Chapter 4 – Implementation – General Principles
Wanting a change is one thing, making it happen in a peaceful and wise and effective way is another. I have no intention of hitting denominations over the head and saying “go away” and leaving it at that. That’s not a revolution – that’s abuse or just silly irresponsible pot-stirring. We need some good methods and a lot of patience if we are to make the transition beyond bureaucracy and denominationalism into a better way of being Christian.
Who Can We Get To Help Us With The Change – After All There Is Only One of You?
That’s just not true. There are probably thousands of good Christian businessmen, managers and consultants who if shown this book would immediately know what should be done to help you and your organisation and most of them would do a better job that I would.
You need people that have implemented change in an organisation and who are sensitive to the pain that organisational change can cause. HR managers are a good starting point. They need to be committed Christians who love the church and who want to see it grow. You don’t want anarchists or mavericks or people who have been badly burned by the church and now want their moment of revenge and you definitely don’t want people who aren’t Christians. You need people who love the mission of the church and believe in evangelism, missionary work , Christian education etc but who hate, loath and detest church politics, bureaucracy and pointless memos from HQ. You need someone who loves you and who is theologically compatible with you and shares your vision but is prepared to be brutal with the accumulated rubbish of denominational life. You need your mother! (grin) A word of warning – be very careful about academics testing their theories on you! Academics live in bureaucracies and breathe its air and bring those germs with them. Few have implemented serious high level organisational change and most like creating complexity whereas the whole idea is to get rid of it. We don’t need academic level complexity clogging up our reticular formations.
How can we make this a model change?
No! No! No! No! No! No! Never make a major change a “model change”. Not only do you have the complexity of the actual change (which should be consuming all your brain space and energy) you also have the complexity of arguing about the model and the complexity of being a model and the terrible fear of failure if it isn’t quite right. Making a “model” out of a change especially if theological values get involved raises the complexity level through the roof and guarantees failure of the actual mission itself. That’s why intentionally created Christian Utopias often get horribly unstuck. Keep it slow and simple.
But shouldn’t we always be an example?
The best way to be an example is to do a good job. It’s one of those paradoxes that seem to abound in the Christian life. The more you think about “being an example” the more neurotic and anxious and prideful you end up because of the pressure and urgency it creates. Its truly overwhelming – ask any young pastor or youth leader who is struggling to “be an example to the flock” in a very conscious sort of way. It nearly kills them. We “old fogies” learn to tuck the “being an example’ bit away on a bit of a back-burner. Its there but it doesn’t dominate life. We get on with the job, still conscious of our lumps and bumps but in a spirit of self-acceptance and reality knowing our best is all we can offer and that perfection will have to wait until Glory. Trying to build “model organisations” or “model communities” is a recipe for disaster. Its also unrealistic and a bit proud assuming that you can do it better than everyone else and be a light to the other poor suckers out there. Just do your very best and if that turns out to be an example to others then well and good. Just do a very professional, good, balanced and wise changeover and people will love it, God’s work will be done and good will come of it. Ninety percent of you will still try to make it a “model changeover” and you will have ten times the stress as a result. One last plea – God loves people not structures. This is not a big deal to Him and it will only be a very minor blip in church life. Sermons will be preached, people will be baptised, married and buried and the changeover will be a distant memory in five years time. It doesn’t deserve to become another crusade for idealists and I sure as anything don’t want it to.
Sustainability
You are probably familiar with this term in an environmental context such as making sure a tourist park isn’t ruined by too many visitors and can keep on being beautiful. Or “sustainable development” asking the question how can we develop areas without ruining their environmental values or running out of resources. If you are really up with things you may have heard about “the sustainable organisation” – an organisation that realises that it can’t go on ripping off people forever or it will lose goodwill and go out of business. Shell has made an amazing and deep turnaround on this matter after environmentalists attacked it in Europe over the way it was disposing of an oil platform. Other organisations are discovering they are part of a community and have both social and environmental responsibilities. The old term “social obligations” is not out of place in this debate. Change also has to be sustainable. If change is too chaotic, unfair or sudden it can be unbearable. Before we inflict organisational change on God’s people we should be cognizant that God’s people deserve to be treated the way Jesus would treat them. Now Jesus does not molly-coddle us and He does ask to change. Often He asks us to change a bit more than we want and on issues we resist change on. So change is not a bad thing. And even somewhat painful change is not necessarily a bad thing. However Jesus-style change is paced to our frame and He knows that we are but dust. He does not set up an unrealistic, idealistic model of change and then jam us all into it.
