The Dangers of the Corporate Church

How the Internet Can Force Us to Take A Good Look at Ourselves

A young man has been ranting online about the death of his sister in a car accident and her insurance company’s maneuverings to avoid paying the benefit included in her policy. They have probably spent more than the $75,000 the policy promised.

Considering the tragic circumstances, Mike Fisher’s writing is civil. His arguments make sense and are presented graciously. The battle that his parents have had to wage reveals the failing of corporate thinking. Money and litigation experience allows the Corporation to abuse its customers.

There was a time when victims of bad corporate behavior had little recourse.

Today, the internet can make a dent in corporate thinking. Matt Fisher’s writings got the attention of Seth Godin and his massive corporate following.

Seth writes:

They bet on short memories and the healing power of marketing dollars, commercials and discounts. Employees are pushed to focus on bureaucratic policies and quarterly numbers, not a realization that individuals, not corporations, are responsible for what they do.

The Corporate Church is no better than Progressive. They are mired in “corporate think.” It’s handling of its members has strayed far from biblical teachings. Dollars rule. People: too bad.

In Redeemer’s conflict with the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the same thinking is evident. The Church turned on its own “policy holders.” The conflict was vicious from the opening bell. The bishop attempts to make it look as if great efforts were made otherwise. They weren’t. In all the rhetoric explaining how hard they worked with Redeemer, they never give examples. There aren’t any.

The Church, from the start, used corporate power and pooled assets of 160 congregations to go after individuals in one small church.

The people of Redeemer always thought we were on the same side.

The lives of 82 lay volunteer church members have been turned upside down for four years with no end in sight. The Church is oblivious that their actions are against their own members— old people, children, immigrants, disabled people, students—faithful, hard-working people—the people the Church advertises that it cares for.

To SEPA, we are the enemy.

This enemy has been fighting for one thing—that SEPA and the ELCA keep the promises made to member churches.

The courts don’t want any part of church disputes. Unfortunately neither do other congregations, clergy, Presiding Bishop Hanson, or the national church.

Progressive Insurance creates enticing advertisements. Get the dollars flowing.

The Corporate Church preaches that it cares about bullying and social justice, love, reconciliation and compassion. When put to the test, it is just as self-protective of power and money as the Corporate Insurance Agency.

They are both in the “people business.” It’s time they both act like it.

People could stop the abuse. Will they?

We won’t buy Progressive Insurance. We still call ourselves Lutheran.

17 Aug 2012

What’s Missing from the Church? Emotion

“We are not thinking machines that feel;
rather, we are feeling machines that think.”

—Antonio Damasio

What does it take to mobilize a congregation?

The answer to this question is elusive. It is usually answered with formulaic responses presented by distant church leaders, many of whom have limited hands-on pastoral experience.

Get a good pastor. (Definition of this is never clear).
Write a mission statement. (The push to have mission statement is now a decade or more old. Has it made a difference?)
Target certain demographics. (Rather exclusive!)

Sometimes these approaches work. Not usually.

A congregation will not be mobilized until it feels. Emotion is fuel for action.

People don’t act based on the analytical part of their brains. They act based upon the emotional parts of their brains. In head vs heart, heart wins.

Churches are not good at handling emotion. Emotions can be so messy!

The cerebral approach permeates church life. We tend to turn up our noses at more demonstrative styles of worship. Soon, even hymns of joy are sung cerebrally, with every nose in the congregation buried in the hymnal!

Pastors are often cerebral in their approach to ministry. They are trained to read and analyze scripture. Applying that training to action is s rarer skill.

To appeal to the emotional is daring and dangerous, but it is the only way to get a congregation moving.

Congregational leaders must find ways to help worshipers feel again.

Too often in its history, the Church has relied on two emotions: FEAR and GUILT.

And we wonder why people stay away!

Here are some emotions that could change your congregational life for the better.

LOVE is powerful. Love is a verb. It is easy to talk about love and do nothing.

ANGER is a powerful emotion. Make sure anger is directed in unselfish ways, but don’t be afraid to encourage appropriate anger.

HOPE is an emotion. Hope is lost if people come to church week after week and nothing happens.

JOY is a powerful emotion. It demands expression. Foster joy. People are eager to come together when they can expect true joy. (View the boychoir video in the last post. Those boys come faithfully to rehearsals because they are encouraged to express joy. Compare the faces of the boy singers to the faces of the typical church choir!)

Warning! A church that takes an emotional approach to mission will experience conflict. It goes with the territory. Conflict, well-managed, can be a good thing. Both the Old and New Testaments are infused with conflict. If transformation is to be more than a buzzword, it must be expected, respected and embraced.

