If church leaders suffer from PTSD, it likely has something to do with leading their congregation through an election year.
Pastor after pastor that I talk to say they are dreading the fall of 2024 and are still tending to wounds from 2016 and 2020 and the partisan animosity that surrounded the last few years. And I hear that from those still in ministry. An inordinate amount of pastors already quit due to the immense stress of ministry.
But you’re still in the trenches. And November is coming. So what do you do?
This is much easier to write about than it is to lead through, but I hope this post serves up some help and some hope.
For further insight, I have a full 7-part podcast series on Pastoring in A Partisan Age. In the series, I offer my thoughts on how to lead through times like this, and I also have conversations with experts N.T. Wright, Sharon McMahon, Andy Stanley, Mark Sayers, Ed Stetzer and Michael Wear.
In this post, I want to share five of my biggest takeaways as I reflect on the series and the situation we’re all facing as leaders.
1. The Election Isn’t the Issue. It’s a Symptom.
One theme that emerged from every interview is that the election isn’t the issue. It’s a symptom of much deeper issues.
America’s evolution into an increasingly post-Christian society has caught Christians off-guard.
The theological left has responded by mimicking and embracing left-leaning ideas into their theology, which, for the most part, has set off a massive decline in church attendance in those circles.
While many people might believe that the election will determine the country’s future and feel like everything is at stake, the reason they feel that way has less to do with the election and more to do with other factors.
On the (far) right, the response to the change in culture has been to reject almost all of the change in culture and launch a defensive counter-attack.
That has led to Christians becoming bitter, angry, and, quite honestly, behaving in a very un-Christlike manner.
This isn’t new; angry Christians have been around for a long time. But the anger has intensified.
So what’s going on?
Well, there’s a culture war, for starters. Many Christians feel threatened by all the change, so they’re trying to win back culture. Instant access to communications intensifies the debate to a daily discussion on what to do for the motivated minority who are deeply upset.
In addition, hate has been monetized to the point where the predominant business model for media and social media is to get you to click, and hate and outrage do that better than anything. Inciting anger has become big business.
Hate has been monetized to the point where the predominant business model for media and social media is to get you to click, and hate and outrage do that better than anything. Inciting anger has become big business. Share on X
There’s also the reality that Christians have had their sense of identity tossed around. Perhaps less rooted in faith in Christ, community, and any sense of tradition, a lot of Christian identity now increasingly vests in ideology. Political, partisan ideology.
All of this (and more) erupts at election time as fuel for the partisan and congregational fire, and the result is chaos. The other side is seen as the enemy, and a lot of Christians have declared war.
And as Andy Stanley reminded us during the series, “If you have to have an enemy in order to lead, you are a poor leader.”
The lesson?
Wise leaders will look below the surface to see what’s really driving the discontent in their church. It explains so much.
2. 95% of the Problems In the Church Have Nothing to do With the Church.
On its face, church conflict seems to be about something in the church.
- A member complains about the preaching, a worship leader, or the budget.
- A staff member isn’t giving their best.
- The sound guy becomes challenging to work with on Sunday morning.
As a leader, it leaves you wondering what’s going on. Why are people so angry, difficult, or upset?
In my early ministry days, I noticed a pattern in which complaints against the church often had little to do with the church. Yes, they were upset about the music or direction, but deeper issues were at play.
In addition to the cultural tumult we’re in, if you dig a little deeper, people are in personal distress, too.
You might find a person who lashed out at you is struggling at work, or that their marriage is under stress, or that they are battling addiction, depression, or anxiety.
The aggressive sound guy worries about losing his job due to company layoffs. The angry staff member is concerned her 14-year-old, recently cut from the football team, is smoking weed.
Add global misery, social media, and unprecedented stress, and people are deeply struggling. No wonder they’re agitated, and the church becomes an easy target.
Road rage isn’t about the highway; church rage often isn’t about the church. The guy who cut you off in traffic faced your unresolved issues when you yelled at him.
This leads to the key point: 95% of church problems have nothing to do with the church.
95% of church problems have nothing to do with the church. Share on X
In our current culture, people feel disempowered. They see all the problems in the world and in the culture, but they feel powerless against them. That translates into the ballot box, for sure.