A sustainable, godly, Jesus-style change will be well thought out in advance and well communicated to those it will most affect. It will not be rushed at a gallop. Denominational officials being made redundant will not be made to feel that they are unwanted and unloved. They will be given proper farewells with all dignity and their years of service will be properly appreciated and honoured. Where possible the Christian network will be called on to find jobs for them. They will be given career guidance and job search advice should they want it and even funded to retrain at University or TAFE if that is necessary. Their packages will be generous enough to ensure they do not have to face immediate hardship. They will be seen as the heroes of the change.
The changeover will be brought in as local area networks are strengthened and reinforced so that people do not have a “crisis of belonging”. People need to know that while their denomination is going out of business they have, in their local area network of churches, something even better that they can belong to. People will not be left in a void.
Go slowly, communicate often and about everything and don’t assume that people will know what is going on from the grapevine or by osmosis. You may even want to e-mail this small book around to those who want to understand the change or make it freely available on your website. That’s fine by me just drop me an e-mail asking permission before you do – I don’t want it on cult websites for instance. My e-mail is johnedmiston@jed.org.au. Whatever it takes to get people to understand and accept the change – just do it. Communicate in four layers – to denominational HQ and clergy, to the main lay leaders on denominational committees, to the denomination as a whole and to the society around you. Its important to get people to realise that though the HQ structure has closed down the churches are still open, growing and flourishing. Its not “the church” that’s going out of business, its just changing shape a bit that’s all.
What Is Changing and What Is Not Changing?
The same pastors will preach the same sermons in the same churches to the same people. The local church will hardly notice the transition except that a) there will be no more visits from the bishop for confirmation and ordination b) they will get to know other Christians from other local churches a lot more. At the start Baptists will still immerse their converts, Pentecostals will speak in tongues and Catholics will celebrate Mass. After a while it will be Christians in that church baptise their converts, and in that one they speak in tongues and in the other one over there they celebrate Mass. Over time the labels will drop off. It will be understood that all Christians share a common core theology but just choose to express it in varying ways and with different emphasis on certain doctrines. There will still be vigorous theological debate but it will be from a position of unity rather than from a position of disunity and that will make all the difference.
Post-denominationalism is not a threat to what we really believe at all. It is a threat to institutions and hierarchy and bureaucracy. It is not a threat to the Bible or your local church pastor. The Bible will remain intact, the creeds won’t change and your pastor can stay on without being moved around by the bishop. You can even build a cathedral if you want to.
What will change will be bishops, archbishops, cardinals, popes, canons, and inquisitors who will be out of jobs. Denominational boards and committees and endless synods will vanish. Resolutions, minutes, agendas and Robert’s Rules of Order will be silenced. Churches will just get on with the job of being Christian in a sensible fashion. In case you think all that order and control is necessary – the Internet – which you are using to read this small book– functions very well without all of the above. We will look at issues of network management and the keeping of high standards in another chapter.
Helping Congregations and Clergy To Move Towards Local Area Networks
This process can be greatly assisted by certain ministries that seem to have the gift of peace-making and building unity. There are three such outstanding ministries that I know of. Scripture Union, Ellel Ministries and Ed Silvoso’s Harvest Evangelism organisation. The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association gets an honourable mention as well. These first three ministries seem to have an “anointing” or special gift in the area of building unity between local churches and they get a lot of flak from Satan for it too! People discover the strengths of the church next door when they get involved in the ministries of these organisations.
The other way of building unity within the local church network is through praying together and occasionally worshipping together and through “pulpit exchanges” among the clergy. Things like the Jesus marches, evangelistic rallies and local causes and crises that get believers praying together are a start at building unity and trust. The “neighbourhood prayer house” strategy is another method. Such trust building takes time, tact and tenacity. Things go wrong, misunderstandings arise and the Devil tells lies. Unity is seldom built in a day though it can be destroyed in one. When unity reaches a certain level confession takes place - confession of sin, of division and of criticism between the churches and the clergy and lay leaders takes place. This is an important milestone. Finally you know unity is on its way when people put their money into a common pool to employ a chaplain or fund a Crusade. In our materialistic culture commitment is financial as well as personal.
