Having Energy to Do Something About It
Chris: Okay, so the thing that I find
weird and frustrating and confusing as
conversations happen around this kind
of the church and the struggles and
the things that have happened over the
last year to 15 months plus whatever.
The main thing I run up against
in conversations is, uh, a
lack of appetite or energy,
towards doing things to improve the
situation, whatever that might be.
Doesn't matter how big or how small.
Sometimes there's energy around
having conversations about, around
venting, around talking, sharing.
All very good things I think that
at a community level, it's important
to be able to share pains, hurts,
frustrations, joys, celebrations,
happiness, sadness, laments, um, praise.
All those things are
important parts of community.
But taking it to that next step of
action, some sort of action, not
just like the big extreme blow it
all up and start over again kind of
action, but like just a, a baby step.
Uh, let's schedule a meeting,
or let's talk about how we could
write a letter, or let's talk
about what we could actually do.
There is a lack of energy for
that part of the conversation.
And I get it.
It's hard.
We're busy.
It just feels like for a community
that has been ripped apart in so many
different ways, pulled in so many
different directions by a very small
minority group of people, I would think
and hope that this community that's
been through many things over the last,
however long you've been around 10,
maybe just two years, maybe 10 years,
maybe 30 years, maybe 40, 50, 60 years.
There'd be an an energy for not
maintaining the community as it was
during your glory days, whenever
that was, but for maintaining what
you hoped and dreamed and thought
even the community was, and is.
And obviously that will look very
different for everybody else.
But when core tenets of transparency,
accountability, truth, sneaking around,
lying, those kinds of things are being
done within the community, I would've
hoped, and I was naive, I think, that
there would be an appetite and an energy
for finding a way.
I don't have the answer for how to deal
with that, but finding a way and wanting
to work through how to deal with that.
Picking any number of issues and
events and the way things have
happened over the last year plus.
Just, just even one of them and
walking through it as a community.
Processing, um, sharing
how people were hurt,
sharing why people were hurt,
sharing the true reasons why things
happened, the motives, where we
hope to be because of those actions.
Talking openly about all of those kinds
of things without the fear of worrying
that you're going to either offend
someone, or that you're going to reveal
something, a motive, a desire, that
uh, cancels out the effects of what
you just did in terms of leadership.
All these conversations can very
easily rabbit trail down, like,
I can't believe this happened, or
did you know that she did this?
And then she said that and he, he
said this in response to her and,
I'm here for that energy, believe me.
But I also want to know and work through.
Okay.
Well, but now what?
It's been a year plus of talking, of
flags being raised, of concerns, people
leaving, families just like gutted,
entire church community gutted, and
there is no appetite for accountability.
Even just hearing or listening to what
has gone on, the hurts, and the pains,
and the confusion over what's gone on.
Just gotta keep plowing ahead.
Once we do X, then we'll be okay.
Once we get rid of this
person, then it'll be okay.
Once this person stops asking
about this, then it'll be okay.
But we can't be okay.
There's no amount of reconciliation
that can happen unless there's
truth, transparency, honesty,
listening and sharing the hurts,
the confusions, the questions.
And not telling people what their
questions are, not putting a sheet
in front of them for discussion
that guides them to a specific
discussion, and ignores the pain of
what just happened in the community.
So that's my thoughts for today,
Wednesday, March 15th, 2023.
Thanks for listening.
