Reflections
WHY ISN'T IT HAPPENING?
By Edward A. White (Senior Consultant, The Alban Institute)
Hendrick Kraemer published A Theology Of the Laity In 1958, expounding with great clarity about the ministry of the whole people of God in the world. At the time his book made a big impression and was widely discussed. Since then, however, nothing much has changed. For the most part the church continues to behaves as if it were and end unto itself and the vast majority of Christians discover precious little help in connecting their faith and their daily life. Indeed, most congregations do not see their primary task as equipping their members for ministry in daily life! Making disciples has been replaced by the primary task of catering to consumers. Why isn't the ministry of the whole people of God happening?
Stanley Hauerwas, William Willimon, Loren Mead and others have written about the demise of Christendom and of a society that publicly affirmed Judeo-Christian values and the usefulness of the church. The mission field for the American Church is no longer primarily Asia, Africa, and Latin America. It is here on the doorstep of the local church in a culture whose attitude toward Christianity ranges from indifferent to hostile. Here in Washington D.C. citizens and the local government are collaborating to close down traditional church sponsored programs to feed the homeless and the hungry and the First Amendment free exercise of religion is in jeopardy. Christendom is indeed gone, yet our churches are still living with the organizational structures and the mind set that were designed to work in Christendom. The idea that people in the pew are the front line missionaries is foreign to our whole way of thinking. Traditional roles of clergy and laity just don't work anymore. A growing number of clergy are burning out, dropping out or being involuntarily terminated. At a national staff conference of the Southern Baptist Home Mission Board I was told that Southern Baptist clergy are being involuntarily terminated at a rate of between 200 and 250 a month.
The church is not the only institution that is in trouble. Business, government, education and indeed most institutions of our society are in trouble. Interestingly, some of the most creative thinking about vision, mission, and stewardship is taking place in the so-called secular world.
A seminal thinker is Peter Block, author of Stewardship: Choosing Service Over Self Interest . This book is written by a man who believes that the hyper individualism and compulsive greed that dominate our institutions at present lead to hollow lives for people and a dead-end for organizations. He believes that in order to renew our institutions we must redistribute power, purpose and wealth. Stewardship requires institutional integrity. Patriarchy (hierarchy) must give way to partnership.
Christians discover precious little help in connecting faith and their daily life.
Writing primarily with the business community in mind, Block proposes nine principles for transformation of institution:
1. Maximize the choice for those closest to the work. The choice we offer people is what creates accountability.
2. Reintegrate the managing and doing of work. We no longer need one group (low paid) to do the work and another group (high paid) just to monitor them.
3. Let measurements and controls serve the core workers. Measures are designed by those to be measured and control is maintained by team and peer arrangements.
4. Yield on consistency across groups and support local solutions (different strokes for different folks).
5. Service is everything. People are accountable to those they serve which makes bosses accountable to subordinates.
6. A minimum of management and staff jobs..."flattening" the organization.
7. End secrecy...support the idea of full disclosure, including salaries and pay systems.
8. Freedom and commitment are joined..."People engaged in the redesign of their governance need to commit to act in the interest of the whole organization. (p 67.)
9. Redistribute wealth...Reward systems need to tie everyone's fortunes to the success of the organization. There should be a common pay system (set of rules) which does not mean that everyone gets paid the same.
Block recommends dispensing with the traditional performance review which in his judgement buys compliance rather than commitment. The underlying principle is that commitment comes with ownership. In a patriarchy, the only committed people are the patriarchs.
What a challenge to translate this kind of thinking into the life of the church where so often a passive receptive congregation practices minimum discipleship and "the ministry" is owned only by the clergy.
In short, empowering the ministry of the laity in daily life requires a transformation of the church institution. It cannot be done merely by introducing a new curriculum or a new program. The culture, the expectation, the core values and norms of the congregation must undergo change. Among the changes, the following must be addressed:
1. How can the model of ordained ministry become corporate and collaborative instead of individualistic and competitive? In seminary, we are taught to compete for grades and in the congregations we compete for new members. That's not new Testament Christianity!
2. How can clergy learn to distinguish between "power" and "authority?" In the words of Jack Harris, "Every pastor must make a decision as to whether he/she wants to be in control or to be taken seriously." Clergy are frequently done in by inordinate control needs that are grounded in spiritual and emotional insecurity.
3. How can the congregation resist the compelling ethos of "consumerism" and "careerism" that pervade our society? Can we incarnate corporate values that say no to greed and self obsession?
4. How can congregations learn to recognize and value ministry in daily life as much as ministry in the church institutional system? For example, can we learn to honor our public school teachers at least on par with our Sunday school teachers?
5. How can new church members be taken seriously in terms of an incorporation process that empowers them to be disciples in a hostile pagan culture? In the early church there was a two or three year rigorous apprenticeship training process that proceed baptism into the community of faith.
6. How can we learn to express our faith effectively in a non-imperious manner in a religiously pluralistic culture? Can we learn to communicate significant spiritual meaning without violating other folks boundaries?
7. How can the church system foster "adult-adult" relationships at all levels in place of the prevailing "parent-child" relationships? Parental leadership tends to breed either passive or rebellious children.
8. How can helping each member discern their gifts and their call become a central feature of congregational life? Congregations tend to care only about what you can do in, with, and for the local church institution.
9. How can clergy be prepared emotionally and spiritually as well as intellectually for parish ministry? Most of the preparations process for ordination is a left brain head trip. Most clergy burn out or are forced out, not for intellectual or doctrinal reasons, but because of emotional and spiritual inadequacy to cope.
Making the empowerment of the laity the next "three-year denominational emphasis" will not do. What is needed is a fundamental transformation at the congregational level concerning "who we are and what business we're in!"
Reprinted from the APCE Advocate, Fall 1994
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