In this process you need to act with above average honesty and integrity. For instance when you advertise an event as “interdenominational” it must not mean that it is an XYZ event with an XYZ committee and XYZ speakers who will preach XYZ doctrines and that others are merely welcome to attend (where XYZ is a single denomination). Interdenominational events must have an interdenominational board and be theologically sensitive to a diverse audience and where possible have the participants on stage from an obvious variety of churches. Trust comes from integrity observed over time and has two basic components – your character and your competence. People will not trust dishonest people or careless people. You must be honest, caring and competent if people are to trust you and bond with you.
Rumours of War – How We Freak Each Other Out
“The Pentecostals have just said that unless you speak in tongues you don’t have the Holy Spirit and the Catholics are going to make Mary a part of the Trinity and the Baptists says that unless you a baptised by immersion as an adult you aren’t saved and the Anglicans are about to vote on not having to believe in the resurrection.” Every one of those statements is a lie! And I have heard them all! Any Christian would be upset if they heard nonsense like that. They are the sort of statements that send Christians into battle with each other and they are based on distortions and half truths. Yes there are a few Anglican bishops who have expressed doubts about the resurrection but some of those have been severely reprimanded for it. Yes there is a Catholic movement called the Magnificat Meal Movement which wants to declare Mary the Mediator of all graces but it has been officially reprimanded by the Vatican and is considered as nutty as a fruitcake. Some misguided Pentecostals may say that unless you speak in tongues you do not have the Holy Spirit but this is certainly not the official position of the Assemblies of God or the AOG Bible college I lecture at. And while the Baptists do see a lot of significance in baptism they definitely maintain that it is not necessary for salvation (I was trained at a Baptist Theological College). Before we go to war with other believers on the basis of a rumour it pays to check it out very carefully first. The Devil is the accuser of the brethren and he knows full well how to use isolated incidents, half-truths, misunderstood terminology and false reports to create enormous amounts of acrimony and division. Satan is the Enemy not the church down the road. As a rule of thumb Satan accuses us in four ways:
The biblical injunction (1 Timothy 5:19 NASB) Do not receive an accusation against an elder except on the basis of two or three witnesses is a very sound one to operate by. We need to “remove the finger of pointing from your midst..” Isaiah 58.
OK So We Stop The Bunfights and Rumours and Start Liking Each Other – How Does That Then Turn Into A Network?
By a deliberate effort at building communication and defining the network identity. This can include some or all of the following:
What Problems/Resistances Can Churches Expect To Encounter?
That depends on whether the devolving of the denominational functions to local area networks and TF’s is voluntary or whether local churches decide to go it alone.
If a local church suddenly decides to withdraw from the denomination it may find that the church property and all the insurance policies etc are held in the denominations name and that considerable legal work is involved. Such churches tend to leave the building to the denomination and set up in a hall somewhere. Its far from ideal. I want to avoid that option. That’s part of the reason I’m writing this book – to help denominational structures see that its time to hand over and to show them how to do it. If done from the top down and carefully there should be very little resistance. I sense that this is an idea whose time has come and that the demise of denominations will happen. Its just a matter of how it will happen – in a controlled and orderly and planned fashion or in a messy and emotional revolution.
Creating Pictures of Calm
In a situation like this we can either create pictures of crisis or we can create pictures of calm. We can picture a bitter revolution opposed by diehard denominationalists or we can see a quiet sensible nodding of the head by the godly men and women of the denominational hierarchies who love the church more than they love their own prestige.
I would like the transition to the post-denominational era to be an un-revolution, a complete flop as a media event and dead boring. I would like us to picture it as a calm rational well thought out business decision to free up the processes of the in-the-field ministries. That is a big part of the reason why I am distributing this as an e-book. If I eventually found a print publisher they would want a sub-title like “the post-denominational revolution” have a cover of crumbling cathedrals and create a contentious media beat-up based on conflict to boost sales. My ideas would be dead in the water in the eyes of most denominational officials before they even picked up a copy.
If you talk about this book with friends please honour my intent by creating pictures of calm, use words like sensible and liberating and well-thought out and practical to describe the book (if you think those terms fit). I want us to move toward the post-denominational world in a calm, godly, loving and terribly orderly fashion because our God is like that and because I believe it’s the Christian way to do things.