My Friends,
As you know, we have been enduring a difficult time in the life of our Fellowship. So much is happening so fast. We've made decisions to let go of who we once were by trying to sell our building and bring in new pastoral leadership. There are so many other changes too, all of which are propelling us towards becoming a new entity. And yet, nothing is emerging in front of us. It's like we are trapeze artists caught between swings. . . there is nothing to hold onto right now! So we feel like we are struggling in midair with a huge potential drop below us.
Thankfully, we are not alone here. We have each other and some very wise people around us. One such person me pointed to a valuable resource today. It's a book called Managing Transitions by a business expert named William Bridges. In it, Bridges mentions that all organizations naturally go through a "neutral zone" after deciding to make a big change. One section in particular caught my attention, as the author used a Biblical story to explain how the Neutral zone operates as space between what was and what will be. Or as Bridges writes:
"The neutral zone is like the wilderness through which Moses led his people. That took 40 years, you remember- not because they were lost but because the generation that had known Egypt had to die off before the Israelites could enter the promised land. Taken literally, that's a pretty discouraging idea: that things won't really change until a whole generation of workers dies. But on a less literal level, the message of Moses' long journey through the wilderness is both less daunting and more applicable to your situation: the outlook, attitudes, values, self-images, and ways of thinking that were functional in the past have to "die" before people can be ready for life in the present. Moses took care of the transition phase when he let his people out of Egypt, but it was the 40 years in the neutral zone wilderness that got Egypt out of his people. It won't take you 40 years, but you aren't going to be able to do it in a few weeks either.
[In this], the neural zone is not a wasted time of meaningless waiting and confusion that it sometimes it seems to be. It is a time when reorientation and redefinition must take place, and people need to understand that. It is the winter during which the spring's new growth is taking shape under the earth.
People need to recognize that is it natural to feel somewhat frightened and confused at such a time. As the old patterns disappear from people's minds and the new ones begin to replace them, people can be full of self-doubts and misgivings about their leaders. As their ambivalence increases, so does their longing for answers. This is why people in the neutral zone are so tempted to follow anyone who seems to know where he or she is going - including, unfortunately, troublemakers and people who are heading for the exits. No wonder the neutral zone is a time when turnover increased (Moses even had that problem himself, although in his day it was called worshipping strange gods.)"
Sound familiar? Because it's almost exactly what the Fellowship is going through right now. I don't know about you, but I feel much better about things after reading it. For it tells us that what we are experiencing is normal. It's difficult, painful and demanding, yes, but ordinary all the same. So our task now it to last it out like the Israelites of old, and stay hopeful knowing that a new thing is emerging in front of us.
We still aren't sure what exactly our future will be yet. However, as I write this, I am seeing a flurry of emails between our Superintendent and a team in Wyoming who are interested in serving our congregation. This opportunity may come to fruition any time now, or it could be something else entirely. Whatever it is, new life is guaranteed to come forth, friends! No matter what path we take, even if its towards apparent demise, God's grace and love will still meet us. It's so reassuring remember this fact. So can we stay in the neutral zone for a while longer, enduring the trial but knowing that God is indeed at work? My prayer is that we can; that we can continue to endure and embrace God's new life as it comes.
It is coming, so stay strong people. God is far from finished with us. And as always, I am so proud to the pastor of such a resolute group. Blessings on you all in this Lenten Season.
-Bryson
