"Allies"
John Dorhauer printable version print page     Bookmark and Share
Tue May 23, 2006 at 07:16:08 AM EST
John Dorhauer, Talk To Action writer
One of the areas upon which we have been focusing a lot of attention as we analyze the attacks on our churches has been the development of key stategies. Some of those are responses to activities already begun in the life of a church, while others are more proactive - designed to protect a church from an attack in the future.

Of the former, one of the most effective has been the identification and training of what we call "allies." In many churches, the ability of the pastor to name, train, and deploy key lay leaders in defense of their church has proven critical.

I will briefly describe this strategy, and then talk about a congregation wherein the work of key allies has - to this point - thwarted the concentrated attack that they have been enduring for the past two years.

When a pastor becomes aware of an attack on her church, it is essential that she act swiftly, affirmatively, confidently, and strategically. We have come to believe that among the wisest choices such a pastor can make is the identification and education of those whom she trusts implicitly, and whose clear allegiance to the health of the church is beyond question.

We have also learned that assembling those allies quickly in order to inform them both about the nature and dynamics of the attack on their church, AND the nature and dynamics of these attacks in general, is crucial.
In order to accomplish this effectively, covenant partners from outside the church are invited, and their presence there serves a dual purpose.

First, they bring information that cannot be readily attained from the narrow perspective of their local church: information about what other churches have endured; about patterns that emerge during the attack of a church; about what has already happened in their church long before their becoming aware of it; about the kinds of information circulated amongst the membership of their church; about connections to activists and leaders outside their church who are orchestrating this attack.

Second, it is important for them to see that, as they seek the courage to stand up to bullies who use scare tactics and intimidation to coerce others into embracing their ideology, they are being supported and sustained by a community of covenant partners who will hold them up in prayer, will stand with them throughout the process, and who will provide them with resources that they will find helpful.

When the allies are assembled, it is critical that they be told everything that is known at the time - including the names of those who have been meeting clandestinely, where they have been meeting, and what they have been talking about. It is also essential that it be made abundantly clear what the motivation of the bullies and attackers is: to take out the church. This is important, because one of the strategies of the attackers is not to reveal that part of the plan until enough anger has been generated around wedge issues.

This is a significant piece: many who organize these attacks come across as disgruntled members who just want to discuss a decision or an issue that got them angry. It is important for all who participate in such a dialogue to know what is at stake. It is one thing if some one is angry and wants to get that off their chest. It is quite another to discover that people have been trained to foment dissent in the life of a church around key issues IN ORDER THAT EVENTUALLY THEY CAN LEAD A TAKEOVER OF THE CHURCH.

Coaching allies early on to learn about the intentions, the behaviors, and the tactics of these activists makes a huge difference in determining whether or not a church can endure such an attack.

One such church is St. John's in Bem, MO. Our conference staff met for the first time with a group of `Allies' almost 18 months ago. I was present at that first meeting with the Pastor and five members whom he had identified as ones willing to cooperate to protect their church from attack. Throughout these 18 months, we have remained in constant contact with those allies and have coached them through many a dilemma.

I wrote about the "Matrix" last week on this site, and one of the byproducts of our creating a cadre of allies in this church is a 65 page document they wrote after researching questions raised by members of their church - questions prompted by one the matrices floating around. I have only read through it once, but I have never seen anything like this before. It is a balanced, rational, objective analysis borne of a months long study that included actually speaking to leaders of the denomination being questioned (can you imagine that?!).

It does not purport to either take a position against or for the United Church of Christ. It simply answers questions that have been raised and provides key pieces of information which - in the true spirit of the free church tradition - then allows all members to make informed decisions about the matters being questioned.

Where this will end for this church is yet to be determined, but in elections held since the attack has begun, proponents of the church maintaining its historic connection to the denomination in which the church was birthed have been elected to key positions of leadership in the church. And these successes have come from the work of these key allies who were not afraid to stand up to the bullying.



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"Allies" | 16 comments (16 topical, 0 hidden)
Early Warning Signs (none / 0)
Aside from what you stated above, what are some other potential early warning signs that you have witnessed in afflicted congregations?  Can we head off a potential division before it starts? This might be a starting point for discussion for other ways we can "watchdog" the Christocrats.

Keep up the terrific work!

