Churches in Turmoil

So when grandpa passed away, he found himself at the gates of heaven where he was met by Saint Peter.

"Welcome, John. Let me show you around." Said Peter.

As they floated through the heavenly precincts, Saint Peter pointed out the various groups. "Here are the Lutherans, over there are the Pentecostals, there are the Methodists, that huge group over there are the Catholics, ..." and on and on as the tour of heaven continued.

Spying a small group far in the distance, John asked Peter, "Who are those people way over there by themselves?".

"Shhh, whispered Peter. Those are the Baptists. They think they're the only ones here."

Actually, the Baptists could be replaced by any Christian group you choose, because there seem to be plenty of sects these days who believe they have a monopoly on truth.

That's a sad commentary, because these days it seems to be more important for like-minded people of faith to focus less on their differences and more on their shared faith and values. While I believe many mainstream denominations have lost their way in modernistic thinking, abandoning moral absolutes in favor of secular values. But in general, most Christians can't help but agree on the foundations of their faith and recognize that a positive and united message on moral issues can be tremendously helpful in making our country a better place.

I want to share a couple of stories that illustrate some of the dysfunctional tendencies in churches I've seen first-hand.

In the Catholic church, there is theoretically a hierarchy that is to disseminate and enforce the faith and practices of the church. However, the United States Catholics have become like the petulant child of the Catholic family. Maybe it's a function of our Democratic political philosophy, but lots of American Catholics resent being told what to believe and how to conduct the liturgy by stodgy old Rome.

Illustrative of this is the local story of the music program. The church was able to hire an excellent music director who has just finished his Doctorate at Indiana University. An excellent musician, a Catholic, and an able choral director, he was making a positive impact on the music program at the local parish.

However, there were some problems from the beginning of his tenure. First, there were various ad-hoc music groups in place in the parish, which the music director was told on his first day that he was not allowed to "meddle". In fact, members of the parish staff held a particular affinity for the bluegrass-style group, which was given first choice for masses and special events without any input permitted from the new music director.

The music director was concerned about being so severely restricted in his ability to form an integrated and unified music program. But he went forward with the one group he was allowed to "meddle" with, the adult choir. The choir grew in numbers almost immediately, as members immediately responded to the chance to do high quality music under a well qualified director.

But as time went on, conflicts between the parish staff and the new music director intensified. The new music director installed a tasteful mix of music with the choir, ranging from Gregorian Chant to contemporary sacred selections. The Latin music drew a nearly immediate indignant objection from the staff, one of which told the music director that he was not permitted to use any Latin pieces in the Mass, "ever".

So he got a better offer at another, Protestant, church. And the parish no longer has a music program. The ad-hoc groups, led by the bluegrass band, are now responsible for providing music for all Masses. The choir is disbanded and disillusioned. And the parish priest apologized publicly for his non-involvement, but reallocated the music budget, refused an invitation to meet with members of the choir, and has taken no apparent steps toward replacing the music director.

That story is only one of many which, added together, explain why the parish can barely afford to pay the bills on their beautiful new church building as parishioners vote with their wallets or leave the parish for another, more Catholic, better managed place.

The second story involves the small protestant church in which I happened to be brought up. Our family were active in this church as long as we were around, and my parents stayed until they could no longer. After all those years, what could have gone wrong?

Well, in this denomination, there is complete autonomy at the local level. The national denomination sets basic theological standards and facilitates placement of pastors, but are generally hands-off when it comes to decisions made by individual churches.

A lay pastor worked in the church for several years as an associate to the senior pastor that led the church for many years. When the senior pastor retired, a search commenced for his replacement. The associate lay pastor lobbied hard to be elevated to the senior position, despite his lack of any formal training.

He was given the job on an interim basis, where he worked hard to develop a small group of devoted supporters. Through some manipulation of scheduling and a violation of the church's constitution in voting for a new pastor, he was able to get the job he coveted.

The church my family had spent so many years attending, working, building, and leading became unrecognizable. The self-styled pastor departed from the denomination's philosophies, abandoned the rules and procedures set out by the church's own constitution, and spent the church's money on unauthorized purchases.

Today there are reportedly few members left in the church. The rogue pastor is no longer there, as he was eventually forced to leave and took those of his supporters who remained with him to a new church he is trying to build. My parents attend elsewhere.

How many other similar examples of tragic stories of conflict, poor leadership, and bad management are out there? No wonder the churches are so ineffective in getting the true Christian message out to the world, as they can't even follow the message within their own church buildings?

Here's one of those times that makes me feel old, because I find myself longing for the "good old days". But they are gone.