Have You Checked Your Church's DNA?
by Charles H. Chandler, D. Min., Executive Director
The mapping of the human DNA - the master plan of all life - is one of the major breakthroughs of modern medical science. It enables physicians to see the overall picture of a person's health. Vulnerable areas can be detected and through preventive medicine, life and quality of life may be extended.
Churches also have DNA. Just as both healthy genes and viruses are passed from generation to generation among human beings, both functional and dysfunctional systems pass the hereditary information from one generation to the next through cells in the organization. This includes churches. To know the background and health of a church does not solve all problems. However, it can reveal the need for organizational management.
Let me share two scenarios. A young pastor five years out of seminary accepted a call to a church made up primarily of older members. Though they had had a long linage of outstanding pastors, the church's growth had not met their expectations. Located in the "downtown" portion of a midsize city, they had determined to stay in their location in an effort to reach that changing community. The building was badly in need of renovation. During the first six months the new pastor visited in the homes of most of the membership. They wanted to know his vision for the church. He shared a few specific possibilities and asked what they would like to see happen. He included their visions with his as he continued to visit, listen and talk with families. A vision that was projected by the pastor was shaped by the people and within the first year the church voted unanimously to engage in a major renovation program. While most of the leadership of the church was old enough to be the pastor's parent or grandparent, they followed his leadership and the church took on new life and pioneered innovative social ministries that made an impact on the community. Though the church did not grow numerically, the decline slowed and the congregation found fulfillment in responding to the opportunities around them through helping to meet people's needs.
Later, when the pastor did a study of that scenario, he learned that the church had been born through a bitter church split. The new church was formed 35 years before the young pastor's arrival by the group supporting their pastor. Trust in their pastor was a part of their DNA. They did not "rubber stamp" pastoral leadership. The church leaders were also leaders in the community. They questioned proposals and offered suggestions. But they were also willing to place strong trust in the leadership of their ministers. Together they shaped visions and met needs.
In the second scenario, an experienced pastor was called to a fast growing suburban church that listed "strong pastoral leadership" as their first priority for their next pastor. This pastor also spent time visiting in homes and listening to church leaders' visions. Though there was widespread support for some new initiatives, many efforts such as renovation of one of the buildings to better utilize badly needed space, as well as an effort to adapt the church's organizational structure to accommodate future growth, were sabotaged by a small group who were charter members. Though this group did not represent the majority of the congregation, they succeeded in stifling the leadership efforts on the part of newer members and the ministerial staff. They wanted to hold the pastor and ministerial staff accountable for the health and growth of the church but did not want them to have much if any input in decision making.
After leaving that congregation, the pastor learned more about their heredity issues. The church had been born through a reaction to a pastor. The mother church planned to start a new church. Most of the leaders who resisted the mother church pastor's leadership jumped on the "new church start" bandwagon. Though the new church was presented as a missions venture, it was in reality a sophisticated church split in disguise. Those who joined the new church venture in reaction to the mother church's pastor, soon entrenched themselves as leaders of the new church. Their mistrust of ministers brought resistance to most issues.
The small core of resistance challenged the new pastor's leadership and undercut his influence. It was only after learning more about their DNA that the pastor understood the dynamics. Mistrust was in their DNA. This meant the congregation had some "healthy cells and some viruses". It also meant the system was functional at times and dysfunctional at other times.
Knowing your church's DNA does not
automatically mean that you will have a long and loving tenure. You
may be terminated for helping to bring health to an unhealthy system.
But you can make intentional choices that enable you to remain healthy in
the midst of dysfunction.
Here are some important questions to ask when considering a new assignment;
questions that might better prepare a pastor to make healthy decisions:
. How did the church start? Was support of a pastor or a
reaction to a pastor a factor?
. What are the church's secrets? Have the pain periods been
worked through? Learn where the church has been and how it developed
into what it has become.
. Has the church been able to alter their patterns in the past?
Or have their patterns become entrenched?
. How did their previous pastors leave? Were they forced out
as a result of behind-the-scenes maneuvers? Is there a pattern in how
the previous pastors left? Talk with previous pastors to get their
interpretation.
. How does the church make decisions? Is the pastor's input
respected? Are the church leaders willing to help shape proposals?
. Does the church accept new people? Are they allowed to be
part of the leadership team?
. Can the church let people go? If some feel "out of
step," can the church leaders let them go to a church where they could
feel more "in step?"
. Does the church accept responsibility for its actions? Or
does the congregation become dysfunctional when initiatives are not
successful?
. Can the church accept change? Has the decision already been
made to keep everything the same?
Self-differentiation is important in leading a congregation in relation to
trust or mistrust. Dysfunctional churches also need ministers.
Good questions for ministers leading such congregations to ask are:
. Do I know myself including my trust and mistrust in myself?
. Do I know how to be in contact with the situation without losing
my own identity?
. Can I self-define and self-regulate sufficiently to avoid over or
under functioning?
. Can I develop a plan that utilizes input from the lay leaders and
communicate it?
. Does sabotage - too much trust or mistrust - baffle me or do I
know how to handle it?
If God leads a minister to a church, He can empower that minister to provide
good servant leadership. It makes good sense, however, to understand
the obstacles you may face in the process. It is a safeguard in
maintaining your own emotional health.