Paul

by Pauljaxon on Tue May 23, 2006 at 11:35:36 AM EST

Very good questions... (none / 0)
About other early warning signs, here are a few:
Members begin circulating material produced by renewal groups (often being on their mailing list also means they are getting phone calls from connected activists in other churches)

Members in a local church receive a phone call from a member of a neighoring congregation asking how they feel about their church's position on (fill in the blank here), and what they plan to do about it

Members bring motions to a council or a congregational meeting asking the church to take a stand on (again, fill in the blank)

Members in UCC churches ask the council to consider hring someone outside the UCC if no suitable pastor can be found in a future search process

Members ask the congregation to amend their by-laws to say that if the church dissolves it's assets will not be left to the Conference

the pastor begins receiving phone calls from members angry about whatever the latest 'liberal' agenda item is

These are a few. Your other question about heading off division before it starts is a crucial concept here. Churches that remain covenantally connected to the wider church always stand a greater chance of stopping these fights before they start. Education about how the national and conference offices function, and what their mission is can be a wonder profilactic method to ward off the disease of the radical right long before it starts to infiltrate a church. Personal invitations to national and conference leaders who can make personal connections with the membership of a church BEFORE a church goes into crisis mode can be of great benefit to a local church. Using educational materials printed by the denomination; taking youth on trips to the national or conference offices; or distributing borchures, pamphlets, and books printed and published by the denomination all help.
Shalom, Rev. Dr. John C. Dorhauer "Time makes ancient good uncouth; we must onward still and upward who would keep abreast of truth." from Lowell, "The Present Crisis"
by John Dorhauer on Wed May 24, 2006 at 08:53:45 AM EST
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Excellent! (none / 0)
Now that is truly TALK TO ACTION.  I will use the above as a template when I suspect potential infiltration and alert my fellow concerned congregants of its availability on this site.  As I've stated elsewhere, my congregaton tries to remain outside the fray, but I fear this isolationism makes us ripe for the picking.

Pax,

Paul

by Pauljaxon on Wed May 24, 2006 at 09:36:12 AM EST
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Good but I would like more info (none / 0)
John,

I see how this dynamic works and how it protects the congregation but I have some questions aobut process.  Within UCC polity, the pastor's authority is relatively low compared to other denominations.  A pastor can contact members and share his/her concern but cannot appoint people to serve on boards and committees, cannot assign them to official positions.  The pastor's authority is at best indirect.  Congregational authority is final.  I don't see how the pastor can be in a position of anything other than fighting a rearguard action against an attempt to attack the congregation.  

Could you expand on how a pastor could go about identifying, training and deploying allies without violating longstanding church polity?


by glendenb on Tue May 23, 2006 at 12:48:10 PM EST

seems to me (none / 0)
that John was very clear on this point in this, and throughout the series. The pastor can educate, coach, and organize. In the case study above, allies were elected by the congregation.

I think John has been very clear that the leadership of the pastor must extend to investigating and exposing deceitful, tendentious forces bent on dividing a congregation; and rallying those who would defend the integrity of the church.

There is a difference between leadership and "authority."  

by Frederick Clarkson on Tue May 23, 2006 at 01:14:30 PM EST
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Thanks Fred (none / 0)
Fred is right, but I want to add a comment or two. First, I think that the pastor SHOULD be more than directly involved in the creation of boards and in the naming of those who will serve on them. To remain passive is to open your church up to attack while sitting by and doing nothing. Second, the creation of a group of allies is often an informal gathering of trusted individuals with no official power or authority. The pastor has every right to pick up the phone and invite five or six trusted members to meet with him/her and conference staff to talk about what is going on in their church, who is doing it, what they are doing, and strategize about what to do about that. The point here is that passivity of any kind only feeds that tactics of the takeover movement, and the pastor needs to claim some authority for the sake of the congregation.
Shalom, Rev. Dr. John C. Dorhauer "Time makes ancient good uncouth; we must onward still and upward who would keep abreast of truth." from Lowell, "The Present Crisis"
by John Dorhauer on Wed May 24, 2006 at 08:59:26 AM EST
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Trying to be clear (none / 0)
I'm still trying to organize my thoughts on this topic so I'm not being very clear. I apologize.  Having been involved in congregational leadership during a crisis (not a takeover attempt), I have questions about process and method rather than tactics.

It seems to me that pastoral authority in the UCC is a VERY touchy topic.  I've seen in both my congregation and nearby congregations a very real backlash when pastors claim the authority of their positions.  I know this may be a product of the particular context within which these congregations are doing ministry (Utah has its very own messed up authority culture which has an impact on non-Mormon churches).  I guess I'm not sure how a pastor can comfortably claim authority within the congregation without inviting attack.  The narrative that conservatives constantly push is a narrative of liberals silencing them and marginalizing them.  A pastor claiming authority to push back is going to become grist for the mill - "See, Pastor Liberalhomofeminazi is so threatened by us that he/she is trying to silence Christian voices in your very own congregation.  How can you trust the UCC when your very own Pastor Liberalhomofeminazi is doing exactly what we say it's doing?"

