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Control (Moo, as in Moo Cow)
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A committee member was asked for reaction to a meeting attended the night before.The committee member replied, “It was about CONTROL!” Over the past four years as your pastor I have endeavored to connect the interlocking pieces of the puzzle called ministry in such a way as to create a beautiful picture for God’s Kingdom. I try to filter everything I do through the larger vision. I know that sometimes things look piecemeal and some in the church wonder, What in the world is he doing now? Make no mistake! Everything I do these days is filtered through my Personal Calling Statement written in November 2002: So even newsletter articles are not done just to fill space and waste paper—even when they are not “original thoughts” of mine. The vision, the mission, the purpose is always—always—the driving force for the choices that I make even in this column (not to mention sermons, Bible studies, etc.). Someone has said that in order to remember and internalize any new thing we hear, we need to hear the new information at least eleven (11) times! With that in mind I share with you one of the filters I came across and continue to use when I think about how we are doing as a church. Part of this quote has been shared by me in other settings.
In 1995 Bill Easum wrote a book entitled Sacred Cows make Gourmet Burgers: Ministry Anytime, Anywhere, by Anyone. Chapter One opens in this fashion: “It is easier to ask forgiveness than it is to get permission.” --B. R. Hagebak [Don thought: Just remember how difficult it is to get forgiveness from anyone other than God!] “Established churches worship at the feet of the sacred cow of CONTROL. Control takes many shapes; our insistence on controlling everything that happens, or to know about everything before it happens, or to insist on voting on every new issue or ministry; a parlor that few people use; a gym floor that must be kept scratch free; a kitchen that no one can use but designated persons; money that belongs to the Trustees; an official body that has to approve every decision. Control is stifling the spiritual growth of God’s people.” [Perhaps a Nan Spradlin statement is apropos here: “The church is holding revival back!”] “In the local church, control is exercised by a handful of laity. Within denominations, control is exercised by the clergy. The laity stifle growth within the local church, and the clergy do so within the denominations.
“Established churches must either cease worshiping the god of control, or they perish! [Emphasis added.] “The Body of Christ is most effective when individuals are given permission to live out their God-given spiritual gifts (described in chapter 6) on behalf of the Body rather than restraining what they can or cannot do. This book is about freeing individuals and teams to make responsible contributions to the Body of Christ without having to first ask for permission. [Emphases added.] “The freedom of individuals to act responsibly and make a contribution to the Body of Christ does not happen through representative democracy as most established churches seem to believe. Electing people to vote on behalf of those who elected them encourages responsible action only in a very select few. People can’t act responsibly and make a contribution unless they are free to control things that are important to them. People are free to be responsible only when they do not have to go through a labyrinth of committees to get approval. Representative government does little to involve ordinary people in designing the organization, planning its strategy and tactics, or making decisions about things that vitally effect their lives. If people want to start new ministries in which they live out their spiritual gifts, they should be free to do so.
“However, in worship of the sacred cow of control church leaders cry:
• ‘We’ve never done it that way before.’
• ‘We tried that before and it didn’t work.’
• ‘No one does THAT in this church.’
• ‘We don’t do things that way.’
• ‘It’s too radical a change for us.’
• ‘If only it were that easy.’
• ‘When you’ve been around longer, you’ll understand why it can’t be done.’
• ‘How dare you criticize what we’re doing.’
• ‘We’ve been running this church since long before you were born.’
• ‘Who gave you permission to change the rules?’
• ‘What you’re suggesting is against our policies.’
• ‘Our church law won’t let us do that.’
• ‘Won’t that open us up to liability?’
“Webster defines a sacred cow as ‘one immune from criticism or attack.’ The term comes from the Hindu veneration of the cow. Sacred cows are more important than people, causing some people to literally starve to death while surrounded by their sacred cows. No one ever considers the possibility of using the cows for food. To suggest doing so is sacrilegious. “Thousands of persons have attended my seminars. During the presentations, I see many eyes light up with excitement as we explore new possibilities for ministry. Then reality sets in. The participants begin to ask, ‘How will we get these new ideas past those who control the decision-making process in our church? They know instinctively that the leadership will say ‘No’ to the new ministry. The participants become so fixated on the issues of control that their excitement about the potential of the new ministry is dampened.
“I once thought that church leaders were exaggerating how difficult it was going to be when they returned home and tried to implement new ministries. Now, I’m convinced that making decisions and controlling what happens is more important in established churches than making disciples. [Emphasis added.] (E)ven the Great Commission is thwarted by institutional gridlock.”
“Now Jesus turned to address his disciples, along with the crowd that had gathered with them. ‘The religion scholars and Pharisees are competent teachers in God’s Law. You won’t go wrong in following their teachings on Moses. But be careful about following them. They talk a good line, but they don’t live it. They don’t take it into their hearts and live it out in their behavior. It’s all spit-and-polish veneer. ‘Instead of giving you God’s Law as food and drink by which you can banquet on God, they package it in bundles of rules, loading you
down like pack animals. They seem to take pleasure in watching you stagger under these loads, and wouldn’t think of lifting a finger to help. Their lives are perpetual fashion shows, embroidered prayer shawls one day and flowery prayers the next. They love to sit at the head table at church dinners, basking in the most prominent positions, preening in the radiance of public flattery, receiving honorary degrees, and getting called ‘Doctor’ and ‘Reverend.’
‘Don’t let people do that to you, put you on a pedestal like that. You all have a single Teacher, and you are all classmates. Don’t set people up as experts over your life, letting them tell you what to do. Save that authority for God; let him tell you what to do. No one else should carry the title of ‘Father’; you have only one Father, and he’s in heaven. And don’t let people maneuver you into taking charge of them.
There is only one Life-Leader for you and them—Christ.
‘Do you want to stand out? Then step down. Be a servant. If you puff yourself up, you’ll get the wind knocked out of you. But if you’re content to simply be yourself, your life will count for plenty.” (Matthew 23:1-11, The Message)
Shalom,
Don
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