Your Ministry “Security Blanket”

I am (somewhat) proud to admit that as a kid I never had a security blanket. No “wubby” or “blankie” for me! It is definitely an interesting thing to watch a mother or father try to take that blanket from an attached child. To say that it’s a battle would be quite the understatement. To be honest, it’s almost comical. We all watched countless hours of Peanuts specials on TV and looked on as Linus trudged around with his blanket in tow. I wonder why Charles Schulz never made a special about the emotional trauma that a 25 year old Linus suffered when the blue blanket was finally worn down to its last fiber? That would be a show I would watch!

However, what I find even more interesting is the four or five year old who still has their “blankie,” but now, it’s only a small remnant of what it used to be. Over five years or so these children have worn down their once full-sized blanket to a small fragment, maybe only a 6” corner piece. But, they’re still not willing to let it go. The thought of what might happen, the discomfort that they’ll face without it, is too much for them to bear.

It is understandable, though, for a child to be attached to an object such as this:

“In human childhood development, the term transitional object is normally used. It is something, usually a physical object, which takes the place of the mother-child bond. When the young child begins to separate the ‘me’ from the ‘not-me’ and evolves from complete dependence to a stage of relative independence, it uses transitional objects. An infant sees himself and the mother as a whole. In this phase the mother ‘brings the world’ to the infant without delay which gives him a ‘moment of illusion’, a belief that his own wish creates the object of his desire which brings with it a sense of satisfaction.” ~ Wikipedia

Children cannot rationally, or independently, come to the conclusion that they are using their blanket as a substitute for their mother. It is the role of the parent to help transition their child, in a healthy manner, into a stage of independence. The longer this goes on, however, the more difficult it may become for the child to “let go” of the attachment. Child psychologists also argue that the longer a child holds on to a transitional object like this, the more it may complicate other areas of development, such as social interactions and may be a catalyst for anxiety disorders.

The unfortunate issue is that security blankets exist in the lives of adults. We subconsciously create them to bring control and comfort in our life. It’s a kind of “plug-and-play” mechanism that we use to ease stress or discomfort. We create systems that protect us from having to make difficult decisions or spend time in a timely process. I see it in ministry and the life of the church at a disturbing level.

I watch countless pastors and church leaders who float from church to church, in a Linus-esque way, and plug in their “system.” However, this system is nothing more than a security blanket. They preach the same sermon series they gave two years prior at their previous church. They implement the same purpose, vision or mission statements from one church to the next. However, after a few years their toolbox is empty. They’ve used up all of their “sugar stick” sermons and the insecurity begins to creep in. Usually, this is the time when they jump ship and head off to a new church, only to do the same thing.

I know I struggle with this as well. As a ministry leader it is very easy to do what you know has worked in another church. It is quite simple to pull out a Word doc and delete the name of your old ministry and insert the name of your new one and hit the “print” button. That’s easy, but not always right. Evaluating the culture of your church and community is a difficult task. It takes time, effort and a dedication that may delay the process of implementation by a few months. The question is one of value. Do you value the people you lead enough to step back and spend this time?

Lance Witt correctly said, “Ultimately, ministry is not about projects or activities, it is about people. This seems painfully obvious, and yet we consistently lose perspective.” Our perspective of culture is gained only through interaction with the people of that culture. I find it interesting and convicting that missionaries and mission organizations spend countless hours, weeks and even years researching cultures and people before determining the next step of action. They do not simply determine that they’re going to plant a church in Uganda and then send the first Bible-carrying seminarian over to get it up and running. They research, plan, research, interview, research, pray, research… etc.

Why are we so afraid to do the same? Why have we created “security blankets” in ministry? The answer: Because it’s the easy way out.

After the book The Purpose Driven Church was released, it was interesting to look around the country and see how many churches adopted the same purpose statement as Saddleback Church and implemented the same programs in their church, becoming only a clone of the “mothership.” Pastors were downloading Rick Warren’s sermons and preaching them verbatim in their church. But, they weren’t growing and seeing God work as he did in Southern California. What is interesting is that Rick Warren warns against this practice in the opening chapter, but most skimmed right over that section. He writes about riding the waves in your culture that God has created, not man. Too often we try to create our own waves and then cannot understand why we feel more like we’re crashing against the rocks of culture, than surfing smoothly to shore. He writes, “We’ve never tried to build a wave. That’s God business. But we have tried to recognize the waves God was sending our way, and we’ve learned to catch them.” He then caps this idea by saying, “Vision is the ability to see the opportunities within your current circumstances.” Those who lack vision use security blankets to mask their shortcomings.

We must constantly push ourselves to be uncomfortable. In times of discomfort we are challenged to change and grow. We must step back and truly seek God’s direction in our life and ministry. This is not easy, but it’s biblical. Take a moment and look at the life of Paul. He constantly brought a new message depending on his audience. His message to the church in Corinth was not the same as the one in Rome. He did not think, “It worked in Thessalonica, so it will work in Galatia.” No, Paul prayed and sought after God and was given a unique message for each context. We must be challenged by his example and do the same.

 

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