Learn to foster emotions—and the conflicts that go with them. Be prepared to use the dynamics of emotion to teach, motivate and change lives — including your congregation’s life!

16 Aug 2012

Restoring Trust in the Church (for the first time in a long time)

Building on a post by Lou Hoffman in “grow”—which builds on the thinking of Mark Schaefer.

The headline grabbed the attention of this Yankee.

Adopting the Piggly Wiggly View of Social Media

Piggly Wiggly? Isn’t that the grocery store in the movie, Driving Miss Daisy?

Piggly Wiggly, as a little research reveals, was the first self-service grocery store. Very few people are alive today that remember any other kind!

Back in 1917, an entrepreneur set out to change things. In those days, if you wanted a bag of flour, you walked into the local grocery with your own wicker basket and stepped up to a counter. The clerk fetched a bag of flour from behind the counter. You went down your list with the clerk turning to collect your desired items from the shelf and assembling your order on the counter before filling your basket and accepting your coin.

Clarence Saunders got rid of the counter. He stacked shelves with food and allowed customers to roam around and choose groceries themselves. He put prices on each item and provided a cart with wheels so you could buy more items, more easily. Revolutionary!

He met with resistance. All innovators do!

Stockholders feared customers would rob them blind. Sure, there are shoplifters, but for the most part, we all go to the grocery store today and select our own food.

Learn from this, Church. Get over your fear; trust the people.

Trust is not really very common n the Church. Much of Church tradition grew from distrust.

This is regularly displayed in the presentation of the Eucharist. One common method requires clergy to be the only hand to touch the host, placing the bread in the mouths of parishioners like a parent bird. The custom grew from the Church’s lack of trust in her people. If you allow peasants to touch the host they might not eat it like they are supposed to.

When trust is absent, control steps in. With control comes power. Power is a hungry beast that needs regular attention. Eventually, controls become so harsh that people no longer trust church leaders. Reversing established controls is difficult. Result: no one trusts anyone. Some church!

Social Media relies on trust. The Church has been very slow to embrace Social Media. No surprise! Social Media cannot be controlled top-down and that’s all the Church knows.

Social Media has arrived just in time. People’s trust in Church leaders has been shattered by scandal. The actions of a few can bring the downfall of many.

Religious groups must recognize that faith and involvement in Church is optional.

By the way, the modern grocery story opened many doors. Sellers of products could now get the attention of the consumers without relying on the grocer. Consumers, by roaming around a well-stocked store, became familiar with cooking and cuisine from all over the world.

Think what opening the windows and doors with Social Tools of the Church might do!

Trust is a responsibility. There was a time when dialog in the Church was one way. This was back in the day when authorities made the rules, published the books and held the key to the treasury which was kept full by exerting power.

Today, it is two-way. It is likely that a lot of dialog will happen before the Church actually starts to listen. But people do have a voice and will learn to use it.

If this is not recognized, the leaders in the church will become reactionary, doing whatever they can to hang on to old-fashioned power structure even as the congregations they serve fail.

This is no way to run a Church.

photo credit: Surat Lozowick via photo pin cc

09 Aug 2012

When the Church Ignores the Obvious

Another Chapter in a Tale of Two Churches

In 1979, Alfred Krass, A United Christian Church pastor from nearby Levittown, Pa., wrote a “white paper” on Evangelism in Mainline Denominations, published in Christian Century magazine.

Reading this study 33 years later reveals that many of the issues raised remain serious issues in mainline denominations. As is often the case in the Church, issues raised that are not on the popular agenda are often ignored.

Rev. Krass’s paper ends by identifying two questions for which he saw no denominations taking any steps to address. One involved the methods of communication used by the Church. The article did not foresee the internet and its tremendous potential for change (largely ignored by the Church).

The other problem he identified 33 years ago was the absence of families in Church and the ineffectiveness of motivating families as evangelists.

Redeemer’s Ambassador visits reveal that this is still a crying need in the Church. Rev. Krass identified the absence of 15- to 45-year-olds. Redeemer’s Ambassador visits reveal that the spread is now even broader. With very few exceptions, among the nearly 50 churches we have visited, children and youth are absent. When present, they can be counted on the fingers of one hand. Furthermore, the missing age group in church today is more realistically 1-50.

This was not true of Redeemer. Our age spectrum was fairly broad with no one age group dominating.

This problem unaddressed for the last three decades remains a problem. What are we doing about it?

