In 1977, Mel Brooks made a movie called, "High Anxiety." In the movie he plays Dr. Richard Thorndyke who appointed to the "Psychoneurotic Institute for the Very, VERY Nervous." He ends up framed for murder and has to not only fight the charges but also his fear of heights in order to clear himself. Here's a link to the film's trailer: http://youtu.be/mT8XumoYomE In the movie he sings a song:
"Whenever you're near High Anxiety It's you that I fear
My heat's afraid to fly, It's crashed before, But then you take my hand, My heart starts to soar
Once more
High Anxiety, It's always the same, High Anxiety, It's you that I blame
It's very clear to me, I've to give in, High Anxiety, You win"
Our churches today are suffering some major anxiety these days. Recently I have been reading a book by Peter Steinke called, "Congregational Leadership in Anxious Times." He speaks to the idea of leaders, both clergy & laity, learning to be that "non-anxious" presence in the midst of all the anxiety in the church. He calls us to examine ourselves, know triggers and be able to be non-anxious even if the focus is on us. He mentions 13 Common Triggers leading to anxiety. Steinke says one can create chaos. But usually five or six are set off together leading to anxious reactivity. (All points come from Steinke, Peter, Congregational Leadership in Anxious Times;The Alban Institute; 2006; ISBN-10: 1566993288):
Triggers:
1) Money: Follow the money trail-how to raise it, how to distribute it, How to manage when there isn't enough.
2) Sex, Sexuality: As sources of identity and self-expression, questions and differences pertaining to sex set off survival reactions.
3) Pastor's Leadership Style: Sometimes this is a euphemism for not liking the pastor. Sometimes it;s a genuine concern that the needed leadership is not happening. Sometimes clergy and other leaders fail to determine the kind of leadership needed.
4) Lay Leadership Style: Lay leaders can run the spectrum from hands-off to hands on, from enabling to threatening, from expressing a failure of nerve to demonstrating strength of conviction and courage.
5)Growth, Survival: Congregations may be anxious because growth is slow or worship attendance declines.
6)Boundaries: Boundary problems could include how much of a congregation's resources are given away and how much retained locally; people overstepping their authority; misuse of finances.
7) Trauma, Transition: A Key or nodal even happens with a significant emotional impact, such as storm damage to the church structure or the retirement of a pastor after a long tenure.
8)Staff Conflict, Resignation: When the church staff is at odds or a staff member departs under a cloud of suspicion or fir unexpected reasons, people become upset.
9)Harm Done to a Child, Death of a Child: Congregations are children sensitive. If a child is hurt or if one dies, there is a sense of helplessness: we cannot even protect or defend those in our care.
10) Old and New: Tension brews when considering a new hymnal to replace an old hymnal, to change the old time of worship, or to modify the receiving of the sacrament.
11) Contemporary and Traditional Worship: This is a special case of old and new. Immense emotionality is connected to styles of worship. The first murder in sacred history, the story of Cain & Abel, involved worship.
12)Gap Between the Ideal and the Real: When high and lofty ideas are betrayed by reality or when a focus on mission degenerates into a focus on self-concerns, people become disturbed.
13) Building, Construction, Space, and Territory: Add or tear down a building; modify existing space; move offices into a new area; sell land or parsonage; relocate. Anxiety will rise.
Where I currently am serving I would have to say we are over the five or six. I can see the church in just over half of these points. I am just learning to be the non-anxious presence. Not an easy task for sure. The key is learning about ourselves through a process of differentiation.
Differentiation is the process whereby we move toward a more intentional and thoughtful way of living. It is relying less and less on our automatic responses. All of this takes place in our relationships. There we balance indiviuality and togetherness when we interact with others. Steinke says we need to develop this process within ourselves to be able to:
think clearly
act on principle
define self by taking a position
come to know more about our own instinctive reactions to others
learn to regulate those actions
stay in contact with others
choose a responsible course of action.
In the movie, Mel Brooks had to find within himself why he was so afraid of heights. He was able to do that through talking with someone. Once he realized where this fear came from, this anxiety, he was able to move forward.
Our churches are no different. We need to examine them and ourselves. Where are the reactive triggers we have or have seen in our interactions with others? I was in a meeting recently where a large part was devoted to me being a mis-fit. (last week's post). It would have been easy to be reactive and say something like, "I know you are but what am I? Infinity!" But I sat there and asked for God's peace just to be able to hear what they were saying. After the meeting there were some who came to me, angry, upset, even to the point of crying. I spoke with them in a non-anxious way. I attempted to calm them by telling them we have a choice. We can either let it fester within us and cause anxiety or...we can wait for a new day to dawn. The sun came up the next day, there was work to be done and...it was done.
Whether it be the cloud of presence or fire at night. Whether it be the peace which surpasses understanding or the deep abiding presence of Christ, we are called as heirs, disciples to stand together when the anxiety comes. May we can sing the song Richard Thorndyke sang in a different way:
"Whenever you're near High Anxiety
It's you that I fear
My heat's afraid to fly, It's crashed before,
But Lord you take my hand, My heart starts to soar
Once more
High Anxiety, It's always the same, High Anxiety, It's you that I blame
It's very clear to me, I've to give in, Christ Jesus, You win"
May you be the non-anxious presence for the people you serve, now and always....Amen.
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