Christian Piatt includes fear on his list of five things that are holding Christianity back. He suggests that “too often, our actions in church are governed principally by a response to what we fear might happen, rather than faithfully discerning what God is calling us to do.”
Reality Check
Most congregations are risk averse. When boards engage in decision making in risk averse organizations the possibilities for the future often look a lot like the successes of the past (and sometimes even the not so successful prior ventures). I find, however, that while fear may be the cause of this perspective, it rarely acts alone.
So What?
If you want to be a change agent within the life of a congregation, you must understand where it is within the organizational life cycle. If it has plateaued or started to decline, then the need to overcome risk aversion (and often fear and other underlying issues) is significant.
Consider your congregation.
- Where is it on the organizational life cycle?
- Would you classify the leadership bodies as risk averse or not? explain?
- Does fear hold people back from exploring innovative possibilities?