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Church in the Time of Cholera

Church in the Time of Cholera. Proposition: We live in a time of cascading disruptions that cause trauma to people and systems and calls for specialized leadership. Today black swans are more common. Natural Disasters Human caused disasters Economic gyrations

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Church in the Time of Cholera

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  1. Church in the Time of Cholera

  2. Proposition: We live in a time of cascading disruptions that cause trauma to people and systems and calls for specialized leadership

  3. Today black swans are more common

  4. Natural Disasters Human caused disasters Economic gyrations Secularization of culture Schisms and dismissals Decline in church participation Loss and change of denominational resources Lack of civility Cultural changes Judicial cases Black Swans/ Disruptions

  5. Our Experience in PSNE Five PDA disaster responses in 2 ½ years. Four congregations in dismissal process. Several congregations on edge of viability. Two congregations closed Two sexual misconduct cases Judicial process on same sex marriage Recession in Fairfield County

  6. Some observations Less and less responsiveness as disruptions cascaded over one another. Avoidance of potential new disruptions. Disengagement from traumatized systems and people. Avoidance of grief talk; superficial “salvation talk” Return to familiar closed system behaviors Denial that anything has really changed Immediate hunger for experts Highly emotional responses suppressed My anxiety level went out the roof

  7. A Question Were these observations related to trauma response?

  8. Traumas Are the result of unanticipated events that overwhelm the ordinary system adaptations to life. Resulting in feelings/reactions of intense fear, helplessness, loss of control, and threat of annihilation. Cascading disruptions amplify these feelings.

  9. General Symptoms of Trauma Hyperarousal Intrusion Constriction

  10. Symptoms of Trauma • Hyperarousal • Sense that the danger may reoccur at any moment • Easily startled • Reacts irritably to small provocations • Sleeps poorly

  11. Symptoms of Hyperarousal in the Presbytery Rushed to produce a disaster plan Higher resistance to initiating changes Over reacted to anything that brought up old traumatic topics or events Hypervigilence on “different” behavior and rule-breaking Rapid irritation over small issues A restlessness and inability to “be”

  12. Symptoms of Trauma • Intrusion • Reliving the event as though it were continually reoccurring in the present. • Flashbacks, dreams, uncontrolled memories, vivid sensations and images. • Normal life cannot be resumed because of the intrusions.

  13. Symptoms of Intrusions in the Presbytery Previous disruptions and traumas jumped out of hiding Old responses to traumas came out of the blue Old language, processes, personality judgments suddenly resurfaced Gut reactions to some people, or motions, or behaviors were more visible. Flash energy for gun control, emergency generators, etc.

  14. Symptoms of Trauma • Constriction • Self-defense by altering state of consciousness. • Numbing from reality and the pain. • Detachment, anesthesia, disassociation • Addictive behaviors

  15. Symptoms of Constriction in the Presbytery Avoided anxiety by focusing on committee reports and “talking heads” Kept busy at being busy. Obsessively stuck on policies, rules and agendas Restricted leadership to the tried and true. Prevented space for deep engagement. Interacted only with known acquaintances Anxiety transference to EP

  16. Question: If our system was experiencing cascading traumas how should we be responding?

  17. Leadership Response in the Time of Cholera Knowing the history and trajectory of trauma response and recovery in our particular system Enhancing the stages of recovery Building up system resiliency

  18. 1.Knowing the history and trajectory of trauma response and recovery in our particular system

  19. History in PSNE We have some significant past traumas that are only talked about in whispers behind closed doors Anxiety is released in confrontations over amendments and judicial cases Strong codes of silence (“confidentiality”) and anonymity Outside experts are seen as threats to the equilibrium of the status quo

  20. People whose behaviors deviate from strict norms are ostracized or expelled We have a slew of policies and a huge COM manual Congregations and individuals disengage when anxiety rises EP is stressed, acts out, and numbs his or her pain

  21. We have predictable reactions We tend to leave traumas unresolved Our past responses to trauma or disruptions are triggered by new ones Our system will close with rigid codes of behavior and response parameters We release anxiety in indirect and opaque ways Some disengage to avoid further trauma The EP will tend toward reactive and numbing behaviors

  22. We are system with addictive behaviors that numb anxiety, loss, and pain.Can that be changed?

  23. 2.Enhancing theStages of Recovery

  24. Steps of Recoveryto Disruptions Healing Relationships Safety Remembrance and Mourning Reconnection Commonality

  25. Healing Relationships Sympathetic Validating Neutral Empowering not curing

  26. Healing relationships in PSNE PDA engaged for both immediate and long term Provided compassion workshops and discussions Created open space for relationship building Engaged with ecumenical partners Encouraged self care experiences like CREDO and Davidson Center Expanded my therapy

