From the Pastor



Reflections on Annual Meeting:

There is a lot of talk in this era about democracy. Ukrainians are fighting to save theirs from an outside enemy. Parliamentary democracies all over the world are struggling to hold coalitions together that are necessary for governance. As Town Meeting Day nears, many of us will be participating in our representative democracy. Of course, some of us remember when Town Meeting was much more of a direct democracy, especially in small towns. The guy who ran the Road Department would get up and say that they finally needed a new truck, and everyone present would vote yea or nay. Direct democracy is simple to understand and sometimes inspiring. It is also best suited to small groups of people who have the same knowledge base. When everyone in town has heard stories of the truck breaking down, and half of them have taken a hand at trying to fix it, a vote to spend money makes good sense. Of course, some will be "agin it", just on principle.

The churches of the United Church of Christ are governed democratically, following the example of the Puritan forebears. But how that democracy works varies rather widely from church to church. In very small churches, it is simple direct democracy; all the members gather, sometimes quarterly, and vote on how they will proceed on everything from altar flowers to youth group to painting the outside of the church. In a small church, everyone has some experience with all these areas, and nearly all of the leaders wear multiple hats. They may not agree, but they are working from the same facts and experiences. In most of our churches, decisions are made by a representative democracy; leaders are elected every year who meet, make decisions and call upon the whole congregation only once a year, and to vote on a few large matters.

Representative democracy requires trust, and that, of course, is where our national conversation has broken down. As citizens, we do not have a common body of understanding and experience, or even agreement on facts, and virtually no trust, even in leaders elected by a wide plurality. In this church, the trust in your leaders is high; 100% of the 64 voting members voted yes for the officers of the church! I am grateful to work with leaders who are both wise and faithful. One of them, our Vice Moderator Don Singer, sent me this resource on the five kinds of power exercised by leaders and supervisors, from the JROTC curriculum:

 *  Legitimate: The power a leader has based on their position or job. (the boss, supervisor, or parents)

 *  Referent: The power a leader has based on the follower's admiration or respect for the leader.

 *  Expert: The power a leader has based on advanced knowledge or expertise, above that of the follower.

 *  Reward: The power a leader has to give rewards to followers to motivate them to accomplish their tasks. (Ice cream for everybody if we get this done in record time!)

 *  Coercive: The power a leader has to punish, or use coercion on followers to motivate them to accomplish their tasks. (If you don't finish this task, you're working on Saturday (you're fired) (you're demoted).)

Obviously, we should be aspiring to the first three kinds of power, reserving rewards for a bit of fun, and coercive power only in situations of danger or emergency. We have seen the destructive power of reward and coercion as the primary tools of power in toxic workplaces, dysfunctional relationships and repressive regimes.

All variations of democracy require leadership from different people in different situations. Like Volodymyr Zelensky, who was a professional comic before his election as President, some leaders seem to come out of nowhere. In our denomination, the goal is that every member of the congregation have opportunities for leadership in some areas, and opportunities to follow in others. The tone and style of leadership in a local church is the single most important determinant of whether or not that church will grow.

So, I invite you to reflect a bit on our church's process as a representative democracy, and our role in it. What kind of power is exercised and by whom? Are we creating a church community that works together joyfully and productively? Are we trusting and trustworthy? Are we trusting God?

Blessings,

Pastor Leigh

(PS - As we start this year, most of our ministries are looking for new members as they make exciting plans for the future. Could God be calling you to join one of them?)