Living in a State of Flux

In the late 1950s and early 1960s in the United States, the push from the center of life and community to the fringes was seen in the elimination of “blue laws”, expansion of recreation and entertainment venues, and lessening cultural support for being a part of the church. The Pew Research Institute indicates that we have been sliding down a 50-year decline in affiliation and attendance within faith communities.

Church Sociologist Diana Butler Bass stated: “Individual congregations may be ‘successful’, but the evidence of long-term decline in American religiosity is now incontrovertible. Despite bursts of innovation and pockets of vitality. The first decade of the 21st Century witnessed a slow, overall erosion of the strength of America’s congregations.”

As we look back on the first decade of the 21st Century, we see an acceleration of trend into a Super Storm. Within the Super Storm are four fronts that have affected the psyche of those inside and outside our congregations: (1) September 11, 2001, the attack and death caused by terrorist bombers on US soil raised before our eyes the very real threat of extreme fanaticism, and religion became associated with violence. (2) During this decade, shrouds of secrecy have been removed with countless exposes on Roman Catholic priests and bishops participating in and covering up horrific acts of child sexual abuse, so religion became associated with abuse. (3) The ordination of Bishop Eugene Robinson in the Episcopal Church of the United States created controversy and conversation around who is capable of serving as leaders in the church. Rather than simply be about homosexuality, the underlying issue was about inclusion and exclusion.  More often than not the church became associated with exclusion. (4) Carrying over from previous decades, political agendas became embedded in religious movements, so religion becomes associated with politics. 

This Super Storm and its four fronts have all shaped how those inside and outside view organized religion. Within the ELCA every synod and just about every congregation has had some story to relate as it applies to these developments. Organized religion has been pushed further to the margins of our culture.

Our presiding bishop Elizabeth Eaton has sought to re-focus the ELCA around four themes:

“We are Church”; “We are Lutheran”; “We are Church Together”; and “We are Church for the Sake of the World.” 

She seeks to call members of the ELCA to be bold in naming the name of Jesus, upon whose death and resurrection the Church is built. We are more than just another non-profit or social justice or social service agency.  We are the Body of Christ. 

We are also Lutheran, a part of the family of Christ that offers a contrast to much of the assumptions and presumptions about Christians in the world today. We live out our faith from a clear conviction that we are saved by God’s unconditional love offered through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We believe that we have been marked by the cross of Christ and sealed by the promise of the Holy Spirit in our baptism, being given a vocation that calls us to love our neighbors as much as we love ourselves. We affirm that God is more concerned about restoring and reconciling broken relationships than about rules, rituals, and regulations that allow us to determine who is in and who is out. 

We are Church Together in that we can always do more by linking with, resourcing with, and dreaming with others than trying to do it by ourselves. This includes being intentional about nurturing relationships with other Christians, as well as those who are devoted to other historic faith traditions. 

And we are motivated to be Church or the Body of Christ for the sake of the world. Jesus did not come to save a particular group of people. Jesus did not die on the cross for only some of God’s children. Jesus died and rose from the dead because God so loved the world and so that none might perish. Being Church for the sake of world will always involve sacrifice and service, particularly to those who are the least, the lost, the last and the little in our world. 

There is a lesson that we can learn from other leaders outside the Church who are facing similar challenges as well as a rapid pace of change. Robert Safian in the November 2014 issue of “Fast Company” wrote an article entitled “Learn from Generation Flux.” He writes: “In a world of rapid change and great uncertainty, the greatest competitive advantage of all may be at your very core. Fluxers are those who are defined by a willingness and ability to adapt. Purpose is at the heart of their actions. Mission is the essential strategic tool that allows them to filter the modern barrage of stimuli, to motivate and engage those around them, and to find new and innovative ways to solve the world’s problems.”     

As we struggle in helping people engage and connect within our congregations and communities the fluxers teach us: “Where passion for the job flourished, productivity levels of customer service, and profitability were all higher than average…Engagement has a greater impact on performance than corporate policies and perks” (Gallup 2013).  This may speak to the tension at work as mission leaders seek to move our congregations from primarily being places of membership with perks, to communities of disciples where passion to do what Jesus calls us to do is a top priority.  When the purpose of the individual aligns with the organization there is a synergy that moves us from a collection of individuals to an actual community living out a mission with a clear purpose.