  27. Safety To express feelings To not be judged To make own choices To share personal truths

  28. Safety in PSNE Leadership and staff commitment to open space at all meetings Providing options for self-selecting what to talk about and with whom Accepting non-judgmentally how congregations and leaders are acting My commitment to being transparent with emotions and reactions Re-invigorated openness to ask what we are learning

  29. Remembrance and Mourning Confronting the memories Retelling the experience Mourning or lamentation Reconstructing the story Seeing the past with today’s eyes

  30. Remembrance and mourning in PSNE Modeling lamentation Giving voice to the grief of others and the system Taking past traumas and grief out of the closet Emphasizing our faith grief stories, especially the Exile Asking: “Who are we now?” and “How is our story different from what it was before?” Changing language from “falling apart” to “learning to live the challenges”

  31. Reconnection Validating the new reality as if we are refugees living in a new country Increasing power to control own destiny Accepting and managing fears, vulnerabilities, failures of the past Reconnecting with others and a new mission

  32. Reconnecting in PSNE “It is okay to be different from what we were before” Drawing upon our immigrant history as a paradigm for what we are now Continuing to affirm that there are many ways of recovering from change and disruption Using third-eye view of our anxiety Proposing multiple choice options and validating any choice Opening up coffers for new worshipping communities Finding new balance between order/control and chaos/creativity

  33. Commonality Experiencing the compassion and generosity of others Discovering that we are not alone Engaging in a group with others Feeling of belonging and transparency Finding sources of information

  34. Commonality in PSNE Continue to validate and offer services of PDA and self-care events and places Tell the stories of other disasters and the responses of other presbyteries/congregations Emphasize that “we survived” and “we learned” Promote risk taking in transparent relationships Widen our delivery of information about recovery and self-care events Hire a consultant for nurturing creativity and innovation

  35. The two greatest factors affecting trauma recovery are how the system and how the leader have handled trauma previously

  36. Will our recovery efforts ever get ahead of the cascading disruptions?Can we create a climate and culture that continually enhances recovery?

  37. 3.Building Resiliency in our congregations and presbyteries

  38. Resilience: the capacity of a system to maintain its core purpose and integrity in the face of dramatically changed circumstances or in response to disruptions

  39. Building Resiliency in our congregations and presbyteries Flexible Scaling Continual Sensing Clustering Resilient mind and spirit Permeable Membranes

  40. Decentralization Replaceable leadership EG: al-Qaeda De-coupling EG: Electric Grid Swarming EG: TB Flexible Scaling

  41. Flexible scaling in PSNE Unblock the ways congregations are dismissed Validating congregation and individual de-coupling from the Presbytery Limit the role of Nominating and move toward adhocracy Creating virtual office Decreasing the centrality and visibility of EP role and empowering other leaders Invite open door swarming for critical issues and events

  42. Continual Sensing Feedback loops EG: Electrical Grid Distributed intelligence Mission 4636 and twitter

  43. Continual sensing in PSNE Focusing on role of sentinel What is going on inside and outside Open space sharing at meetings Frequently asking: “how are we doing?” Increasing data and story delivery in weekly emails Decentralizing information and opening wiki paths Validating wisdom of outliers and the experienced

  44. Clustering Mass gatherings that are Dense Diverse Open Complex network connections EG: Dynamic cities and biodiversity

  45. Clustering in PSNE Open ended questioning of what is the business and purpose of presbytery Making Presbytery meetings creative, relational, and empowering of commissioners Integrating the place of immigrants, specialized ministers, and creative ideas Moving staff roles from resource providers and managers to networkers and question askers

  46. Resilient Mind and Spirit Meaning Influence Learning Mindfulness EG: Spirituality and Neuro-plasticity

  47. Resilient mind and spirit in PSNE High quality creative worship first Worshipper led worship including message Story telling of how congregations and individuals make a difference Highlighting innovative Christian communities that offer new ways of spiritual meaning Changing focus from our divisions to a common task of nurturing creativity

  48. Permeable Membranes Inclusivity Diversity Tolerance for dissent EG: Red Team U (skeptics) and Molecular Biology Labs (group-think)

  49. Permeable membranes in PSNE Continually redefining who “we” are Trying to find ways to express differences and make decisions without Roberts Rules Approving and celebrating innovative ministries and communities Giving voice to those the rules give no voice to Allowing congregations and ministries to react differently and to engage differently Adhocracy from passion not only talent Hiring a Jewish non-profit consultant from Louisville

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