The CO2 of Holiness - Part 1
How do you get a square carbon dioxide filter (C02) made for the command module into a round hole in the landing module of Apollo 13? The solution became known as one of the greatest space hacks of human history. What if our Wesleyan Holiness theology is giving off an equally dangerous byproduct in our local churches and most struggle to identify it. Those that can identify it rarely know what to do.
When humans breathe, we inhale the air that is around us. Our lungs absorb the oxygen and we breathe out what we don’t need. One of those elements is CO2 and in confined spaces it can kill us without our even being aware until it is too late.
Nazarene Pastors are trained in our Wesleyan Holiness Theology. In order to be ordained we must not only be able to communicate an understanding of Holiness but also be able to demonstrate that we have experienced the cleansing work and sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit. We then can model and teach others that the world will know we are disciples of Jesus Christ by how we love each other. (John 13:34-35)
The last thing most Nazarene pastors, and those who attend our congregations, want to be known for is being carnal. We rightly want to be known by our love. We want to represent Christ well and reflect His heart. This is biblical and noble. However, if we are not careful to rightly understand love in the context of Christ’s Church, that love will give off a spiritual CO2 that can do real, ongoing harm to the life, witness and mission of the local church.
In one context where I pastored, a layperson shared that people in their class were complaining and talking about people who have left. He related that what he heard didn’t seem to be in harmony with what he saw and experienced in the community of faith. When he finally discovered that those talking were complaining about things that are hinderances to the mission of the church, he breathed a sigh of relief and shot me a note to encourage me to press on.
In our congregations we have folks who have left our churches but wont leave. We have those who stop going to worship but keep attending their favorite class and use it as a platform to cultivate discontentment and dissent. We have those who continue to malign the pastor and congregation on social media, on the phone and in person. Pastors and congregants usually do nothing out of fear of being seen as carnal or unloving. However, when those who have attended our congregations and aggressively work against the mission of the local church, they are engaged in a toxic behavior whose impact is like CO2 on the life of the congregation. We need equipped to know how to deal with this real missional and congregational danger.
Fortunately, there exists a way to deal with the challenges associated with toxic congregants without violating the law of love. Each story is different and will need nuanced application of biblical principles. However, there is hope for the missional health of our congregations. In part 2 I will talk about the Biblical foundation for engaging toxic congregants and in part 3 I will look at the practical application of those Biblical concepts.