Much like you, I’m deeply concerned about the present state of our nation. The inflammatory rhetoric. The vitriol. The hatred. The violence.
Instead of being a source of salt and light, the church often adds fuel to the fire. And as ministry leaders, navigating these tumultuous times can feel really, really difficult. How do I talk about this issue? Should I talk about this issue? What if I get canceled? It almost feels like we’re damned if we do and damned if we don’t. So, what are some ways forward when we seem to be going backward? Well, let’s take a quick trip back to Genesis 1.
When God created us, he created us in His image. And I’m intentionally using the word created because God is a Creator. Therefore, as his image-bearers we are called to be what Tolkien would refer to as his “sub-creators.” To put it another way, we are not just called to consume, but to create. Our consumption should always be for the purpose of creation, because when our consumption outpaces our creation, it can lead to anxiety, depression, and in today’s digital world, a critical, demonizing spirit.
You’ve seen the numbers, our social media consumption is off the charts, even toxic. And here’s the danger: when we only consume and never create, we not only hurt ourselves but also the people around us. We were made to create, not just to consume.
But how do we create bridges instead of burning them, when burning bridges seems to have become our nation’s default setting?
Here are seven essential things that pastors must activate the body of Christ with, if we are going to move forward and not backwards.
- Ability to Hold Multiple Things in Tension – Possibly the most difficult skillset.
- Ability to Create Safe Spaces – For people that think differently than you.
- Assuming the Best – Not the worst.
- Humility and Critique – The humility to critique your own camp, not just the other.
- Tone – People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.
- Curiosity Mindset – This is the only way to bust out of our own silos.
- Nuance and Winsomeness – Most complicated things are gray, not black and white.
Each of these seven things could be a chapter in a book, and someone much wiser can give detailed examples for what these seven things can look like in your particular context, but they are a start. Here’s what I do know. Unless the body of Christ is leading the charge with these seven things, there is little hope for us as the church or as a nation. Consuming and critiquing is easy. Anyone can do that from their couch as they doomscroll the night away. What’s far harder is creating bridges with people we disagree with and uniting the clans in a time of great division.
In the Lord of the Rings, the hobbits, humans, elves, and dwarves unite as one for a greater mission and purpose. I’m pretty sure that this is what Jesus would want from us during this tumultuous time. In fact, Jesus prays this prayer in John 17 where he says,
“That all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”
Then the world will know…
Right now, it feels like the only language the world knows is fighting, anger, vitriol, violence, and shouting at one another in the comments section. Sadly, the church often mirrors this. Instead of being fully formed into His image, we’ve been malformed by the ways of this world. So where do we begin?
These seven ways forward aren’t exhaustive, but they offer a starting point for ministry leaders who sometimes feel helpless or even hopeless. Critiquing and challenging has its place, but our greater task is creating a way forward.
So here’s the task before us: instead of just consuming content this week, let’s create. Let’s build spaces, forge bridges, and start conversations that make room for others. We need to remember that we worship the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Let’s show the world what it looks like to be one, just as He is one. Then the world will know…