Leaders Respond to Difficult Issues
by Aileen Williams
In Leadership and the New Science, Margaret J. Wheatley describes "energy fields" that exist in organizations. We have all heard friends describe a church they visited as "friendly" or "cold." People form immediate impressions when they enter organizations. Unknowingly, they have testified to the presence of Wheatley's energy fields, which can feel positive or negative.
Most of us can remember attending a meeting where we felt an unspoken agenda was fueling the discussion, obstructing any creative work. Such an experience once happened in a FaithQuest group that became stuck after a few sessions. With some skilled leading, the participants revealed unresolved conflict from an incident that had happened in the church almost fifteen years before. The negative energy field from that incident was still being felt.
I have encountered tension-filled situations in several different congregations. A partial list includes drug abuse by a pastor, money misused by leaders, leadership clashes, and lay and clergy sexual misconduct. Most often, the issues surrounding these situations were not clearly identified and were not addressed in ways to build confidence and trust in the congregation. The result was a downward spiral of negative energy fields. People left the church. How many people exit the church because they feel harmed, diminished, or disillusioned due to silence and suppression of information on crucial issues in the life of the community?
We can change a negative energy field by injecting new positive energy. This takes time and intent, but congregations, like individuals, can learn to deal with hard issues. And when they do, they discover new peace, stronger relationships, and transformation.
What can leaders inject into a negative energy field to make a difference?
Injection #1: Invite focused prayer. Name the issues and ask the congregation to pray for God's guidance in resolving them. What they discern through prayer is vital to further discussion.
Injection #2: Ask critical questions to reveal the values of the congregation: Is every member of equal importance? Do we provide ample settings for people to listen and to be heard? Do we acknowledge that disagreement will be part of our life together? Do we commit to one another in love and prayer even in disagreement?
Injection #3: Communicate sources of accurate information. Many conflicts grow in intensity because of assumptions and rumors concerning an incident or a decision. Where can participants go to get the facts?
Injection #4: Help people distinguish between confidentiality and secrecy. Parishioners appreciate confidentiality. They need to know the issues involved, but not personal details. Secrecy only creates further mistrust and feelings of betrayal.
Injection #5: Choose trusted leaders to narrate the processes to change the energy field in the congregation. Spiritual leaders who yearn for the health of the congregation must be invited and encouraged to speak up. Like Paul, they will discover God's presence. They will sustain the efforts that help people move toward healing and creating positive energy fields in the congregation.
What is your experience with transforming a negative situation? Can you suggest other "injections"? E-mail comments to bheavner@gbod.org.
Aileen Williams, former lay leader (Minnesota Annual Conference) and missionary to Pakistan, has been a delegate to several General Conferences. She is on the Commission on the 2004 General Conference