Before the Coronavirus our church was dealing with challenges that most congregations do. Stagnating membership numbers, worship attendance decline, tightening budgets. These topics have been under discussion for some time. Urgency was added to these discussions as longer term solutions were needed. That conclusion came slowly. The time to act, however, was understood as now.
Immediate actions were taken but so too, were new pathways of thinking about the long-term future of our congregation. We know we have something special. We are family. We enjoy being together. We share faith and fun and life seamlessly.
Truth be told, the problems our church faces are the very same ones that called me to seminary in 1968. That’s 52 years ago. Over the past half century, a lot was accomplished, but a lot was failed, too. For one, our nation has a deep thread of racism that remains in our subconsciousness and consciousness. I can say that, because 1968 was a year of assassinations, political upheaval, cultural change and stark racism. At the time I felt only a deep, personal conviction of social values supported and energized by churches could get at the cause of these problems. So, I entered the seminary to do something about it.
That didn’t work out so well. I returned to a career but one of helping people. Human Resource management was one theme. Higher education and student development and leadership was another theme. Nonprofit organizations was still another theme that wedded my interests in producing outcomes that were of benefit to others on a self-sustaining basis. All of these assignments fed my passions. I was satisfied.
But much to my horror, 52 years later, I find a society still rooted in racism and white supremacy. I find a selfish and greedy society focused on building wealth any way it can regardless of its cost to others. So, people pursue power for the sole purpose of finding money for themselves and their family. We have not returned to assassinations, yet, but I fear that is coming. Meanwhile, character assassinations rage.
Nothing will change unless we fundamentally change our thinking. That can only happen if we honestly open our minds and emotions to the possibilities of being with and working with other people. It will help if we make those others different than ourselves. We must see the world in all of its diversity and humanity. That vision helps place everything in a healthy perspective.
Life is about all of us. Not just me, I, or you. Not a narrow family of relatives and friends. Or neighbors. All of us. All nations. All ethnicities. All religions and social mores. Much we do not know or understand. We can only make a dent in that by exploring the whole world. Not just our own narrow existence.
The church is a way forward in that exploration. An honest exploration of inclusion and diversity. Not to do that is walking away from the challenge. It is uncomfortable but vital to do.
We have the time today in our sheltering mode to think on these things and create new possibilities. Think of the outcomes desired sometime in the future. Then work backward to find a way to them eventually.
We are creative. We are educated. We know how to think and learn. Let’s practice doing all of that together in one process and see what results. Pick a problem you are most curious about and think on ways to resolve it.
I’m engaged in doing this daily. How about you?
March 26, 2020
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