise leaders understand it is not how loud the voice is, but how many
the voice represents.
Ironically, something as seemingly mundane as producing a directory or composing
a mailing list can produce powerful emotional reactions. That is especially true
if the list is viewed by some as a declaration of who is and is not a member.
Sometimes it is a person who is upset, and sometimes it is the family of a
person who is upset. Thus, many congregational leaders literally do not know for
certain who is part of the congregation and who is not.
Surely, these are not all the challenges that appointed congregational leaders
face. Know that if you are appointed to congregational leadership, you will meet
challenges. Do not be pessimistic, but do not be surprised when the unexpected
occurs. Perhaps the ability to cope with the unexpected is a significant factor
in being effective as a leader.
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