Emotional Times

Rev. Joshua Patty
Regional Minister and President

"No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear."

Recently, I've been thinking about these opening words from C. S. Lewis' reflection, A Grief Observed. These two powerful emotions, grief and fear, seem prevalent in our society. This is understandable, given the many losses we've experienced during 18 months of pandemic and the uncertainties we face in the months ahead.

And, if grief and fear are widespread emotions right now, then common defenses like anger and avoidance probably are too.

So, what does good ministry look like in the midst of these emotions? Do all of our interactions need to begin with pastoral care of some sort?

Even harder is this leadership quandary. It's obvious that change is necessary, given the wider changes exacerbated and quickened during the pandemic. How do we make changes in the face of fear and defensiveness? How do we present and time changes without people feeling like they are just losing more? How do we persevere when we encounter anger and resistance? How do we keep people from just walking away?

And how do we minister when this whole mess of emotions and responses is at work in each of us personally? How do we serve effectively when the demands and emotional roller coaster of the pandemic have left us exhausted?

There are few easy answers to these questions. In some ways, we'll keep answering them for the next several months -- often with the same answer, sometimes not. We'll get some things right. We'll make mistakes. We'll miss some things completely.

Currently, my reflections lead me to draw two conclusions. First, in such uncertain and anxious times, the better we understand our context and frame questions about what we are facing, the better ministry we will offer. Second, if we are facing these deep emotions and responses, we and those around us need the grace, the healing, and the hope of the Gospel more than ever. The ways we invite people to experience the loving presence of God -- and the ways we testify to our own experiences of God's loving presence -- are urgent and vitally needed.