I was in a meeting the other day (not a church meeting) where there was an agenda that was proposed and then there was conversation that was to follow that would address the different points of view and how the group could come to a conclusion that would be beneficial for everyone who was involved. But here is the rub, the beginning presentation to this rather controversial issue very clearly made a polarized stand on the issue. Further, if you didn’t see the issue as the initial argument then you were seen as an outsider or someone who “hadn’t thought the issue through fully.”
In ministry we deal with a number of issues that divide people (finance, sex, immigration, treatment of the poor, care for those who cannot care for themselves, …the list goes on). These are real and important issues, but is having the “right” answer the most important thing? Is my goal that everyone have the same stance as me on a certain issue? Not at all. Yet, we must because in the ways that we present the issues as to not ostracize one view over another. When we alienate portions of our congregation they shut off their hearts to the way God is moving.
So is the point of having conversations about issues that divide people simply to bludgeon everyone into having your world view. Or is it an invitation into a process where everyone seeks an understanding of the issues that meshes with their understanding of God and who God is calling them to be. Some one said that being a United Methodist is not about what you believe, but about how you believe it.
My goal is not to make clones. I cannot imagine a whole congregation believing the same things as me. For one there would be little accountability. Scripture says that iron sharpens iron and in the same way we are able to hold one another accountable. I love the diversity in the church, but this will end very quickly if we are not always aware of how we are presenting issues.
I sometimes say to my students, “you are the only one who has to live with what you believe, so don’t believe something for my sake. I have enough of my own beliefs, and now it is time for you to get some of your own personal ones.”
this week think about the issues you raise as a church leader. Are there any ways you are tilting the balance so that others may feel “under attack”? How might this change?