We're talking about church politics here and many church people seem to believe that politics are inherently bad and should be avoided or that politics are always nasty and confrontational.  The idea of developing a healthy church politics seems alien to most UCC people.  So a pastor actively claiming her/his authority is inviting two types of backlash - one from the people attacking the congregation and the other from the people in the congregation who will believe the pastor is violating her/his role by engaging in church politics.  Even contacting a circle of people and informing them about the dynamic of the attack and empowering them to resist it will be seen in that light.  If the pastor tries to keep her/his actions out of public view, they will inevitably become known and seen even less favorably.  The pastor then seems trapped - between the attackers and the passive masses in the congregation.  Effectively defending the congregation will become as problematic as refusing to defend it.

Congregational polity greatly limits the pastor's authority.  The pastor may be in position to recommend board and committee members, but cannot simply appoint them.  Members who just want peace and quiet in the congregation (in my experience a sizable minority if not outright majority) would perceive the pastor as controversial if she/he were to take direct action.  They would seek to limit the pastor's influence and authority to avoid more "trouble."  Even a pastor who saved a congregation from an attack or takeover would find him/herself in a position of being blamed for everything that goes wrong.  Members leaving would be blamed on her/him.  The pastor would find both officially and unofficially that exercising pastoral would become more and more difficult.  

In systems theory, the talk is about Victim, Perpetrator and Rescuer.  The pastor would I suspect discover that she/he was inhabiting and expected to play the Rescuer role.   I guess my question is how can a pastor effectively navigate these treacherous waters without going under?  

Some of that has been talked about - "inoculate" congregations in advance, teach about congregational as well as UCC history and identity, but once the attack starts, it's too late for those techniques to be effective by themselves and it requires more direct action.  That's really what I'm curious about.

by glendenb on Wed May 24, 2006 at 03:46:05 PM EST
Parent

seems to me (none / 0)
that John has largely answered your points and concerns in his series including and especially in this post, and in specific response above.

It is odd that you repeat this refrain:

"Congregational polity greatly limits the pastor's authority.  The pastor may be in position to recommend board and committee members, but cannot simply appoint them."

John has made explicity clear that he understands that a pastor cannot appoint board and committee members. He has also made clear that the pastor cannot act alone, and that it is a project for a larger group of people, which is the point of this post on "Allies" which also suggests some ways to go about it.  

John may have things he wishes to say in response, but please keep in mind that this site is about the religious right and what to do about it. Inside baseball about hypothetical denominational procedures is not necessarily on topic.

by Frederick Clarkson on Wed May 24, 2006 at 04:28:01 PM EST
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I agree (none / 0)
Fred, we are wasting a lot of time with someone who is unable to comprehend what the polity issues are. It is simply not true that congregational polity limits a pastors authority. It limits the Judicatory's authority, and if anything makes the local church pastor MORE authoratative - if he or she steps up to claim and use that authority effectively. d
Shalom, Rev. Dr. John C. Dorhauer "Time makes ancient good uncouth; we must onward still and upward who would keep abreast of truth." from Lowell, "The Present Crisis"
by John Dorhauer on Wed May 24, 2006 at 07:16:25 PM EST
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Thanks (none / 0)
John and Fred,

I really appreciate that you've both made such an effort to understand the points I'm raising which are based on my own experience and observations within the UCC as a member and lay leader.  

Because I disagree with you about the impact of congregational polity on pastoral authority does not mean I don't comprehend the polity issues.  Thank you so much for the respectful way you are treating the concerns I'm raising.

by glendenb on Wed May 24, 2006 at 07:47:11 PM EST
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Yeah it's probably pointless but I'll try again . (none / 0)
This conversation reminds me of a finance class I took in grad school.  The professor was lecturing merrily along and John raised his hand and said, "I don't understand that last equation.  Could you explain it?"  The professor, "I just did," and carried on.  A few minutes later, John said, "I still don't understand how you got from the equation on the bottom of the second column to the one on the top of the third column."   The professor replied, "I've already explained it."  A few minutes later, John said, "I'm not sure how you go to your conclusion.  Could you please just explain . . ."  The professor snapped, "Look it's obvious you don't understand the math.  I'm not wasting my time."  The professor assumed everyone knew you had to use a derivative but of course not everyone did.  Had the professor stopped when John asked the question the first time and said, "Okay.  Which part are you trouble with?" and then listened to John's answer he would realized that John didn't know you had to use a derivative and the professor could have said, "Here we X, but X isn't the end result.  We need Z sub 1 which is the end profit.  So we need to take a derivative of X, which gives us Y, which allows us to multiply by the interest rate and then we get Z sub 1, our profit."  In that case, it was professorial arrogance that got in the way.  In this case, I can't even guess what's getting in the way of discussion.

