A Cult of Personality

Last weekend, I had the opportunity to visit a priest friend of mine. During our visit, he remarked that he is doing everything possible to prevent himself from becoming the central feature of the parish. At the time, I reflected on how mature this is and how this should be encouraged in every formation program. This is a great risk in the Autocephalous Catholic movement and once that will completely decimate a parish.

In our movement, the priest often has to start the parish. This means that there is a risk from the very beginning of making the parish about the identity of the priest. Maybe the priest is considered the venerable founder or maybe he came from another denomination and took people with him who view their activity in the movement as centered around the priest's establishment in the parish. From there, the risk can amplify. Maybe the parish priest is not willing to share duties (either because they are a workaholic, or they like doing it, or maybe they don't want to give up control) which sometimes can lead to the perception that "we would be lost without Father X." Or, maybe the priest is unwilling to get committees involved to help with certain processes. This is not in a "death by committee" situation, but where involving people would be really beneficial to the parish. Or, perhaps the priest makes all decisions come through him which makes everyone dependent on his instructions. 

The logical conclusion in these situations is that when the priest leaves or dies, the parish does as well. They have either entrenched themselves with the priest since the beginning and find it is time to move on when he does, they cannot imagine being there without him, or they have never been accustomed to doing the hard work ("father's always done that") and aren't interested in starting.

While this is directed at an Autocephalous Catholic audience, it is not exclusive to our movement. I have seen it time and time again. A Protestant church had a pastor who was there for decades and, after he left, the church endured a half-dozen interim clergy for about a decade. Other churches where the people just did not like the preaching of the new minister and left, almost closing the church. This is not a new phenomenon.

The reality is that people will always prefer a certain cleric. Maybe they prefer the pastoral style, preaching, or liturgical acumen of one individual cleric. This is unavoidable. I also realize that this does not mean that everything needs to be done without a central leader. The new model of governance seems to be the "leadership circle" where both everyone and no one is accountable. This can be truly the stuff of nightmares. A central leader is often necessary and advisable, establishing that "the buck stops here" while not being dictatorial. 

There are positive steps both clergy and laity can take in churches to prevent this from happening. Empower members of the church to take on ministries and share ownership. Let them make decisions. Establish checks and balances, such as financial oversight and regulatory oversight, to prevent scandal. Share the liturgical rota even if people prefer one cleric or you, in your estimation, "do it better." Remind people that everyone is necessary for the success of the church. Don't try to control the Spirit but trust in other people. Often times the results are "pressed down, shaken together and running over." This can be difficult. We all want to be in charge, especially in this movement. But what you build today may be gone tomorrow without incorporating at least some of these steps.

"Too many of us are lonely ministers practicing a lonely ministry." - Henry Nouwen

Clerical Popularity

Recently, I spoke to someone who has become a fast friend. He is actively involved in starting a new church and I am excited to hear about the steps he followed. Starting a new parish in the Autocephalous or Independent Catholic movement is exceptionally difficult. First, people don't quite know how to classify us. They also can be skeptical of us and of our intentions. The logistics of parish founding are also extremely difficult in terms of financial, property, and people resources. During our conversation, I cautioned him against allowing the church to hang on his personality. Thankfully, he was aware of the risks involved with such an option.

I believe this is a real issue in our tradition. We do not have denominations which can appoint clergy and provide for them. We also do not have the benefit of frequent oversight of the clergy because of our distance. So, frequently a person is ordained to the diaconate and priesthood and it is largely up to them to start the parish. Hopefully they are successful, and others join them. A founder syndrome can develop where the person is elevated to an exalted status. Then, if they have to move away or become ill or become too elderly to continue the work, the parish dies off and no longer exists. Instead of being a light to the world it was a flash in the pan.

This doesn't signify that I am against ministries or options that are time limited. There is a season for everything. However, if the goal is to build something that is lasting it takes more than the personality of one person to make it continue. This is especially true of so-called large personalities. These can end up several ways:

 1. The parish was founded by Father X. Father X runs a tight ship and is well liked. When Father X gets too old or infirm, Father Y begins helping at the parish. But he does things differently. People don't like different, so they leave. Soon the parish dwindles and is forced to close. While people can't be chastised for caring for their priest and liking his style, he maybe could have done more to pull back gracefully from the situation to prevent a shock to the parish. (I've seen this happen)

2. Father A is a dynamic individual. He is generous, affable, and funny. He starts new ministries and people really enjoy him. When responding why people like coming to the church, it is because Fr A is there. Fr A ends up falling short sexually or steals money or commits any number of (sadly) too-frequent clerical sins and people are scandalized. They leave the church or the faith all together because they are so disappointed. (This has happened more times than I can count)

