4 Ways to Make the Best of the Next Crisis

4 Ways to Make the Best of the Next Crisis

The past four years have forever put to rest the notion that churches can’t flex and adapt. In fact, the pandemic showed that churches could successfully pivot on a dime. Increased adaptability, resilience, and creativity were all positive outcomes. For this reason, many churches did not suffer the losses that might have been expected during such drastic change. We’re not done with crisis, though. We have a contentious presidential election before us, the impacts of AI, and ongoing structural inequities. The second largest Protestant denomination in the US (the UMC) recently lost 25% of its churches during a split. How can you be ready for the next calamity? Read on for the 4 ways to make the best of the next crisis.

 

Are the Best Days Behind You?

Before I share the 4 ways to make the best of the next crisis, let’s address one persistent stumbling block, head on. This stumbling block is the belief that crisis means the best days are behind you. That the future is no longer hopeful. And that it’s all downhill from here. This belief becomes a roadblock to recovery. It prevents you from seeing new opportunities and unexpected openings, or to sense God’s blessing around you.

 

We Had Entered Into the Best Days of Our Ministry Yet

I hate to admit it, but when the pandemic shutdowns first began it felt like the end of the world to me. How will we get through this when community is what we most need, I wondered? How will my ministry survive when we have depended on in-person gatherings? I was quickly losing heart. But I began to speak to friends who were starting new jobs, getting promotions, and even moving across country. It was a jarring sense of abundance amidst a narrowing of my own vision. It prompted me to catalogue the following guidelines. My team and I met, and figured out a way to put everything online. And we had entered into the best days of our ministry yet.

Here are the four guidelines that we followed, that allowed us to not only survive, but thrive, in the midst of very tough times.

 

4 Ways to Make the Best of the Next Crisis

1) Learn from The Past

During the pandemic, many churches quickly moved online. They distinguished between owning a building and being the church. Church leaders and members expanded their sense of agency and acted quickly in the face of need. In fact, the pandemic did for congregations what they could not do for themselves. In a pinch, churches finally made the changes that they had needed to make for decades.

 

 2) Reframe the Negative

A pandemic seems like a negative. Same with waves of disaffiliations and the loss of congregations. Same with contentious presidential politics. And AI. And persistent inequities. But what if each of these crises actually carry the seeds of innovation? What if each of these challenges carry within them the genesis of blessing? When you actively choose to reframe the negative, the positive can appear that much sooner. Being on the lookout for blessings allows you to innovate with speed. This is part of tapping into Jesus’ miracle mindset.

 

3) Build on New Strengths

A leader that I coach had to navigate lawsuits, file appeals, and appear in court as disaffiliations took on dimensions he couldn’t have anticipated. This leader is tired, yes, but stronger and smarter than ever. Each crisis will draw on skills you already have, even as you build new strengths.

 

 4) Take Ownership

In a crisis, it can be easy to feel like a victim. Especially when things aren’t going your way. The best way to get through a crisis is to take ownership of what is yours to do. No, you can’t change all the circumstances around you. But you can take ownership of your feelings, your mindset, your reactions, and your prayer life. This will take you a long way toward being more effective and more resilient.

 

Next Steps

As we look towards Holy Week, remember the God of miracles. Jesus caused the blind to see, healed the leper, and cast out demons. Your crisis is not big enough to stop the God of miracles. Unless you insist on staying stuck.

As we approach the days ahead, let us grow in resilience as we practice 4 ways to make the best of the next crisis. Cultivating resilience in your congregation and your life is possible. It calls for conscious leadership. Come to Elevate Your Ministry: An Introduction to Conscious Leadership to learn about the importance of mastering your mindset, awakening your spirituality, and becoming an intentional visionary.

 

If you want input on your ministry, click here for a free one-on-one 45-minute Discovery Session with me.

 

 

Copyright © 2024 rebekahsimonpeter.com.  All Rights Reserved.

3 Secret Reasons to be Grateful. Even When You’re Not.

True confessions:  I’m a recovering worrier.  I can worry at the drop of a hat.  I do some of my best work in the middle of the night.  When a problem gets resolved, my mind naturally searches for the next thing that could possibly go wrong so that I can get a head start.  Worry beads would be wasted on me.  I need boulders.

As bad as that may sound, I’m not as bad as I used to be.  I’ve made progress.  I’ve got more peace of mind, more calm and equanimity, a more positive outlook on life.  What’s made the difference?  Gratitude.

As a Christian, I used to be very suspicious of gratitude.  It seemed a frivolous luxury when there were still people in need, still problems to be solved, and messes still to be cleaned up.  Gratitude seemed better left for carefree atheists or Unitarians or some such people.   For me, a Jewish-Christian, worry equaled caring.

Gratitude has changed that for me.  Even so, I can still lapse into guilt at the holidays, what with its focus on thanksgiving and joy.  Is it really okay to feel grateful…even with people going to bed hungry, even with the globe warming, even with Trump soon to enter the Oval Office? If you’re like me, you may wonder:  What’s a worrier to do?

I thought this would be a good time to reveal the 3 secret reasons to be grateful.  Even if you’re not.  Especially if you’re not.
Gratitude grows faith.  In Philippians 4:4-7, the Apostle Paul famously addressed the worriers at Philippi.  “Rejoice!” he insists.  “Again I say rejoice!” Why the command to rejoice?  When we lace our prayers with gratitude, we create a protective shield against the corrosive power of fear.  Fear is the basis of worry.  While worry paralyzes, gratitude grows faith.

Is everything going right in the world?  Or in your church?  Sure doesn’t seem like it!  But worry and fear do nothing to change that.  Instead, maintaining a connection with the limitless flow of divine love protects us and empowers us.