When I asked John to expand on his initial point, I was told, "That was already answered."  I would not have been asking my question if I felt it had been answered.

In my experience as a lay leader, I've seen pastors attempt to do exactly what is being suggested here - find and educate your allies.  And I've seen it backfire as disgruntled members point to that action and say, "See we can't trust the UCC.  Our own pastor is more loyal to UCC propaganda than to people in our congregation.  Our pastor is trying to silence us by recruiting people in the congregation and using them to stop us getting our issues heard."  How do you deal with that in a congregational setting?  How do you respond when the actions you are taking as a defense are used as further grist for the takeover mill?  I saw it happen in two congregations in my Association.  I would greatly appreciate some insight into how to respond when that happens.

I also disagree with John's understanding of the dynamic of pastoral authority.  Because the Conference has no authority in the congregation does automatically mean the local pastor is more authoritative.  Pastors serve at the pleasure of the congregation and even popular pastors can be forced out by a committed minority of members - even if those members don' t wish to leave the UCC.  In the churches I am familiar with, the members side with lay people over pastors, even popular and effective pastors.  I mentioned before this may be a by-product of Utah's very messed up authority culture.  I've heard other UCC people talk about the different levels of pastoral authority based on the congregation's heritage (E & R vs. Congregational).  So please at least show me the respect of believing I am accurately reporting on my own observations and experiences.

by glendenb on Thu May 25, 2006 at 12:45:08 PM EST
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I Was Wondering.... (none / 0)
John, is it possible that the IRD types have fertile ground simply because many mainstream congregants are unaware of their own Social Gospel past? Perhaps as part of a counter-offensive liberal Christians should start weaving Rauschenbusch, Niebuhr and other past heroes into the conversation.

I get the sense that too many folks simply equate faith with conservatism because they don't know otherwise. Maybe it's time to frame the IRD folks as the ones out of step with their heritage.

by Frank Cocozzelli on Tue May 23, 2006 at 08:06:32 PM EST

Absolutely! (none / 0)
We often assume too much on behalf of our membership, and therefore leave a lot unsaid about our history. Part of what is making this effort work in the UCC is a group of clergy like Mark Friz, Darrel Webber, and Jim Barnes, Jr. are going around to churches and telling them what it meant to be 'Evangelical' (and this works in our part of the world where most of the churches being targeted are old German Evangelical churches). Not one of them was educated at a UCC seminary. Their message is a simple one: you are not leaving the UCC, the UCC has left you by abandoning its Evangelical heritage and teachings things that the Bible cannot accept.

The truth about our past if lost on most of our members today, and we are doing very little to empower them to contradict what the Mark Frizes are teaching about our past. John Thomas delivered a beautiful paper at Elmhurst last June on the early writings of Joseph Rieger, a German Missionary who founded a number of Evangelical churches throughout the Midwest. His irenic spirit and free church tradition came through clearly in his writings, and that paper should be mandatory reading for all confirmands in the UCC. There is an entire history within the UCC of liberal and progessive thought, and we are fast losing touch with that history. Thanks for naming this.
Shalom, Rev. Dr. John C. Dorhauer "Time makes ancient good uncouth; we must onward still and upward who would keep abreast of truth." from Lowell, "The Present Crisis"
by John Dorhauer on Wed May 24, 2006 at 09:06:54 AM EST
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...The enemy within... (none / 0)
John,
  Might it not be good to advertise that a conclave by the 'Faithful & Welcoming...' subgroup of BWF will take place at Shepherd of the Hills UCC, Bechtelsville, PA in August just so that people would know what NOT to be a part of inadvertently if they were sucked in? Their subterfuge is dangerous to the whole UCC, but what would happen if some of us could be present & speak in opposition? Or is it so 'top-down' that we'd be squelched from the gitgo? They are intending NO good for the UCC!
  Also, is it too early to consider being at the 50th Anniversary of the UCC in Hartford, CT June 2007 to help counter the expected demonstrations AGAINST the church AND certain pronouncements? What should be celebratory could become victim to nasty counterforces, including those from without, if some foresight is not considered.
  Further, while I agree that leadership should be sought from reputable Protestant institutions or those not meeting that threshold should be duly screened, not being from a church seminary per se is no ultimate safeguard. A downgrading has occurred at Lancaster Seminary with, in effect, a total personnel change in the last years with retirements & replacements making for a much more conservative institution that was far too conservative already, in my view. It was light years from Eden/Walter Bruggeman orientation before, and I don't even want to characterize what it has become in the present, but I have run across some very fundamentalist graduates & perspectives. I was far to the left of what was before & am proud of my Reinhold Niebuhr perspective. How do you expose the younger set [and older too] to Niebuhr/Rauschenbusch/etc when they never had it to begin with? Although I come from within the UCC [since 1971] but from 'other' higher education background areas, I feel increasingly without but need to be reminded of camaradarie from your site postings & Welton Gaddy types! Will Horace Bushnell & Reinhold Niebuhr/et al be adequately memorialized in next year's 50th anniversary proceedings? These are both my patron saints & should have due space in remembrance, but do we run the risk of doing 'damage control' against 'rag-tag' demonstrators in Hartford?
Arden C. Hander