The missing age group is the demographic where multiple generations actually live together under one roof — or in today’s world — under two roofs. The prevalence of the divided family is probably a big part of the problem. Religion can be an additional divisive agent.

How do we shape our message so that it reaches this majority population?

He closes with a point that church camps are ideally situated to minister to families. Interesting! Redeemer was a big supporter of church camping, making sure that as many members as possible were able to attend family camp and other church camping programs. Perhaps Rev. Krass’s ideas were working for us!

East Falls is an interesting place to study this question. This traditionally working class neighborhood happens to be blessed. It is a nice place to live and raise families and many generations stayed in East Falls through the years of “white flight.” Property values are strong despite the average family income. Families that raised six kids in their millworkers’ rowhouses and hung onto their property are now property rich. The vultures are all too willing to swoop in.

The conditions in East Falls and the actions of leaders of its faith communities reveal the priorities of hierarchies.

East Falls has Redeemer, where SEPA Synod has evicted the families and locked the doors, claiming the property the congregation had owned and the building they had built on working class salaries. More recently, St. Bridget’s Roman Catholic Church, was forced by its hierarchy to close its school. Redeemer had a strong family ministry. St. Bridget’s School was the hub of parish activity.

In sharing their experiences, both congregations noted the same thing. The “hierarchy” wasn’t listening. (Note: Lutherans aren’t really hierarchical. Their leaders just act that way.)

Another thing the two congregations have in common: Their hierarchies see church property as of more value to them when they are occupied by people who can pay more to use them than church members who live in the neighborhood.

Interesting, indeed!

photo credit: John Carleton via photo pin cc

08 Aug 2012

We Still Call Ourselves Lutherans

As Redeemer Ambassadors visit churches of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, we are often asked where we are from. After three years, the question is still a kick in the gut.

SEPA/ELCA rejected us four years ago. It did more than reject us. It confiscated our property and pursued members in court — an ongoing travesty that countless good Lutherans handle by looking the other way. (The message of the Good Samaritan story has been lost in translation.)

ELCA founding documents, the foundation of Lutheran law, forbid the confiscation of congregational property. Courts have decided they can’t uphold church law. They have no jurisdiction.

Two dissenting state Appeal Court judges wrote an opinion that if the law were followed, the members of Redeemer were making arguments that should be heard.

This should raise eyebrows among Lutherans.

East Falls Lutherans are left with a difficult choice. The hierarchical assumption (if not wish) is that members would seamlessly uproot their lives, traditions, and personal relationships and travel to other Lutheran churches on Sunday morning with their offerings. Suing church members makes this scenario unlikely. Which congregation wants the targets of SEPA litigation as members?

Other ELCA churches have failed to lift a finger. Many of them are no stronger than Redeemer—cowering as they await their turn at rejection. The less they do now, the more likely that day is coming.

There are lessons to be learned by the Church about how to treat church members. They are not unlike the lessons business and government are learning in the modern world. Power has shifted.

The Church, living in its own lawless bubble, may be the last to grasp this. People, in the post-feudal church at least, have long controlled the purse strings. Now they control communication as well.

The shift in power is a good thing. We should be rejoicing. People can make a difference! The whole Church can make a bigger difference — but only if the concept is understood and put to use.

When SEPA Synod visited East Falls with faux concern for the neighborhood back in March, Redeemer was there. Did Rev. Davenport realize that 10% of the audience that day had connections to Redeemer? She was oblivious. SEPA doesn’t realize that members don’t evaporate just because you lock doors. We still live here. We still participate in neighborhood government and patronize neighborhood businesses.

There are only so many church properties SEPA can seize to pay hierarchical bills before they will have to come up with a better survival tactic. Now is a good time to start looking!

What should the Church do with loyal members when they dare to challenge actions?

Just practice what is preached!

What would be happening today inside Redeemer if members had been treated as children of God and not as enemies that must be vanquished at any cost?

A better way is still possible. Sooner or later a Good Samaritan will pass by.

Meanwhile, Redeemer members visit the congregations who have rejected us and answer with pride, “We are from Redeemer Lutheran Church in East Falls.”

We are still Lutherans—and proud of it!

07 Aug 2012

How Hierarchies Are Putting the Church Out of Business

Hierarchies start with the best of intentions.

Centralize authority to ensure quality and efficiency. Call it leadership.
Pool resources for cost effectiveness. Call it stewardship.

This has worked only short-term. In the long run, it has been disastrous and self-destructive.

The Church has been in the hierarchy game for a very long time. The Old Testament dallies in a number of systems—patriarchy, slavery, judiciary, military, monarchy—each with strengths for the moment, each going awry to be dealt with by a powerful, vengeful (but still loving) God.

