The eCrozier

For many in our faith, power is a dirty word. For others, the use or misuse of power is never even considered for reflection or self-examination. Both positions are unfortunate. Power is a reality of human relationships. So, in our faith, it is never a question of whether power will be exercised or experienced in our relationships and communities, rather the question is how will we use it and to what ends.

The Scriptures speak often of God’s power. In our faith, we most often experience this in the Biblical witness of God’s power to save us. St Paul writes that the cross of Christ is the central exercise of God’s power in the world. In other words, we can know God most fully as we know the power of the cross in Jesus’ redemption of the world. Of course, there are other descriptions of God’s power in the Bible: Elijah on Mt Carmel, Jesus calming the sea, etc. But it is the cross that is central for us. God is infinite and we are not. God’s use of power then comes from the divine stance toward the creation. Our use of power, since it is exercised by finite, sinful beings, should always be exercised with humility and be open to question, and in some cases, challenge.

Power is often an issue in parish conflicts. Rightly or wrongly, some people feel their power is being threatened or that inordinate power is being exercised over them and they push back, sometimes assertively and at other times passive-aggressively. There is no way to avoid such experiences entirely, even when power is exercised appropriately. For reasons of spiritual or emotional immaturity some people (and fortunately this is a small minority of people) are unable to accept sharing power, accept another’s power, or experience power as anything but negative.

Speed Leas has written much on church conflict. He wrote a short paper a number of years ago called “Power Analysis.” In it, Leas names four kinds of power in groups: Reputational, Structural, Coalitional, and Communicational. Conflict often arises in parishes because clergy and lay leaders are not giving appropriate attention to the influence of these four kinds of power. For example, one person may not have structural power, that is, elected office. She may not have communicational power, that is, she may not have access to correct information or the ability to communicate it. But she, nevertheless, may have coalitional power in that she represents a constituency within the parish or, because she has matriarch status, she may have reputational power. Leaders who wish to move in a particular mission direction need to give appropriate attention and care to people with such power. I am not suggesting that leaders should abandon a mission direction just because someone, such as in the example above, opposes it. I am suggesting, however, that to be ignorant of a person’s power in the system is a grave mistake.

The best way I have found to spread the power appropriately to as many people in the parish as possible is to:

1) Maintain the free flow of information so communicational power is not disproportionally represented in one group.
2) Insure that a broad cross section of the parish is among the nominees for the vestry and other offices as well as on parish committees so that structural power is viewed as trustworthy.
3) Honor people for their service as often as possible so reputational power is shared as broadly as possible and not in the hands of a few.
4) Teach regularly on the subject of the Church as the Body of Christ so coalitional power does not become too great. St Paul suffered through that one in Corinth and once those coalitions became factions, he had one difficult time.

Power is, in the end, amoral. It is how we use it that makes it faithful or unfaithful.

+Scott