by achbird65 on Thu May 25, 2006 at 11:54:52 AM EST
A lot to repond to... (none / 0)
but let me try.

First, I have written many times here about Faithful and Welcoming - and about their annual meeting in particular. If you check some of my earlier posts, you can read about some of that. As a matter of fact, I have been invited to speak and to address their delegation at that August meeting in Bechtelsville. I have read their ground rules: any one can attend, but if you are not in full agreement with their principles you will not be given voice without a majority vote of the delegation.

And you are right about seminary chioces: one of the worst pastors in terms of orchestrating take-overs came right out of that Brueggeman-influenced Eden Seminary you spoke of. A very good friend of mine is a former Nazarene who got his MDiv at a fairly conservative Baptist seminary, and who is one of the finest men I know and one of the UCC's most educated and affirming pastors. I can't say a whole lot about the 50th, and what will and won't be celebrated. There are, as you point out, some significant voices from the past: what gets said about whom and to whom, and what gets heard by whom is not something I have a great deal of knowledge about. I will certainly pay attention, and will use whatever power I have to try and influence the outcome.
Shalom, Rev. Dr. John C. Dorhauer "Time makes ancient good uncouth; we must onward still and upward who would keep abreast of truth." from Lowell, "The Present Crisis"
by John Dorhauer on Fri May 26, 2006 at 08:36:49 AM EST
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Politics and Polity (none / 0)
I just want to say to our lay friend in Utah that I understand your concerns as a lay person myself. A pastor can be attacked for building coalitions if he or she is not careful. This takes finess and a strong support network which you can be a part of developing for your pastor. I suggest you get on the church council ASAP. I wish you luck and you are in my prayers.

Which brings me to a point I want to make about civility in churches and in the general politics of our nation. One of the hallmarks of the UCC in the past has been the ability of people to openly discuss contentious issues without personal attacks and hurt feelings. Unfortunately this respectful agreement to "agree to disagree" and then vote on the issue at hand has been turned into peraonal attacks in the form of moral "us vs them" divisiness. This is part of the right wings divide and conquer mentality and it is very effective and very distrucive. Attacking the UCC because it supports Gays etc is just like swiftbaoting in politics only on a very personal level for the members of the Congregation.

I think we need to teach fair fighting in our churches.
I have been in two churchs that have been opposites in thier ability to openly discuss issues in an open and fair manner.  One understood how to argue the other did not. The latter is now broken in half by the divisiveness of a ugly situation where the fightling got nasty and personal.

 And as wider mission we also need to teach fair fighting to our nation's press. To refuse to discuss indepth issues in the guise of being Patiotic and just reporting beauty contest facts and swiftboat rumors has landed us in the mess we are in.

Peace,

CMH

PS By the way of introduction I found your website through Air America and was delighted to able to enter this discussion. I was a UCC General Synod Delegate in Providence and for many years  active on the conference level with social action issues and am a former member of the Board of the Mobilization for the Human Family (Now Progressive Christian's Uniting) a groups started in LA by Fred Register (UCC), John Cobb and George Regas to fight the christain right.

by CMHinLA on Fri May 26, 2006 at 12:58:31 PM EST


"Allies" | 16 comments (16 topical, 0 hidden)

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Evidence violence is more common than believed
Think I've been making things up about experiencing Christian Terrorism or exaggerating, or that it was an isolated incident?  I suggest you read this article (linked below in body), which is about our great......
ArchaeoBob (214 comments)

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