The New Testament, puts all of this aside and forges a new relationship between God and His people, centered not on wrath but on love.

As Christianity spread, scattered faith communities sought unified leadership. The keys handed to the fisherman who set out with a walking stick and the shirt on his back were soon held by those with well-appointed robes and massive treasuries. The only way to keep the coffers full was to exert power.

The trappings of power created the illusion of necessity. Necessity became entrenched. If anyone noticed that the system was leading nowhere, they were dealt with swiftly.

The well-intended system stopped working a long time ago. It took centuries for Reformation to attempt to do something about it. Its success was limited and its message seems to be forgotten.

That’s the way with hierarchies.

Today, every person wields tremendous power. A teenager holding a smart phone controls more resources than worldwide television networks had twenty years ago.

When church members in the pew realize this, there will be a new Reformation. The only delay in this happening is the long tradition of lay people doing little but following and the innate desire of God-loving people for peace and pleasantry.

There are still many (if far fewer) satisfied followers sitting in the pews. Knowledgeable, motivated leaders among them are beginning to realize that their considerable efforts to gather resources to support the hierarchies isn’t good stewardship after all. They are growing weary of struggling for resources that do nothing for their communities but maintain a building and support a requisite hierarchically named pastor. They are looking for new supporters, but the lines of people looking for controlling relationships with its own system of taxation is very short.

For the time being the hierarchies are licking their chops as they glean the last kernel of corn from the field before they give up their ways—all the while preaching that the problems of the Church are that congregations won’t change.

Hierarchies don’t really want change.

But change cannot be avoided.

There are fewer churches and fewer Christians. Same old hierarchies.

photo credit: K e v i n via photo pin cc (retouched)

06 Aug 2012

Making Choices in the Church

There is new jargon in the world of parenting. When our children stray from the path we would hope they follow, we scold them for “making poor choices.”

Not “wrong” choices. “Poor” choices. That’s less judgmental.

Making choices is a big responsibility. It is something we are asked to do regularly in the Church.

We can choose to attend worship . . . or not.
We can choose to support the work of the Church with our offerings . . . or not.
We can choose to help . . . or not.
We can choose to stand up for an unpopular cause . . . or not.
We can choose to speak out for the oppressed . . . or not.

Children make choices. Parents make choices. Congregations and leaders make choices. Pastors make choices. Bishops make choices.

The Church can choose to invest in social change.
The Church can choose to be more welcoming.
The Church can choose to tolerate differences.
The Church can choose to give a voice to those who differ.
The Church can choose to resolve conflict.
The Church can choose to love, forgive and reconcile.
Or not.

Sometimes the Church makes good choices. More often we make the choices that are less troublesome and require the least effort.

Sometimes the choices we make are more than poor. They are wrong.

That’s where the Church chooses to fail.

photo credit: Dr Case via photo pin cc (retouched)

03 Aug 2012

Social Statements As Ritual

In a previous post, we noted how the Church, when struggling, turns to adjusting a rite or ritual to create an illusion of accomplishment.

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has a ritual that exists outside of worship. It is called the Social Statement.

Social Statements, Messages and Resolutions

Social Statements are treatises explaining the official position of the Church on topics of concern to both the Church and secular society. They are designed to facilitate discussion in hopes that congregations address issues on their own but in keeping with the teachings of the Church.

Lutherans value individual belief and diversity, so the Statements, for the considerable work put into them, carry no real weight.

The ELCA has been in existence since 1988. It has issued 11 Social Statements. Topics include: abortion, Church in Society, the death penalty, economic life, education, the environment, genetics, health and healthcare, peace, culture and sexuality.

For situations requiring more expediency, the ELCA Church Council adopts Social Messages. In the past 23 years, they have addressed 12 issues.

Carrying less weight is a third level of statement: Social Policy Resolutions. There are tons of these sitting on the ELCA website.

Drafting Social Statements in the Digital Age

The process of drafting Social Statements began before the full power of the internet was realized. Individuals are named to a commission that creates a draft document. Discussions are held at the regional level with the commission drafting the final document to be voted on by the Churchwide Assembly.

It is now possible to have ongoing debates without scheduling geographic meetings with their limitations.

Discussion could take place regionally or on the denomination’s magazine site. This site is open to all by subscription only, which limits its effect as a forum and evangelical tool. The internet eliminates logistical restraints but the Church creates new ones!

The documents, even in draft form are available on the web. It would be interesting to know the statistics of how many times these documents are downloaded, shared, tweeted, etc. This could only increase readership and effectiveness and should be easy to do. Comments should not only be allowed, they should be encouraged. Without interaction, they sit on the national church website gathering cyberdust.

