Ancient Wisdom for Today’s Struggles
by Bill Ireland
Any of this sound familiar to you?
Declining membership. Members leaving, dropping out, and tuning out.
A highly charged and polarized environment that reflects the division in our country.
High anxiety and tension.
Questions about leadership likely exacerbated by generational issues.
Any minister anywhere these days has to wrestle with these concerns on a daily basis. This stuff is exhausting, and many of us are wondering what to do.
The issues, however contemporary they may seem, are not new. These same swirling crosscurrents washed through the church to whom the Elder wrote in 1, 2, and 3 John. While there’s no exact one-to-one correspondence between the challenges he faced and our own, there are enough points of contact that suggest that the Elder’s strategy for shepherding a congregation through tumultuous times then might be helpful to us now.
Before we take note of the Elder’s approach, let me offer a bit of background. 1, 2, 3 John were written to confront a situation in which a split had already taken place. Some had defected from the church as a result of theological and personality differences. As a result of this schism, the Elder wrote these letters to keep the remainder of his flock together and also to address some practical issues arising from the split. That’s an extremely high-level summary, but any good commentary will fill in the blanks.
That said, let’s turn our attention to how the Elder addressed the situation facing his church.
Although it seems rather obvious, the Elder did what he could. He acted! These letters prove that he was unwilling to sit back and do nothing. Instead of allowing the conflict and tension paralyze him, he got going and met the challenge head-on. He wrote these letters to address the concerns his church faced. I realize full well that we’re all swimming in uncharted waters these days. Figuring out how to be and do church in this environment is a tall order. Nevertheless, it seems to me that we don’t have the luxury of doing nothing or taking a wait-and-see approach. Like the Elder, our times demand that we do something, anything, to break the grip of our hard times.
As well, the Elder doubled down on defining himself and the church. As the letters make clear, some had defected from the fellowship. The conflict had its roots in some serious theological disagreements and some questions over leadership. In response, the Elder worked very hard to say to those who remained, “This is who we are. This is what it means to be a follower of Jesus.” Reading through these letters, we will likely be taken aback by the Elder’s harsh language. He characterizes the defectors as “liars” and “antichrists.” He is not at all reluctant to draw a clear distinction between “us” and “them.” That tone will not work in our overheated environment! Nevertheless, the Elder’s instinct is spot on. When everything everywhere seems up for grabs, it’s imperative for church leaders to say, “This is who we are. This is what it means for us to be church.” Reinforcing our identity as the body of Christ is all the more important.
In that same vein, I was struck by the number of times the Elder appealed to tradition. Time and again, he calls the church back to first principles. “This is what you heard from the beginning.” “This is not a new commandment but an old one; one we’ve had from the start.” He drew from the well of tradition as a way of anchoring the church. Much of what he wrote is absolutely appropriate for the current moment. Love God. Keep God’s commands. Love one another. These gospel basics are singularly important when we’re trying to figure out how to be church.
A final note. Although the Elder’s characterization of the defectors is harsh and unstinting, his tone with his congregation is warm and encouraging. He repeatedly addresses them as “children” or “little children.” In so doing, he is not suggesting they are immature; instead, he is reinforcing the bond that already exists between them. He is not afraid to let them know he loves them and cares about them. As well, particularly in 2 and 3 John, the Elder is quick to praise those who act in keeping with the gospel and his instruction. He’s not afraid to give credit where credit is due. Obviously, one of the hardest tasks for any minister is to love the congregation when they are hard to love. Nevertheless, I still believe that relationships are the coin of the realm in pastoral leadership. I also believe that many tensions can be lessened if the congregation knows their minister loves them. In this regard, we can do more to help the congregation live into their calling by praising them for what they’ve done well instead of berating them for their failures.
Unfortunately, we don’t know the full story about the Elder’s churches. We have only his side of the argument, and we don’t know how things turned out. Still, there’s a remarkable resemblance between then and now. I can’t promise that his approach will work in any and all circumstance. But the Elder’s way of doing things isn’t a bad place to start.