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church hierarchy

The Economic Potential of the Small Church

squanderBigger Is Not Always Better

An earlier post included a bold and interesting claim.

There is more economic potential in an open church than in a closed church.

Fact: The mainline church, which includes the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, is economically challenged. Decline is the norm whether a congregation is large or small.

The most fragile element in the mainline church is the upper rung—the hierarchy. (Lutherans don’t believe in hierarchy, but sometimes we forget what we believe.)

Hierarchy is totally dependent on congregations. Congregations constitutionally control the land and monetary assets. They also drive mission.

This isn’t sitting well with leaders who like the idea that they are in control.

Nevertheless, this is is the way Lutherans like it. Predecessor constitutions actually forbade the synod level from owning property. Our ancestors sensed the temptation!

The ELCA’s founding documents and constitutions were originally presented to congregations protecting the congregations and empowering them with the control of their own ministry. As long as congregations are not violating the tenets of the faith, how they minister is their business. Lutheran congregations are not even required to support the hierarchy!

Today, the endangered hierarchy is making a big mistake. Their solution to riding out the economic crisis faced by every level of the church is to gain control of land and property for their own preservation. Their founding documents forbid this but most people—clergy and laity are unaware.

Hierarchies designed to shepherd and serve suddenly seek control. Power is discussed at the water cooler — not mission.

Attention and services become directed to churches of larger size with bigger offering plates. Smaller churches are neglected or ignored.

There is always a temptation of management-oriented leadership to assume that they know best. The ELCA founding documents protect congregations from this thinking by assuring congregations that their consent is required  when it comes to managing their property and ministry.

Well-intended constitutions have been ignored or amended to remove these safeguards. If a congregation does not cooperate with synod’s wishes or even if it is suspected that they might not cooperate —well, just get rid of the congregation. 

These policies, arguably illegal under Lutheran polity, squander the denomination’s strength—the community church—which sometimes is large but most often is small.

We will examine the economic potential of the small church from at least eleven vantage points:

  1. Legacy
  2. Voice
  3. Reputation
  4. Motivation
  5. Integrity
  6. Opportunity
  7. Immediacy
  8. Intimacy
  9. Mission
  10. Assets
  11. Promise
photo credit: outtacontext via photopin cc
27 Mar 2013

The Pope is Quitting. Who will fill his shoes?

There is a job opening in Rome.

The pope has resigned—the first time in 600 years a pope has stepped down before being called on the carpet by his Boss.

Joseph Ratzinger’s legacy as pope has drawn many comments that are less than gracious. They reveal disillusion and anger at hierarchy for ignoring pain and wrongdoing in the parishes for decades.

Ignoring isn’t the right word. They didn’t ignore the problems. They protected themselves and their clergy brethren at the expense of the weak and powerless.

Every six comments or so a supporter will speak up for the pope or the church, but their reasoning is not getting much traction.

The response over all was “Who cares.”

We suspect a great many care. People are just tired of their care being used. They are being driven from the Church they love and want to keep loving.

A movie was made shortly after the death of Pope John Paul II. It is an Italian film, subtitled in English. It is a charming story of the naming of a papal successor. Fictitious to be sure, but fiction often serves a realistic purpose. It is called in English “We Have A Pope.” Now might be a good time to rent it and review it. The sequestered College of Cardinals might take two hours and watch it before they begin deliberating.

I saw it about six months ago in a local theater. I had never before been to a movie that brought such cross criticism from the audience as they left the theater — from some viewers anyway. They didn’t like the ending, which I won’t reveal here.

I thought the ending was hopeful and the movie leading up to the ending was delightful — and I’m not a fan of subtitled movies.

The church faces many serious questions. These questions don’t tend to be asked within the church for obvious reasons. But the questions are out there and the answers are buried in the discontent that is revealed in the reaction to the current news.

All these questions can be summed up in just one:

Do we need a pope?

Perhaps the job should remain open for a while to see what is actually needed from those who find themselves leading the faithful. The faithful who invest their time, offerings, passion and very salvation following the teachings of hierarchy deserve this reevaluation.

Here’s something to remember. One of the greatest bishops ever rose to the position without being a church member at all.

Perhaps it is time for the Roman Catholic Church to look outside the box for new leadership—before the box becomes a coffin.

12 Feb 2013

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

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

Following Jesus or Following Orders?

“Since they haven’t talked to us they don’t actually know what we do, but they inferred something from something.”

This quote from Sister Simone Campbell, head of Network, a Catholic social justice lobby, sounds so like Redeemer’s experience. We, too, have faced criticism that defies explanation or proof.

The Sister goes on to analyze the Roman Catholic Church’s male-dominated hierarchy. She claims it simply doesn’t know how to deal with the encouragement women religious received under Vatican II.

We suspect the rift has less to do with male hierarchy than the nature of hierarchy itself.