The Current Effort

The ELCA is currently developing a statement on Criminal Justice for consideration in 2013. The Church’s view on this topic should be interesting as it has exempted itself from the laws its members are expected to follow. When challenged, it cries “Separation of Church and State” but does not hesitate to use the courts to force its will on congregations as evidenced in the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod and its treatment of the members of Redeemer congregation. On this issue, where the church is a lead player, there has been no room for diversity. Members have been denied voice and vote by decree. Open discussion is discouraged.

The Church addresses issues with minimal impact. There is the illusion of caring and involvement.

Now what? Work done?

02 Aug 2012

How Changing Rituals Often Substitutes for Progress

When churches are really struggling, leaders need to do something.

Leaders are faced with choices. Some choices will be hard work. Some choices will be expensive or chancy. There must be an easier way!

Enhancing a ritual is something that can be done — often by edict — that is a sign that something has happened.

There is an appearance of meaningful change. Sometimes the only change is that the church leader, usually the pastor, has bragging rights—something to list in the annual report.

Church rites are often the target of faux progressive initiatives.

The changes may be accompanied by a series of sermons on why the changes are being made. There may be good reasoning and sound theology, but there was probably already good theology behind a congregation’s traditions.

Holy Communion is often the instrument of such reform.

Church leaders can boast of progress when all they are doing is the same thing—more or less often or in a fancier or plainer way.

The tacit reasoning may be that it is hard or distasteful for people to argue about something so sacred.

True, many people will avoid unpleasantness in the church. If they feel their traditions are being unfairly violated, many will suffer in silence or simply stop coming. It’s called voting with your feet. Today’s church has a very large voting bloc by this definition.

People feel manipulated. “Have we been wrong all this time?”

When such changes are brought about by some form of strong-arming, it would be wise to measure results. This is rarely done! Even if it were, reversing a decision may be too embarrassing.

Before venturing change in heartfelt traditions ask a question: Will this change have the desired spiritual impact and enhance the overall mission of the congregation?

If the answer is no, find an activity that does make a difference.

It will probably be more work.

photo credit: maistora via photo pin cc

31 Jul 2012

Be Doers of the Word and Not Hearers Only

Levels of Church Membership

There are in the Lutheran denomination three levels of church membership.

Baptized Members

Baptized members include all who have been baptized—adults and children.

Confirmed Members

Traditionally, child baptized members become full, confirmed members upon completion of study, usually around age 15. Once confirmed, youth have full membership privileges.

When adults join churches with little or no childhood experience in the Church, membership requirements are less clear. They can transfer membership from another Lutheran Church or a different denomination, with guidelines for acceptance consisting of little more than the recitation of a creed. Faith communities are often so starved for members that even that is not required.

Associate Members

Some congregations have a designation of associate membership. These adult members can hold full membership in another church while participating in congregational life as fully as they like— but they do not have voting privileges.

These are the constitutional membership guidelines. There are problems with these which might become more clear if we define church membership along biblical lines.

Hearers and Doers

There are Hearers of the Word and there are Doers of the Word.

All faith begins with hearing the Word. But hearing alone is not enough.

Most church governance centers on Hearers of the Word. There are far more of them and their individual votes count the same as that of people who may be far more committed.

Favoring Hearers and ignoring Doers dummies down the Church.

Hierarchical leadership does not like Doers of the Word —unless they DO exactly as they are told. The problem for Doers who have a strong foundation in faith is that they honor leadership only when leadership is scripturally based and act within constitutional guidelines. In their minds, they answer to a higher authority.

There are differences among Doers. Doers who do not have a strong faith foundation can create a cult-like following.

Doers commit far more than a weekly monetary offering. They commit time and passion. Doers look for opportunities to improve and change church community. Doers challenge their Faith Community. They motivate.

Doers will challenge status quo leadership.

The problem in the ELCA is that the status quo is revered. That makes Doers of the Word, whether they be clergy or lay members, people to be tolerated. If Doers are insistent upon change, they become unwelcome and are labeled as oddballs or trouble-makers. At worst they are targets of insecure leaders —the more insecure, the more ruthless.

The position of Hearers of the Word becomes glorified. They are less trouble.

The fact that there are far fewer Hearers in the ELCA doesn’t seem to faze leadership.

Doers, on the other hand, are an endangered species. This doesn’t faze our leaders either!

When a denomination is governed by Hearers of the Word and Doers are shut out, there are serious problems.

28 Jul 2012

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