A First Nations friend used to say frequently that when people encounter stressful situations with change as an inevitable reality they will, particularly if they suffer from addiciton and/or dependency issues, react in fear ... He then went on to describe the F.E.A.R. principle that comes into play ..."Watch," he would say, "they'll live by F.E.A.R."
"What does that mean?" I naively asked.
"F.E.A.R. ..." he said laughing, "F@*& Everything And Run!!"
He was sooooooo right ...
In so many places I've witnessed that very principle at work. People will physically run away from the challenge of the moment ... they will withdraw ... or worst of all - they will LASH OUT.
Since reading the book "Christianity for the Rest of Us" by Diana Butler Bass I've been digging through some of my Church and Theological Resources looking for more information about the difference between a Village Church and what I've dubbed a Seeker Church. This issue looms large in the work I'm undertaking around the Masters Thesis I'm currently writing.
I want to examine the role of Church Congregations as a means of community, economic and social development in rural communities ... given that the Church is often the last Institution to pull out of small rural communities, they would seemingly have opportunities to be MORE than just a weekly Worship service.
Yet, even Churches rich in resources and capital of all kinds, there has often been something hindering these communities from realizing that POTENTIAL ... Reading Butler Bass, the penny finally dropped ... I began to connect some of the theoretical threads ... Butler Bass' view of the Emerging Church ... Friedman's view of the Church as a Family Process System ... the visionary work of folks like Wallis, Stivers and others ... and the works of many calling on the Church to BE MORE THAN JUST A WORSHIPPING COMMUNITY ... have started to come together, as I've been exploring the WHY?
Some churches are just not able to face the challenge of change with anything less than fear ...the same fear that causes the F.E.A.R. principle to kick into play ...
Nelson Granade says it well when he notes:
Communities desperately need leaders to guide the way through the challenges of change, but they often reject leaders because of the anxiety associated with such change.Anxious communities, like anxious congregations, can become unhealthy systems and develop unrealistic expectations of leaders. Just as anxious congregations "over focus on their clergy" and "find it immensely difficult to see the rest of the system," anxious comunities overfocus on community leaders and fail to see the core causes of their apprehension. The community's "blurred vision" generates unrealistic expectations of leaders and distorted ideas about community problems. The leader becomes a magnet for criticism while the community stumbles along failing to see or to address radical economic and cultural shifts. Foundational issues recieve little attention and thus continue to be unresolved, creating even greater and higher levels of anxiety. The unfortunate result is that leadership is devalued and those brave enough to offer leadership often decide the results are NOT worth the effort ...
He then goes on to describe the PROBLEM that community leaders like Clergy face when they are courageous (or stupid) enough to step outside the Traditional Role (and usually unrealistic) expectation they have imposed upon them ... In trying to challenge people to critically examine the Status Quo and seek new ways of doing and being, in a community living in F.E.A.R. they face anger, rejection and ultimately the loss of their employment.
Village Churches today live in a place of F.E.A.R. The world around them is changing rapidly ... the "old" ways are fading ... Today's challenge is for them face the reality around them and overcome their fear, or accept their fate and hang up the "We're Closed" sign.
Change is inevitable ... and like the wise man once said - "we have NOTHING to fear BUT fear itself."
Today the Church (that is YOU and I) that is seeking a healthy active spirituality that transcends the strictures of Tradition MUST face its fear and seek to LIVE its faith BOLDLY and without any F.E.A.R.
Running away is NO LONGER AN OPTION !!!
Now the challenge will be to find the means of helping communities and leadership to assess and evaluate the status of a community and whether it is a Village Church or a Seeker Church ... and act accordingly. A Village Church needs a Eulogy prepared ... The Seeker Church needs a map and a guide book to help make the road ahead an adventure ...
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