Snap-Back Danger
Mark Tidsworth, Team Leader
As we run this race for the upward call of Christ we recognize the inherent growth opportunities along the way. When we begin emerging from crises, we recognize the danger of losing the dramatic and swift gains. We are hearing the same fear from enough church leaders now to call it a chorus of concern. They are afraid their churches will snap-back like a rubber band once we can regather in-person, regressing to their previous level of functioning, abandoning the growth coming out of these adaptive moments. “We are learning so much in this crazy time, but I’m afraid the desire for normalcy will drive us to double-down on our former church paradigm more than ever, resisting transformation.” They don’t all say it the same way, yet statements with this same meaning are the chorus of concern rising in these moments. The danger as we emerge from crisis is to function like rubber bands, snapping-back into the exact same place we were before.
For years, I’ve heard the Chinese symbol for crisis combines two characters: danger and opportunity. Perhaps this illustration has been used so many times because it so perfectly captures what it’s like to live through volatile life disruption events. Snapping-back to previous levels of functioning as churches is a primary danger, while capturing and integrating the growth is the primary opportunity before us on the other side of life disruptions events. Our ReShape Transformation Process addresses both these factors, yet the aim of this article is to understand what’s driving this snap-back tendency.
The first influence driving the snap-back tendency is denial.
In one sense, we all need some functional denial in order to even set foot out the door. Were we consciously aware all the time of all the potential hazards in the world, we would cower in the corner, paralyzed with fear. Yet our brains are wired in such a way that we screen out most of the threats in our world, unconsciously choosing to focus elsewhere. I’m grateful for this ability, liberating us from overwhelming anxiety simply by being alive in this world.
On the other hand, we humans also can extend our circumstance denying abilities into unwanted territories. When the Coronavirus came to this USA, our first response was to minimize its presence. Let’s face it, none of us want to acknowledge the presence of pandemic in our communities. We worked to deny its reality as long as we could, with even the most fervent deniers eventually worn down by its relentless viral spread. Denial gave way to recognition.
A direct outcome of denial is underestimating the moment. We would like life disruption events to be blips on the radar screen, passing on quickly. Yet when we underestimate the moment, we also underestimate the impact, which leads to discounting the transformation opportunities therein. Our blind spots remain intact, preventing us from recognizing the growth opportunities right before us. When Kairos time appears, those in denial often miss the opportunity for spiritual and paradigmatic growth.
Often it’s only when one door closes that we are event interested in looking for the next open door. Life disruption is real. For our churches to recognize the growth opportunities in volatile experiences, we must recognize the truth in this statement. Life disruption is real, not imagined. Denying the reality and effects of adversity is not a strong, courageous, or even faithful response.
The second influence driving the snap-back tendency is the desire for normalcy.
On the one hand, the desire for normalcy and familiar routines is understandable and natural. Remaining in a liminal state, experiencing discontinuous change indefinitely, is unsustainable. We start to yearn for nearly anything resembling normalcy, especially in our faith lives. Though we understand and resonate with this desire, we also recognize the danger inherent therein. If we don’t address the need for centering and grounding ourselves as churches in healthy ways, we will snap-back to exactly the shape we were before this volatile experience came our way. The ReShape Transformation Initiative provides guidance for addressing our need for normalcy while here, we simply recognize its significance as a driver behind this snap-back tendency.
The third influence driving the snap-back tendency is becoming overwhelmed as a church.
During such large-scale life disruption events like Coronavirus, every organization is reacting and responding. Some are required to nearly reinvent themselves, radically transforming how they do what they do. Other organizations simply can’t function, going dormant until the crisis is over.
As one might predict, maintaining this intensity long-term is unstainable. When volatile events come our way, the work-load of many increases dramatically. During the Coronavirus pandemic, new phrases appeared in our common conversations like social distancing, decision-fatigue, posttraumatic zoom disorder, virtual parishioner, hybrid church, zoom-fatigue, and deep cleaning. These emerging phrases are congruent with what we heard from church leaders; tired and overwhelmed. Even though they were highly encouraged by the dramatic innovation and adaptation of their churches, they are also felt drained and overwhelmed.
How we related to being overwhelmed by the intense workload as churches directly forms the influence of this snap-back driver. When we recognize our experience, taking action to remedy the situation, then we are less likely to be shut-down as churches. Then we can go with the creative flow of God’s movement among us. Addressing the overwhelming waves resulting from too much and too fast positions us to lower the influence of this factor.
The fourth influence driving the snap-back tendency is leaving our growth to chance.
Maybe this one is a symptom of the first three influences combining. Some deny or underestimate the impact of the moment, therefore discounting the growth rising in that moment. Others are so eager to get back to normal (were that possible) they quash innovation and growth. Still others are so burdened and heavy-laden they simply want life disruption and what it requires of us to go away. When our churches remain in this state, it’s highly unlikely they will capture and integrate the growth God wants to bring from their experience. They will likely leave it to chance, stumbling into growth as a church, if at all.
NOTE: This is an excerpt (mostly) from ReShape: Emerging Church Practice In A Volatile World, coming from Pinnacle Leadership Press in July 2020.