Gratitude shifts perspective.  Worry and fear generate more worry and fear.  Gratitude opens up the door to new ways of thinking.  Sometimes I play the game of thanking God for things that I think are unjust, unfair, or just plain unwanted.  Like my dear neighbor getting cancer.  Or my insomnia, even when I go to bed at a decent hour.  Or the election of a president I voted against.

Fair warning:  It’s not easy expressing gratitude for things you don’t want.  I feel fake and self-conscious doing it.  But I do it anyway and my synapses get re-arranged.  Worry moves aside.  A new opening appears as I ask:  Could anything good come from this situation?
The answer is yes.  It’s always yes.

Now the yesses were there before I thanked God, but expressing gratitude for situations I didn’t want allows me to see them.  For instance, in the case of my neighbor with cancer, my prayer prompted me to have a different kind of conversation with her.  In the process, I discovered that she had reconciled with her brother, and adopted a stray cat. Who knew?  I wouldn’t have known that.  Likewise, sleepless nights prompt me to pray and mediate; things I don’t do enough of during the day.  Even Trump’s election has prompted all sorts of people to better make their voices be heard.

Here’s what it comes down to:   Pre-gratitude, all I can see is the bad.  Post-gratitude, I can see the good that is also transpiring.   It changes my perspective and expands my awareness.

Gratitude empowers.   Finally, gratitude jolts me out of resignation.  When I give thanks for the things I’m not thankful for, not only are my heart and mind protected from corrosive fear; not only can I see potential good in every situation; I am empowered to act in a way that brings even more goodness into the world.

At a recent church meeting, a group of leaders stopped to pray in the middle of a worrisome situation.  As a result, new ideas came to mind.  One of the women who had been very quiet, and very worried, began to smile tentatively, then more broadly.  “I know!” she said.  “Here’s what I think we could do.”  She surfaced an idea that got good support, and the group moved into action.  As a result, $12,000 was raised to support a family in need.
The world isn’t a perfect place.  Not everything goes the way we would like it to.  But that’s no reason to be immobilized by fear.  Take it from me, a recovering worrier.  Gratitude opens the way to faith, goodness, and action.  Try it this holiday season.  Even if you’re not grateful.  Especially if you’re not grateful.

The Kingdom of Heaven is (Still) at Hand

Yes, Donald Trump won the presidential election. No, not everyone is happy about that. Clinton won the popular vote while Trump won the electoral vote. Plenty of people are having to adjust their ideas of the next four years.

Like many people I was surprised, even discouraged, at the election results. My candidate didn’t win. The values I hold most dear are not well-represented in the president-elect. Yet, I still find reason to hope for a world that works for everyone. For me, it all started with this realization: The Kingdom of Heaven is (still) at hand.

Whether you are delighted or outraged with the results of the election, this is an important fact to hold true: the Kingdom of Heaven is (still) at hand. If you’re thinking that your ideal world cannot happen unless the right woman or man is in the White House then consider again the story of Jesus. He proclaimed the Kingdom of God right under the nose of Pontius Pilate and under the rule of Caesar. He proclaimed it not as something that was going to come, or going to be restored, but something that was at hand even then.

Jesus reminds us all—Republicans, Democrats, and Independents alike—that it’s not our leaders who ultimately create the kind of world we live in. They don’t have that kind of power. It’s up to us to say what kind of world we live, and to act accordingly.

Yes, Trump will soon have executive powers. But that no way impinges on our own inherent kingdom powers of dignity, self-regard, and co-creation with God. The power of the kingdom is already within us: it’s found at the depth of our being. It’s expressed through our thoughts, our feelings, beliefs and our actions. No one can take that away.

At the same time that we are each responsible for our ensuring own personal dignity and empowerment, that doesn’t mean we stop paying attention to the world at large.   It’s imperative that we church leaders continue envisioning a just and inclusive society. It’s imperative that we church leaders continue to work for a world in which the needs of all are met. It’s imperative that we church leaders continue speaking up about what works and what doesn’t. Finally, it’s imperative that we back up our talk with action.

There’s been a dramatic uptick in hate crimes by some pro-Trump supporters since last Tuesday’s election. On the other hand, some anti-Trump protests have turned violent. Christian values of loving friends and enemies, forgiving those who have wronged us, offering radical hospitality and welcoming the stranger are more important than ever. Living the Gospel has never been more counter-cultural!

While violence against persons of color, religious minorities, and property should cause us to be vigilant, let’s not go overboard by assuming the worst in others. We have to keep our assumptions in check. We lead congregations full of both Republicans and Democrats and Independents. Regardless of our own political leanings, we cannot assume that everyone who voted for Donald Trump wants to deport immigrants, block Muslims from coming into the country, roll back civil rights, normalize preying on women, or insult and bully people at will. It’s simply not true. Sure, some share those views. More likely, however, most Trump supporters were drawn to one or more of his ideas about the economy, the government, or international relations. Or, they simply couldn’t see voting for the other party. Or the other party’s candidate.

On the other hand, we cannot assume that everyone who voted for Hillary Clinton is insensitive to concerns about the economy or security, supports rioters in the streets, is non-patriotic, or is somehow against everyone else.
Both sets of assumptions are false.

As church leaders we are called to bring people together to live into the Kingdom of Heaven. This is the time to lean into the calling. Not by pretending discord and disagreement aren’t happening. Or by simply reacting in fear. But by actively promoting all that we do stand for.

This is our time. This is our time to love all our neighbors, and all our enemies. This is our time to extend radical hospitality. This is our time to cast out demons, to turn fear into faith, and to cast a vision of a world that works for everyone. After all, the Kingdom of Heaven is (still) at hand. Let’s demonstrate it.