The fear Loop versus the Faith Loop.
Fear is a helpful emotion in many ways. For example, it can alert us to harmful situations and people. And, it can sometimes cause us to take rapid action when danger is imminent. Fear, however, is not always accompanied by rational judgment or action. Occasionally, fear overwhelms our senses, distorts our thinking and immobilises us. Although these feelings can be temporal, sometimes a fear loop develops. A fear loop occurs when you encounter an unavoidable fearful situation and seek to cope by employing avoidance tactics rather than confronting the situation/problem with faith. The more the loop repeats, the more the fear increases and the more paralysed you become.
King Saul and the armies of Israel experienced a fear loop when confronted by Goliath, a giant Philistine (1 Samuel 17). Saul and his army knew they couldn’t fully retreat from the threat of the Philistines, yet every time Goliath presented himself and made his taunts, Israel would run from him in fear (1 Samuel 17:11 & 23-24). Israel’s fear and avoidance kept them locked in an unhealthy situation and unable to advance God’s cause and Israel’s expansion. Only when David fought Goliath with faith was the fear loop broken, and Israel was able to overcome their fear and advance their cause.
Although God never calls us as Christians to fight against real giants such as Goliath, we still at times face giant life challenges. Sometimes these can cause us to become stuck in fear loops. Perhaps the giant challenge we face is finding employment. Or, in some cases, it might be quitting our job. For some, initiating conversations and pursuing meaningful relationships might cause fear. Others will face financial difficulties, illnesses or major decisions like moving to a new location. In our spiritual walk, giant challenges may come from worldly peer pressure, temptation to sin, rejection, and even persecution. Congregations also face giant challenges and sometimes find themselves stuck in various fear loops. In this article, I am particularly interested in addressing the fear loop that can sometimes form because of the challenge of appointing elders.
I am not suggesting for a minute that there isn’t, at times, good reason to avoid appointing men as elders. Perhaps the men are not ready or mature enough in the qualities of an elder. However, there are times when congregations become stuck in a fear loop around eldership. It begins with someone raising the topic of eldership because it is something God requires (It’s an unavoidable topic). But because of specific fears, we turn to avoidance tactics. Perhaps we fear change, having to submit to someone we don’t like and giving up control. We also might fear dissolving current leadership/decision-making structures, giving feedback, causing offence or fearing potential elders might sin or make bad decisions. One of the avoidance tactics often utilised when responding to these fears is excessive teaching on eldership, and another is endless discussion groups, sometimes called committees. Unfortunately, no progress toward eldership is usually made, and the topic is put on the back burner for a few more years until someone raises the topic again.
So, summarising the eldership fear loop. The subject of eldership is presented because it is an unavoidable Biblical topic. Fear of action leads to more lessons on eldership or committees being formed. Nothing results, so fear settles down, and things continue as always until the next time the eldership issue is raised.
Now I am not suggesting that there is never a place to study Biblical passages on eldership. It’s just that many churches of Christ have looked at the topic endlessly, hoping for a different result but getting nowhere. Unfortunately, they can’t see that they are in a fear loop.
The alternative to the fear loop is the faith loop. The faith loop starts with an unavoidable situation and a giant, even fearful, challenge. However, rather than getting locked into fear, a person/persons seek a full grasp of reality, which includes understanding what God wants. For example, David fully understood the cost of facing Goliath and the cost of inaction (1 Samuel 17:26-30). Then there is faith-based action (Contrast David’s behaviour to Israel’s in 1 Samuel 17). Rather than falling for avoidance tactics, the person/persons of faith confront the fearful challenge and, through action, overcome it. This faith-based victory opens the door to new challenges and opportunities to demonstrate faith and grow.
So how do we apply the faith loop to eldership within congregations? We start by gaining a good grasp of reality and asking questions as David did. Is eldership something God wants? Do we have men who are growing in the qualities of elders and are they willing to become an elder? (Let me add that desire is not a qualification). After gaining a good grasp of reality, we must take faith steps. There are two that I can see that are helpful in an Australian context that would assist us in escaping the fear loop. The first is a willingness to give genuine ongoing feedback (which requires speaking the Truth in Love Ephesians 4:15) to potential elders. That doesn’t mean we are demanding perfection, but perhaps some areas in a potential elder’s life need to be addressed. Without genuine feedback, potential elders will often remain unaware of what is holding them back and end up frustrated with the congregation not knowing why they won’t appoint them. Along with genuine feedback, provide potential elders with the opportunity to grow and a time frame to reassess.
The second step requires naming potential elders publicly to the congregation with the view of appointing them if no objections are raised within a specific time frame. Even if there are some rejections and the process is stalled, it is at least practical and goes beyond merely studying and discussing. It can also be an opportunity for genuine feedback for both the eldership process and potential elders. Again, if there are no objections, appoint the men as elders and be ready for the next challenge that will require the faith loop.
Until congregations are willing to step into the faith loop, they will remain stuck and fearful regarding the appointment of elders. The result is that congregations in Australia will continue to stay without proper structure, hindering them from reaching their full potential in Christ. So, be willing to step out of the fear loop. Take faith-based action. Appoint elders and see your congregation fulfil the word of God.
