August - Lake Union Conference - General Conference of Seventh ...

President’s Perspective
b y d o n l i v e s a y , l a k e u n i o n p r e s i d e n t
Is Your Church
a Sanctuary
Pick a place and describe the climate: Arizona—hot and dry; Portland,
Oregon—rainy; Florida—sunny and often humid; Alaska—cold; Hawaii—
warm and balmy. How about the climate descriptors of your home, workplace or
church Warm, friendly, vibrant, spiritual, godly—pretty good place to be. Maybe
your personal reality brings other less positive thoughts—cold, distant, cliquish,
hostile or even unsafe.
We often refer to churches as the “sanctuary.” Some synonyms for sanctuary include: refuge, shelter,
safe haven, a place of safety. The best churches are not only active in vibrant mission with wonderful relationships
but also places where it is safe. The positive climate of a church may not be everything but it is
foundational to everything.
SPIRITUAL SAFETY: It is ironic that the most righteous person to ever live on Earth made sinners feel safe.
Jesus was sinless, yet the crowds who followed Him were often comprised of people referred to as sinners.
Jesus called His followers to the highest level of spiritual function; He called for pure internal motives and
thoughts, not just good behaviors. Yet, He did so in a way that was so spiritually safe that religious outcasts
were drawn to Him. Every church must always be a spiritual sanctuary for those who understand their need
of God.
EMOTIONAL SAFETY: When the disciples were arguing about who would be the greatest in the new kingdom,
they were engaging in a power struggle. Conflict, whether in the home, office or church, is almost always about
power. Whenever someone is attempting to gain or keep control of others, emotional safety is lost. Eugene
Peterson puts it this way in his introduction to II Corinthians in The Message Bible: “Because leadership is
necessarily an exercise of authority, it easily shifts into an exercise of power. But the minute it does that, it
begins to inflict damage on both the leader and the led.”
Maybe you have observed some fairly predictable and common behaviors of controlling people: Manipulation—often
using intimidation, martyrdom; not respectful of people’s feelings or boundaries; inconsistent
standards for themselves versus others; overreaction to another’s action at an inappropriate level; misuse of
inspired authority; deflection to avoid accepting responsibility—transfers guilt away from own actions; denial
or minimization of events and facts—twist facts; focus on a technicality instead of principle.
Warning: If you use this list to control a controller, you’ve just engaged in controlling behavior. Instead, use
this information to help people and groups create and maintain a safe emotional climate. We all spiritually
grow in emotionally safe places.
PHYSICAL SAFETY: This goes beyond fixing sidewalks and slippery floors in the church building. We must
look for the best procedures to minimize the threat of sexual violation of our children and maintain general
safety in travel and recreational activities. Most abusive behaviors take place away from the church grounds,
but we must seek to avoid all violations against people. There are times when it is appropriate to allow law
enforcement to deal with abusive issues, and learn how to avoid re-victimizing those already injured.
At times it takes a lot of courage to insist that church and school boards, and church family and relationships
are safe. I am glad God is in the business of giving courage to His people.
Vi s i t w w w. L a k e Un i o n He r a l d . o r g L a k e U n i o n H e r a l d • Au g u s t 2 0 1 0 | 3