So few grains of happiness measured against all the dark and still the scales balance,” Jane Hirshfield

I came across the above quote in one of my favorite blogs, https://www.brainpickings.org/, and I wanted to share it because I think it’s a well needed word of hope in the midst of a dark and trying time for the church. Mega church scandals, denominational splits, and falling attendance…it seems inevitable that the church in the United States will quickly resemble the church in Europe: a collection of empty buildings. If you’re leading a congregation in one way or another, I wouldn’t blame you for having feelings of hopelessness as you try what you can in the face of all of these challenges.

But if you’re leading a church, or just someone who loves and believes in the potential of Christ’s body in the world, I think the above quote is more than just wishful thinking. I think it’s prophetic. Here’s why…

One of my favorite things to do in ministry was guide our members in choosing their lay leaders. Our leadership consisted of me as pastor, and a separate group of lay leaders chosen out of the congregation by their peers over months of discernment and seeking the Holy Spirit together. I probably treasured the process even more than the result, since it afforded very busy people a reason to pull out of the daily grind and seek the Spirit of Jesus together over the course of months. But the result wasn’t too shabby either: every year as we rolled part of the Board off and brought a new class of Board Members on to take their places, I was perpetually amazed at the imperfectly perfect mix of broken saints God was able to assemble to lead their brothers and sisters.

We always tried to give ourselves plenty of time to discern and pray together as a leadership nominating team, but the goal was to have a new leadership board in place for the beginning of the year. And for many churches and congregations out there, I know that new leaders are probably being nominated as we speak, and old leaders are being called back to take the helm on behalf of their brothers and sisters once again.

It is to those of you in that boat that I write this today…

Over the years I’ve received several flyers in the mail advertising a local church, often in conjunction with some kind of special Sunday service or promotion. One church in Minnesota not only sends out flyers every August, they purchase billboards advertising free tickets to our huge, end of summer state fair: all you have to do is come to their service.

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the desire to reach as many people with the good news of Christ as possible. I also recognize that lives can truly be changed through receiving a flyer or seeing a billboard advertising a church. However, when a church turns to advertising, it is orienting itself towards an attractional model. What’s the problem with the attractional model? Well, let’s start with who is likely to be attracted: people who already have some desire to find a church. In all likelihood, people who are already part of a church, but are open to shopping for a better option on Sundays. The average agnostic/atheist generally has no receptivity for church advertisements…

Ok, yet another click-baity title. I couldn’t resist!

In all seriousness though, I’d like to pick up where I left off with my previous post: is there something about the structure of church as we know it (at least in the Western world) that not only allows toxic leadership to inhabit our communities of faith, but actually encourages it?

The board of a large, multi-site church with thousands of members, led by a charismatic pastor, announces that, after much prayer and many difficult conversations, they have asked the pastor to take a leave of absence while charges against him are reviewed by a special committee.

Stop me if you've heard this one before.