Mad Methodists March 12, 2010
Posted by Dan R. Dick in Christian witness, Congregational Life, The United Methodist Church, U.S. Culture.Tags: Communication, The United Methodist Church
15 comments
A few years ago I stood up in a meeting at the General Board of Discipleship and asked, “Has anyone else noticed how many deeply angry people we have in The United Methodist Church?” At first, a few puzzled folks asked what I meant, but I didn’t even have to explain. Around the room, dozens of people chimed in with their own experiences with angry Methodists. While some felt there had always been a disgruntled segment of the church, most felt that the number of angry people was on the increase. As part of my ongoing research, I began to probe with people their feelings about the church to see if I could get at the root of our mad-ness.
As is often the case with anger, the upset is a symptom of a deeper cause — and the deeper causes fall into four basic categories: fear, disappointment, confusion, and isolation. Luckily, there is one single treatment that addresses all four symptoms.
