Reframing Negativity

Two columns ago, I wrote about the "death spiral" of negativity that often affects churches in long-term decline. This negativity impedes the church's ability to imagine a future other than continued decline and ultimate demise. It appears in the form of a "deficit mentality" which focuses on what is lacking rather than on using creatively and faithfully the gifts that are present in the church already. It is a downward spiral that leads to a loss of hope, feelings of helplessness, congregational passivity and withdrawal.

Vital churches come in all sizes and budgets. I recently read about Jan Hus Presbyterian Church in Manhattan that has 18 members but serves thousands of meals to homeless people every year, and offers space to non-profits in the otherwise unaffordable Upper East Side. First Presbyterian Church of Jasper, Texas - with only 20 members and a half-time pastor - began a ministry of racial healing in a town best known for its hate crimes against people of color. It formed a foundation called Peace Beyond Understanding to outlast the small church in which the average age was 75. Small doesn't meaning dying. Declining doesn't mean dead.

In this column, I want to pick up that discussion and move to how churches can pull out of the death spiral and restore vision and vitality to their ministries. Overcoming negativity begins by connecting to the "positive core" that exists within every organization. The process known as Appreciative Inquiry was developed less than 30 years ago as a technique to help people identify and rekindle the positive core in their businesses, organizations, and churches. The positive core consists of those experiences, practices, relationships, and resources that generate life and keep people connected to the church.

One ground rule of Appreciative Inquiry is that deficit language ("we need...", "if only...", "we can't...") is prohibited, and people must reframe their language positively ("we have...", "we learned...", "we can..."). Being aware of how our language shapes our perception can have a big impact on how we view our church and its future.

An Appreciative Inquiry "summit" begins with persons conducting conversational interviews to tell the stories of those times they felt most vital, connected, energized, and affirmed in their relationship with the church, and to explore the contributing factors and circumstances that made those experiences life-giving. The "interview" goes on to ask questions such as identifying three wishes (or prayers) for your church's future that are grounded in reality and achievable.

By sharing our stories, we reconnect to those feelings and attitudes that connected us to the church in the first place and keep us committed now. By resurfacing and identifying those experiences we can begin to identify where the life-giving Spirit of the church lies dormant, ready to be released. Even if we don't have the opportunity to hold a summit (which usually takes a whole day, minimally) we can start to share our individual stories and dreams in worship services and session meetings. These aren't intended as exercises in nostalgia, but as windows to the blessings that reside in every community of faith.