Church Politics, part 2: What Can Be Done?

In part one, we discovered that church politics suck. But you probably didn't need a blog to tell you that!

In his book The 8th Habit, Stephen Covey identifies what he calls "five emotional cancers" you might find in any given group or organization:

• Criticizing
• Complaining
• Comparing
• Competing
• Contending

He points out that when these things find their way into a group of people, or a culture, these cells will "metastasize" and infect the group so that it ultimately becomes so polarized and divided that it's incapable of producing anything of real quality.

We already know we can find sick politics in our workplaces, governments, schools, and other organizations, so maybe it shouldn't surprise us to find it in churches as well.

But if it's in the church, isn't this simply a matter of "there are no perfect churches", and we must simply learn to accept it?

Absolutely not! "Politics as usual" is unacceptable in the body of Christ. Take another look at Covey's emotional cancers, and compare it to the apostle Paul's list of "the works of the flesh":

"...hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, divisions, the feeling that everyone is wrong except those in your own little group..." (Galatians 5:20)

Our calling as THE Church, on the other hand, is to refuse that way of doing things:

"Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of malicious behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you." (Ephesians 4:31-32)

But many churches don't refuse politics, they embrace them. Even worse, the leadership will very often protect the politics by reframing and justifying them with biblical language and/or reassuring words, whether in public or private. This is nothing more than a PR smokescreen to keep church members ignorant. And to complete the circuit, many church members would rather not know what's really going on--it's simply too disturbing.

If we find ourselves in an environment where anyone who questions how things 'really' operate gets labeled as "divisive" or "unteachable", and membership responds with "amen", then its clear we're in the church politics soup--and we're in deep.

So here's a question: If you discover that your church has been infested with politics--that it's more about control than community--what can you, as one person, actually do about it?

Now if you're a follower of Christ, there are some things you should not do. Mostly, the things you should NOT do include things related to revenge, returning evil for evil, or further dividing the believers into camps. For a believer, these approaches are not an option...they may be very tempting at times, but they are off limits to those who claim to follow Christ.

"That old law about 'an eye for an eye' leaves everybody blind. The time is always right to do the right thing." (Martin Luther King, Jr.)

"Revenge is always the weak pleasure of a little and narrow mind." (Juvenal)

"Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable." (Romans 12:17)

In other words, don't go there. You don't fight gossip by gossiping about the gossipers! That approach doesn't improve anything or glorify God in any way.

The spirit-led approach is to unclench your fists, take a deep cleansing breath, do the hard work of confronting the appropriate people graciously and thoroughly if needed, and then make a confident, peaceful choice about where you will continue to fellowship.

I'll explain this in more detail soon, but first:

Chances are you will be VERY emotional about this, because frankly, a church that operates on politics is wrong, and if you have God's spirit in you, this will offend you to the core. Make no mistake: When a church is functioning by strong personalities and under-the-table power moves more than by God's gifting of EVERY member of the body, it is messed up.

It's also hard to see this happen in a church you've connected with for any period of time. Chances are you have good friends there. You may even have a good relationship with the people in leadership. Everybody might have a great heart and the best of intentions; but if the system's got the cancer, it's got the cancer--you can't just ignore it.

So, because confronting a sick system can be an emotional, gut-wrenching, scary thing, it might be helpful to see what to do in baby steps:

1. Come to terms with your own political tendencies. As mentioned before, you're not immune to this problem; chances are you have played some yourself. Have you ever chosen to associate with those who you felt would improve your status or position in the church? Have you ever said things about your fellow believers that you would never say if they were in the room? You don't have to wallow in guilt about this--just acknowledge that you have played the game too, so there's no reason to feel superior. That being said...
2. Stop playing the game. Again, if you take a defensive, combative posture, or start using your own style of manipulation to make your point, you're still playing the game--stop it! The only way out of this mess is to stop playing the game. Refuse to participate, even when others are coaxing you back in.
   
3. Re-read Matthew 18 and confront the appropriate person/people. Follow Jesus' directions here and guide your actions accordingly. If you need to approach someone about this issue, do it individually at first, then bring others in by degrees. This will require courage on your part. It may even be some of the hardest stuff you've ever done in your life!
   
4. If positive change comes, rejoice! If you'll recall, the prophet Jonah didn't actually want Ninevah to repent; he would have rather seen them be judged for their sin, and he was actually disappointed that God showed mercy on them! If your confrontation leads to acknowledgment and real turnaround, rejoice! Don't forget that God does not rejoice in judgement; He rejoices in restoration.
   
5. If the politics are pervasive, consider a healthier fellowship. If, despite your best efforts, your attempts to confront the politics in your church go nowhere, you do have options. If you feel it's the right thing to stay and be a light in a dark place, then you have the option to stay--but if you stay, no more complaining! If however you find you are starving for healthy, Christ-centered fellowship, then it might be best to leave this church in God's hands, say your good-byes, and peacefully move on. The body of Christ is bigger and more alive than you may even realize, and you may find it in the most unlikely places!

And the adventure continues, right?

THE Church is a community where people work at loving one another. There is the "grace and peace" the apostle Paul mentioned so often. They don't divide into camps at the first sign of disagreement. If you've been living in politically-charged church environment for a long time, it may actually be shocking to discover that it doesn't have to be that way!

THE Church, when it rids itself of human politics, is a beautiful thing:

"Under his direction, the whole body is fitted together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love." (Ephesians 4:16)

Notice how it says "as each part does its own special work". One reason that doesn't happen like it should is church hierarchy, or a top-down approach to running the church. I'll get into that topic next.

Please give me your thoughts about this topic of dealing with church politics. Have you been through this? Are you about ready to go through this? What's been your experience? I'd love to hear from you.