The Lutheran Church, which constitutionally is not a hierarchy at all, is exhibiting the traits of the Roman and Episcopal Church hierarchical systems. The ELCA is no longer male-dominated. Nevertheless individual Lutheran bishops are muscle-flexing. The three 2×2 knows the most about are women.

The church in the 21st century is entering an era where hierarchies have little purpose. Consequently, those who have reached the pinnacle of church leadership find themselves with little to do — hierarchy-wise.

Lutherans as a congregation-based denomination have similar challenges. Top leaders have meetings, travel, visit, write occasional messages to the people, and seek the status of appointments to high level advisory positions — while the churches they serve operate without them.

Try this—write to Chicago (Lutheran national offices) and ask for help. If your experience is like Redeemer’s, you will receive no response or a letter denying responsibility for involvement.
So what do we pay them for?

Lutheran constitutions give the power to manage congregations not to the bishop, not to the parish pastor, but to the congregations.

Unfortunately, current challenges to the national church involve assuring member churches that all the players follow the rules. No one is watching the constitutions. They are becoming meaningless. That puts lay people at risk — if they insist on following the rules. Any volunteers?

Economic challenges have exacerbated the problems of purpose-challenged hierarchies. Self-preservation becomes a priority. This exhibits itself in budget crises and in leaders’ relationship with member churches. They can view the respect given to their role as power. Power craves control — bigger staffs, more programs. But bigger staffs and more programs are proving to be unneeded. Decreasing staff and cutting programs feels like failure. It’s not. It just feels bad.

Constitutionally Lutheran bishops have very little power. The constitution calls for consent of the congregation at every turn. Bishops are assigned the role of servant leader, which doesn’t mix with illusions of power very well.

It is interesting to watch the conflicts in the Roman Catholic Church. One can’t help but wonder if this latest pronouncement will distract attention from the other challenges facing the American Roman Catholic Church — a drought in the pool of clergy and religious professionals, the clergy sex scandals and its drain on the Church’s assets, the departure of the faithful from regular  participation in the parish and the resulting trickle-down effect on one of the traditional strengths of the Roman Catholic faith community — its school system (its future).

Lutherans have plenty of problems as well. We don’t seem to have leadership that is ready for the 21st century.

How should our non-hierarchical leaders keep busy?

They should be serving the congregations most in need. That’s the way Lutheran governance is designed. And it’s biblical.

As the Sister concludes, “I don’t think the bishops have any idea what they are in for.”

They should — but probably won’t — start by listening.

21 Apr 2012

Measuring the Potential of Church and Ministry

Today we are witnessing the end of the Medieval Era. The Church may be the last vestige of Feudalistic Society — where communities operated, lived and served under a select group of people who protected them.

That is the model of today’s church which found its enduring structure in the Middle Ages.

Today, Philadelphia is reeling over the proclamation from Roman Catholic leaders, based on a “Blue Ribbon Commission” report, that will close or merge dozens of neighborhood parish schools. There are strong hints that this is Stage One, with church closings to be announced next year. Dangle the string in front of the mouse a bit longer.

Decisions made by church hierarchy tend to be based on their own needs and resources more than the needs and resources of neighborhoods. There was a day when loyal lay people would not venture such criticism. Yesterday’s newspapers show that day is over.

Neighborhoods are beginning to recognize that the Feudalistic Church is no longer serving their needs and mission. It is existing to protect itself. It is a bitter pill for the most dedicated church supporters. We wish it weren’t so.

Hierarchies could make changes in policies and traditions at the leadership/service end, but it’s easier to dictate change to the rank and file.

Catholics are not alone — but they are in today’s spotlight. What results from the wisdom of the Catholic leadership remains to be seen. It is likely that the decision will accelerate any existing decline.  Affected congregations will lose a core part of their ministry focus. Their loyalties will not automatically transfer to consolidated schools — the hearts and souls of people just don’t work that way. The parishes who survived will not reap a windfall in support. The Church will be weakened. People will drift. Resources will be further strained. Substantial spoils of closed churches/schools, contributed by generations of neighborhood families, will go to enrich the unyielding hierarchy.

These decisions were likely based on statistics. Statistics tend to work against lay people. They are minimally involved in either collecting or reporting data. The data recorded may mean very little in a fast-changing world.

A fresh approach might be to stop measuring the people who are there and start measuring the people who are not there. Instead of measuring the services the church provides, measure the needs of the people who are not in church. This is a very biblical approach — something every congregation talks about doing, while they are measuring and reporting useless statistics.

Think about it. . . if you measure what you have, you are valuing and protecting the status quo. The church becomes a protective organization, making decisions to hang on to things as they are and hope for slight progress doing things the same old way.

If you start measuring needs and counting the people who are not in church, you are opening your community to service, mission and outreach. It will change your focus and thinking. The Bible is full of mandates to do just that.

We just have to get as good at measuring potential as we are at measuring failure.

09 Jan 2012