As we look at the world around us we need to understand that people continue to seek meaning and significance in spite of the shallow and consumptive climate that is promoted. Jennifer Aaker with Stanford University discovered: “People’s satisfaction with life is higher, and of greater duration, when meaning rather than happiness is their primary motivation.” Adam Grant of the Wharton School of Business stated, “There is a difference between a life focused on ‘giving’ rather than ‘taking.’” The Church is a gathering of people who know their meaning is not derived from what they achieve or acquire.  Jesus Christ is also very clear that as his followers we are called to be “givers” and not “takers.” However, the Church out of a desire to perpetuate the institution can often miss what the primary purpose is for asking people to serve and give.

As I visit with declining congregations or even congregations that recently expanded their campus with hopes that “if you build it they will come,” is that the primary motivation to invite and reach new people is to pay the bills. Leaders must constantly look at what is the mission.  Hirotaka Takeuchi (Harvard Business) says, “…the beliefs and the ideals of the leadership become core. Why does this organization exist?” So if leaders are only focused on perpetuating the institution of the Church, how does that connect with the passion and purpose of those inside and outside the Church?  In order to thrive and have a vital impact a local congregation needs to understand, “Mission must be clear, focused and invaluable! The best leaders have one thing in common; they have all carefully thought through the creation of an environment that helps them, and their members to live by the organization’s mission.”

Without clarity of purpose there is a temptation to try to do all and be all.  Jared Leto (actor, musician, entrepreneur) says, “We all want to say yes, because with yes comes so much opportunity, but the power to say no brings focus and engagement.” As the focus around purpose and mission gets clearer, there is an opportunity to align those with the people with whom you seek to engage. Young adults in particular are looking for such an alignment. They are not eager to perpetuate the institution for the institution’s sake. They are seeking to live lives that make a difference and be a part of organizations that allow them to be difference-makers.

Casey Gerald is just such an example. He was chosen to speak to his graduating class at Harvard Business School. He tells his story of growing up in a challenging neighborhood in Dallas, Texas. He was privileged to attend Yale University and like many of his peers he thought his degree would be his ticket to a life far more privileged and far different from his past. Upon graduating he was hired by Lehman Brothers investment bank, one month before this historic financial institution went out of business. He then ventured to Washington, DC, and became a political aide, where he made reams of copies and fetched gallons of coffee for members of both parties. He was a campaign manager for a failed candidate in Texas. Not knowing where to go next, he decided to get an MBA and was finally accepted into Harvard. Once again he thought getting this coveted degree would be the key to financial independence and golden opportunities.  But through his course of study and his reflection upon the financial collapse of this country he came to develop a different philosophy. He told his class and countless others on YouTube:

 “The new bottom line in business is the impact you have on your community and the world around you. No amount of profit could make up for purpose… There’s got to be a larger vision of our future and ourselves.”

Casey launched a non-profit with four other students and their mission is to take their world-class education and go into some of the most impoverished communities across the U.S. and around the world, listen to residents and discover individuals who are invested in their local community, and are focused not on their own bottom line, but the good they can release. Then this group of Harvard MBAs would provide consultative coaching to reach some of the goals and dreams that will improve the local community.

Executive Director for Global Mission in the ELCA, Rev. Rafael Malpica-Padilla, tells the story of traveling on flights across this globe. As often happens once the seat belts are clicked, a seatmate asks: “So, what do you do for a living?” Rafael related that when he would say he is a pastor or minister he would receive two reactions. One, a real look of holy terror as the individual next him realizes that the flight is 10 hours long and images of hell, fire, and damnation may be part of the journey; the other is now that I have a captive audience, who I will probably never ever see again, who is a person of the cloth I can make my confession or share all of my problems.

Seeking to create a different scenario, Rafael now answers, “Have you ever seen one of those extreme makeover shows? That is what I do. I am privileged to be a part of an organization that taps into some of the brightest and most creative people around the globe in order to deliver clean water systems, eradicate malaria in Sub-Saharan Africa, organize farmers in coops so they can get fair trade prices and move their families out of extreme poverty, provide scholarships for the best and brightest in impoverished communities, and teach and develop leaders, who offer a message and a vision of hope and reconciliation that is not often heard.” When folks hear this response they are interested to know more. These are all admirable things, so they push him a little more and ask, “Well, what do you do with the organization?” He replies, “I am a pastor in the Church of Jesus Christ and I work for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. We are about the extreme makeover business!”

If you take anything away from this presentation, take back to your congregation a challenge to look at the Church Calendar and the Church Budget and ask the local leadership how do these align with the mission that Jesus Christ has given his followers? I would challenge you to push the question of how much time and money are we spending on perpetuating the institution over and against being participants in God’s extreme makeover business. Being clear about your congregation’s mission is the first step to navigating a path through this time of living in flux.