3. Father B is viewed as a holy man and, to be honest, he likes knowing that people feel that way about him. He starts ministries to the poor and even gives out expensive gifts to them. He likes the recognition and awards of his work. Instead of the left hand not knowing what the right is doing, he becomes a divisive figure. Some think he is flashy and a conman while others venerate him as a living saint. This, too, divides the parish. (This is a mainline example of which I am familiar)

And, of course, these aren't all the scenarios! I don't list these to say that a priest can't be charismatic or beloved or well regarded. Frankly, it is expected that the priest will be an upstanding citizen and that people will regard him with favoritism. But I am saying that the whole operation can't be wrapped around the persona and/or ego of the priest. If the parish hinges on the personhood of the priest, then the priest has failed. He failed in the same way a business or non-profit leader fails when they neglect to implement a succession plan. 

We have to be vigilant against such temptations as recognition. Next, there are a few steps that can be taken to help protect ourselves and parishes. 

1. We have to diversify authority to ensure that others can be called upon in an emergency or in time of need so the pastor isn't the only person. 

2. We have to raise up others in a community to take a visible role so that the priest isn't the only cleric or church official who has the community's focus. 

3. Take away some of the power. The priest should not be the pastor, controlling finances, and making all decisions for the church. These roles have to be diversified so that it is not all vested in one person. This limits temptation for the priest and ensures good oversight.

These are also not an exhaustive list. They are just some ways that can prevent problems. Ultimately, our main focus should be on extending grace through the sacraments and forming people in their faith. We must do this pleasantly and with sincerity, but we also have to avoid against becoming exalted.

"If priests sin, all the people are led to sin. Hence every one must render an account of his own sins; but the priests are also responsible for the sins of others." - St John Chrysostom

I Never Met the Man

"Choose your acquaintances wisely. If a priest gives scandal you want to be able to say 'I never met
the man.'" This was a saying of Fr. Donald Curry. And it is one that has stuck with me. He was speaking about clergy in the Autocephalous Catholic Movement. I have noted in my posts what because there is a lack of quality control and because we are so much smaller than mainstream groups, our eccentrics are given the spotlight. Yet, we have to exercise our own discretion in who we take in to our churches as well as who we meet.

This is problematic for me. As an extreme extrovert I love to meet new people. But this quote pops into my head every now and again and provides me with caution. Sometimes meeting problematic people is unavoidable. However, it seems prudent to evaluate people's ministry and even sanity before rushing off to meet them. If they are a difficult person they can cause real problems to our ministries by their bad behavior.

This becomes a larger problem when we validate them. For instance, in our movement there is a desire to want to participate in everyone's ordinations. For some it's a change to dress up and participate. For others they see themselves as genuinely ordaining someone to minister to the People of God. Regardless, it's harmful to do unless we know the content of their character. The worst thing that can happen (and I have seen it happen) is to take someone in and discover they have a disreputable background. I've even seen the bishop be contacted by the media and put his name front and center for the crimes of his priest.

The result is a tapeworm like affect. A person with a past of abuse or fraud then affects our reputation, our church, our family, etc. Even if you depose them they are forever attached to your credibility. And now, thanks to the internet, nothing ever really goes away. How much better to be able to say "I never met the man."

"Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm." - Proverbs 13:20.

Measure Twice, Cut Once

One of the issues in the autocephalous Catholic movement that can be troublesome is constant change. True, a large benefit of our movement is that we can be nimble. As we feel called to a particular lifestyle or charism we can adopt and adapt it at will. This is advantageous as compared to larger, more mainstream groups. The rule of St. Francis, for example, was proposed in 1209 but took until 1223 to receive official written approval.

The downside of this, however, is that things can start and stop at someone's whim. This can give the impression that things are unstable. I will admit that I have been susceptible to these rapid changes in the past. Something sounds effective or good, so why not do it? I'm offering this advice so you can learn from my mistakes. The problem is, however, when it affects the faithful. Too often we have seen examples of religious orders or parishes which have started only to stop abruptly at the decision of the priest. In some cases they begin again anew later, only to stop yet again. The same is true when we pick jurisdictions to join, only to leave them shortly thereafter. The key to building is consistency and a steady pace. Something may not take fruit immediately but it needs time to build awareness and trust. That does not mean that we can never try anything new. Or that our efforts won't be frustrated and we need to re-chart the course. But we have to think very carefully about doing it rapidly or without some type of plan. Beginning the parish of St. Patrick, then starting St. Romulus, then starting St. Agatha only allows our detractors to say "see--they don't know what they're doing." And that benefits no one.

“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish." Luke 14:28