Still, when someone who attends your church is agitated or feels broken, or is in despair, or they’re struggling because they can’t make rent or their mortgage payment, or they’re worried they’ll lose their job, or their marriage is hanging by a thread, it becomes all too easy to take those frustrations out at the church.
What do you do? The antidote is empathy. It doesn’t make the anger disappear but helps you empathize and take it less personally.
Understanding the problem lies elsewhere helps you empathize, be patient, and respond relationally. Together, you can address the real issue.
And pastors, you’re great at this. This is what you do. This is what you were trained for. To listen, understand, empathize, and pray with people.
Drilling down on the real issue and empathizing with your opponents can turn an adversary into an ally.
Maybe 95% of the problems in the church have nothing to do with the church.
3. Ideology Has Become a Matter of Identity
Another factor driving the divided, polarized culture is the issue of identity. As America and the West have rapidly secularized, the faith-based identity that has shaped people in the West for millennia has collapsed, leaving our identity to latch onto other things.
Believe it or not, this tension is showing up in church conflict too.
Tim Keller explains how Western culture’s shift away from faith has impacted identity:
In the past, identity was rooted in serving God, family, and community. It was formed by:
- Understanding what family and neighbors expected
- Getting feedback on behavior
- Adjusting life to receive validation from the community
But now, in our mobile, individualistic, and tech-driven culture, we’ve detached from face-to-face communities. In a secular society, God and faith no longer shape identity.
Keller’s spot on. Our identity is now attached to other things—such as positions and ideas on masks, vaccines, politics, etc.
Indirectly, the decline of Christianity has helped fuel a rise in partisanship as people look to anything they can put their faith into. And if it’s not God, it will go elsewhere.
Today, identities are tied to sexuality, social status, voting preferences, conspiracy theories, climate change, and more. Without a common identity in faith, rejecting an idea feels like rejecting the person. Criticizing a position feels like a personal attack.
And that’s why conflict feels so personal in this generation—when someone’s identity is anchored to their position on an issue, it IS personal.
You might think, “But we’re dealing with Christians, right? They believe their identity is in Christ. So what’s the issue?”
Theologically, yes, but culturally, identity rooted in sexuality or belief is widespread. Most Christians have defaulted to this. They’ve been shaped as much by culture as by faith.
Understand this: Some people are so tied to their positions that giving them up feels like dying. That’s what happens when identity attaches to a belief.
So, what do you do about it?
The antidote is to help people reclaim their true identity in Christ. You’re in a unique position to help them see that their identity is secure in Christ and that you’re closer to being on the same page.
The antidote to partisan issues is to help people reclaim their true identity in Christ. Share on X
In a world raging with partisan arguments, as Jesus said, “Among you, it will be different.”
Tim Keller asked, “Could some Christians be known for their love on the internet? Could they help rebuild new public discourse spaces, presenting faith confidently while listening to critics humbly?”
As you navigate today’s entrenched conflict, I hope the answer is “Yes.”
If you’re planning a series during the election, a series on identity could be powerful. Don’t tackle the election directly—that’s a fool’s errand—but addressing the issue beneath it and re-rooting people’s identity in Christ could be exactly what’s needed.
4. The Exhausted Majority is Looking For Hope
Sharon McMahon agrees with other analysts that a minority of people drive most of the extreme dialogue that characterizes the debate these days.
And where does that leave most Americans? Exhausted, Sharon argues.
Most church leaders will discover the same thing about their congregation. The majority is just tired. They’re sick of the pundits, the extremism, the tone, and the unkindness.
The majority of Americans—who are exhausted of this—are looking for hope. If the church can’t offer that, who can?
5. The Best Alternative to Choosing a Side Is Choosing the Gospel
The problem with politics is that it forces you to choose a side. A better alternative for pastors is to choose the Gospel, which transcends sides.
That’s easy to say and extremely difficult to do, but loving people who disagree with you is a wonderful place to begin because that’s the essence of the gospel—the essence of the cross. While we were still enemies of God, still sinners, Christ died for us.
The best alternative to choosing a side is choosing the Gospel. Share on X
What’s the best hope for a divided nation? That’s easy.
A united church is the best hope for a divided nation.
Someone has to lead the way to reconciliation. If it’s not going to be the church, then who? If it’s not going to be Christians, then who?
A united church is the best hope for a divided nation. Share on X