“Contagious Anxiety”
Times of great calamity and confusion
have been productive for the greatest minds.
The purest ore is produced from the hottest furnace.
The brightest thunder-bolt is elicited from the darkest storm.
Charles Caleb Colton
On Epiphany I was reading the ancient text from Matthew regarding the visit to Jerusalem by the foreigners following a star seen in the East. How many times have I read that scripture? How many times have I heard it read? This time I perceived something new.
“In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, ‘Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage. When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him.” (Matthew 2:1-3a –NRSV)
“King Herod was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him.” I read it over and over again. There it was in scriptural black–and-white – just as Ed Friedman would have written it had he been around 2,000 years ago. When leaders get anxious, people get anxious as well.
Years ago the Conference Office of Church Revitalization & Extension (CCRE), directed by an old veteran who had once tried to retire, Claus Rohlfs, Sr. trained different cadres of disciples to lead congregations toward revitalization. I was “certified” in the OPI (Organization Perception Instrument), an instrument to help a congregation see how it saw itself. The instrument was followed up with a “revitalization seminar” to help congregations move beyond “where they were” to where God was calling them to be. I learned much from the training and much from the congregations where I led the seminars.
The “certification” process included insights into the impact of a new leader in any organization. When any organization receives a new leader there would likely be a “crisis of confidence” somewhere in the first 6-18 months. In essence, this “crisis of confidence” is a systemic test of the emotional maturity of both the system and the leader. If the leader and the system managed the “crisis of confidence” with emotional maturity, the system would gain confidence in the leader and in itself.
This “crisis of confidence” does not necessitate a tragic or catastrophic event. In a congregation it could be something as basic as whether the UMW has full access to the church parlor! The issue is not the severity of the “crisis” but the focus on the potential for “confidence” in the pastor and the indigenous leadership of the congregation. If the pastor became anxious and paralyzed by the crisis, the system would “learn” that the status quo is the most important dynamic to preserve and the congregation could become “paralyzed in place.” On the other hand, if the pastor and the indigenous leaders handled the crisis with emotional maturity, avoiding an increase in systemic anxiety, the congregation could gain confidence in the leader’s ability and gifts for leading and be prepared for a future of transformation and growth. The point being, if transformation were to occur, it would be related to the management of the “crisis” and the subsequent “confidence” the system would have in the pastor and in its indigenous leaders.
The circumstance of the “crisis” is never the most important issue. The most important issue is the management of anxiety by the pastor and the leaders in the congregation. (By the way, I believe this insight applies to District Superintendents and even Bishops!)
“King Herod was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him.” When King Herod became anxious, it seemed all Jerusalem became anxious. The result, according to scripture, was infanticide – the destruction of the community’s future! In a congregation, when a pastor and the congregation’s leaders become anxious it will seem all the congregation will be anxious as well. The impact could diminish the potential for transformation and impact the future of which God dreams.
Simply put, the manner in which the pastor and the leaders manage anxiety can contribute to paralysis or prompt creativity, growth, revitalization, transformation and ministry. It is as old as the scriptures – and as new as the next “crisis of confidence.”
According to Luke, the shepherds heard angels sing, “Do not be afraid.” Perhaps the angels also sang to Herod and all Jerusalem, but deafened by anxiety, they could not hear. I believe angels sing to pastors & congregations in the midst of a “crisis of confidence.” “Do not be afraid. Do not be anxious. The Eternal One who brought you here favors you.” In that belief is my hope and my blessed assurance. Thanks be to God!
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