The allure of denial
It’s not that things are changing for our church. They’ve already changed.
At Old South, the congregation I serve, I’ve started talking to the leadership team about beginning to discuss the process (just the process and not yet the content) of considering the future. How should we talk about, consider, make decisions about our future? Should we sell one of our two buildings, and if we think we should, how do we go about figuring out which one? Should we insert a “sunset clause” into our bylaws and, if so, what should it say? How shall we talk about our endowment, and how it should be used as we get smaller and have more trouble meeting our budget?
The simple act of talking about the process through which we might discuss these issues is raising a bit of anxiety—no surprise there. But, in the expression of anxiety a few interesting issues and perspectives have been exposed.
One of those issues is the concern over how it will look if we begin to talk openly about our decline. What if word gets out that we are thinking about selling one of our buildings? How will the larger community perceive the church if we begin such a process? How will we be judged? Will people consider joining us if we have what amounts to a “going out of business” sign out front?
