It was a breezy and cool, sunny morning on our first full day in Ireland. We sat around to learn the history of Northern Ireland, and more specifically Belfast during the time of the troubles, from our leader Gareth Higgins. An outline of the history of Ireland was written on the white board before us but Gareth started from the present and worked backwards. Most people, he said, if you asked about the history of Ireland would tell you the highlights of the wars, the fighting, the troubles rather than start the story from the good that is happening there now.
We also learned in our visit that the story of peace is also still a complicated one in Northern Ireland, specifically Belfast. We were present in Belfast for the celebration of Orangemen’s Day, which is a celebration of a battle won in 1690 of Protestants over Catholics. We saw children collecting wooden pallets for the large bonfires to mark the eve of the celebration and others gathering with their families along the parade route. As we visited the Catholic side of Belfast (there is still a wall dividing the Catholic and Protestant sections of town), there was no preparation for this celebration and the contrast was stark.
As we explored Ireland, known for its rich stories, we were challenged to explore our own. In each individual’s life there are stories we tell of our ancestors and family systems before us. We continue to perpetuate most of these, healthy or not, if we do not ask good questions. Our congregations are the same. There are stories we tell from the past as if they are static and reminders of either the good old days of success or markers of unhealth and decline. Sometimes the story is of the perfect pastor from the past, one that no current pastor could live up to. Sometimes the story is about past conflicts, the deep wounds we still feel. Often the stories we get stuck telling are the negative ones or the ones that, over time, have the loosest relationship with the truth.
No story is static, it is constantly being developed and written. In decades past, consulting work with congregations felt more like a finite kind of experience. These are our value statements, this is the work we will focus on. Today it is more accurate to see the work as coming alongside congregations to help them write the next chapter while understanding their past. Who will be the main characters? What will be the next plot points? What does the setting look like? What are the pieces of this story that are static and what is changing?
Who we are as individual people and as congregations is not static. We do not just reach a point and stop growing, changing…and even if we do the story is still happening around us.
What chapter is your congregation in?
What stories are you continuing to tell that do not best represent who you are today?
What will be the title of your next chapter?
Our consultants are available to help writing the next chapters while having healthy conversations about the stories that are part of your congregation’s strong history and those that may be holding you back.