Ugly politics

I have a friend whose wife just ran for President of their condo association and she was unanimously elected. I am told that this association is filled with people who love to complain about everything. She will be on call 24/7 to field these complaints. Hers will be a thankless position and she will be a target of those board members who wanted that position for themselves. Her pay for the position is zero. Congratulations!

Early in my life I was elected to the board and later voted to be President of an association. I took this post seriously and went to work as did my wife. The association grew mightily and in fact doubled under my watch. Our annual convention that year was quite successful and by all accounts was the best that was ever held. Traditionally it had been held in some Podunk little town, but I chose St. Simons Island and quite naturally members flocked to the vacation spot and I had lined up a group of superstars for the convention program. Our annual convention was the largest ever held that year, it made money, and the members had a great time.

I fully expected kudos for my great performance in this unpaid position, but I received anything but that from some of the members on the board. All I heard were complaints about everything from choosing too expensive a location for our convention, to the agenda for the meetings, to the way I was running the organization, and on and on. There were even demands for audits of the books; (my wife and I had spent our own money doing mail outs for the association and worked hundreds of hours of our personal time with zero pay and the association coffers were overflowing with money for the first time and the books were professionally organized and balanced to the penny for the first time). I welcomed an audit and told them all what they could do with their association.

This bitter experience cured me of the itch to participate in politics. It is a dirty business. I did not even want the position of president to begin with, as I was incredibly engaged with my various businesses, but I felt I should “give back” of my time and contribute and was urged to run for office by various members. Not so with those who ran against me. Being president of this organization was the biggest thing in their life and I was between them and their moment of glory and they hacked away at me at every opportunity. In the end I left the organization altogether because of it and modesty aside it was not a good thing for the association or its membership, because I had done more to improve it in my tenure with them than anyone else before me.

Unfortunately many churches fall into the same trap. Good people get in a church and work hard to build it up. They start going to business meetings and voice an opinion and the next thing you know the “old guard” is trying to destroy them. The ruling “offcios” look at it like it is a threat to “their” authority and they actively work against these folks until in the end they become discouraged as did I and they leave. In the end it hurts or even destroys “God’s” church. Good people will not tolerate dictatorial attitudes for long and will leave.

A church belongs to God and not the people who think “they” should be running it. Usually these squabbles become public knowledge to the membership and it is very discouraging. I believe it is all inspired by satan and he revels in it. The Bible has much to say about those who murmur and how evil and destructive that sin is. I believe pride is at the root of it, but sometimes it is just the nature of those who love to criticize and thrive on controversy. As a businessman I can unequivocally say that it must be stopped immediately or it can destroy entire departments or even bring down the company in severe cases. Much like a bad apple can destroy the barrel unless it is found and removed; finding and removing those who murmur has to be a top priority in any organization. Unfortunately in a church it is not that easy to find and discard the bad apples, and often they are so entrenched in the politics, or in fact oftentimes can even be running it and ruining it.

God must shake His head in disgust. It should be about Him and not the frail egos of a few, but alas that is destructive human nature. My father was involved in church politics and as a child I was so disgusted by some of the things that went on that I refused to attend church and was hardened against it for many years on into my early adult life. The bottom line is: Don’t murmur! If you do not like something, go directly to the powers that be and ask questions and make your recommendations. If they do not agree and it is that big of a deal to you, simply leave and find an organization more to your liking. Staying on in spite of it and using murmuring to other members as your tool only leads to destruction. However unfortunate it might be some churches and organizations are going to be led by idiots who are more concerned about their authority than God’s authority. If they cannot be unseated by appealing to the governing body, then leave and find a church that is being run by those who put God’s agenda above their own ego.

We should be glorifying God in everything that we do and not serving our own fleshly agenda. If everyone could keep that foremost on their minds, our problems would be no moresigh Bring on the Millennium!

1 Cor. 6:20
For you were bought at a price;
Therefore glorify God in your body
And in your spirit, which are God’s.