Fifty years ago, Richard Nixon was once again running to become President of the United States.
And his campaign had planned a rally at the Anaheim Convention Center, across the street from Disneyland, one summer evening.
My friend Steve was going to be singing in a large youth choir, and he invited me to tag along … even though I didn’t know any of the songs.
When Steve and I first entered the Convention Center, we saw a woman that looked like Nixon’s wife Pat. We followed her for maybe ten minutes before we found out it wasn’t her.
The choir was positioned directly above the stage where Nixon would be speaking. After we sang our songs … which I had to learn quickly … Nixon spoke.
I can’t recall anything he said.
Two other remembrances from that evening:
*Steve and I ran into Burt Ward, who played Robin on the TV show “Batman,” and we both got his autograph. I have never seen someone write so fast in my life.
*Nixon had a catchy campaign song. The chorus went like this:
Nixon’s the one
Nixon’s the one
Nixon’s the one
For me
Ten year later, I was standing outside Anaheim (now Angel) Stadium after a game between the Milwaukee Brewers and the California Angels.
The lights were turned off behind Gate 1 where various ballplayers sometimes came out after the game. I was waiting to get the autographs of any player I could.
I remember getting the autograph of Brewer’s player Paul Molitor on his rookie card. He went on to become a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame.
And then former President Richard Nixon emerged from Gate One.
Nixon lived in nearby San Clemente, and he often visited the ballpark as a guest of Angels’ owner Gene Autry.
As I recall, he had two secret servicemen around him.
Three of us walked up to the ex-President and politely asked him for his signature. Nixon signed for all of us and was very compliant.
The Nixon Library, located in Yorba Linda, California, is probably fifty miles from my home. While I’ve only been there once, I’m on their mailing list, and receive invitations constantly for book signings, lectures, and special events.
President Nixon did far more good for his country than he’ll ever receive credit for, but most people will only remember him for Watergate.
But as former President Clinton once said:
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Back in 1966, actor Ronald Reagan ran for Governor of my home state of California. He was elected for a four-year term.
Four years later, Reagan ran for re-election, and made many campaign stops.
One stop was at Loara High School in Anaheim … the school I attended. (Famous Loara grads include three singers: Jeff and Tim Buckley and Gwen Stefani.) Loara had won the AAA football championship two years before and had an award-winning band, so maybe that’s why the campaign stopped there.
After school one day, Reagan’s campaign bus drove onto the athletic field where many of us played.
The governor emerged and a few of us quickly went up to him and asked him for his signature.
(Unless a public figure is doing a meet and greet somewhere, the only way to get someone’s autograph is to walk up to them assertively and ask them for it.)
Reagan whipped out his own felt pen from his suit pocket and signed several items … left-handed … including a 3×5 index card for me and another for my friend Steve.
I should have stayed for whatever event was planned that day, but I was so excited to get Reagan’s autograph that I went straight home.
Fourteen years later, Reagan was running for a second term as President, and he came to DeAnza College in Cupertino, California … near the current Apple Headquarters … and held a rally in their stadium.
I took my kids along and hoisted my son Ryan on my shoulders so he could see the President when he was speaking.
We waved at the motorcade after the event, and I never saw President Reagan again. (Note the slogan on the Reagan poster below!)
However, my brother John lived in San Bernardino for many years, and he lived across the street from a Secret Service agent who told John that Reagan and his wife Nancy were flying into March Air Force Base in Riverside. Even though Reagan was no longer President, the agent asked John if he wanted to meet Reagan.
When the former President and his wife got off the plane, John and his wife Joy were the only two people there to greet them. Reagan greeted them both by name and John had video taken of the event.
The Reagan Library in Simi Valley, California, is really cool. There’s a US government helicopter on display at the Nixon Library.
The Reagan Library has Air Force One … which you can tour!
_______________
There was a leader in my last church who was a lobbyist for a major corporation. He often flew to Washington DC during the week for important meetings.
Knowing my interest in politics, my friend asked me if I wanted to attend Bush’s first public speech after 9/11 in Sacramento, California.
I said yes.
When George W. Bush was re-elected President in 2004, my friend asked me if I wanted to attend Bush’s Inauguration.
I said yes.
We stayed at a 5-star hotel … it was 16 degrees outside and snowing the day before the event … but going to the inauguration was a lot of fun.
Another time, Bush 45 was going to be speaking to a group of business people at a hotel near the San Francisco Airport, and my friend invited me to go along.
As I recall, it was a $2000 a plate luncheon.
I remember seeing … and hearing … the protesters across the frontage road … going through security … being forced to wear a suit … and being given very little edible food for lunch.
Comedian Dennis Miller warmed up the crowd and introduced 45, and when he was almost done speaking, my friend leaned over and said to me, “When he’s done speaking, go up and shake his hand.”
So I did. There was a rope around the perimeter of the podium, but Bush came up to the rope afterward. When he shook my hand, I blanked out, and said, “Thank you.” He did a double take and then kept shaking hands.
“Thank you?” That was the best I could say?
_______________
In November 2012, Mitt Romney was running for President against incumbent Barack Obama.
Romney’s last rally was in Manchester, New Hampshire … ten minutes down the hill from the apartment my wife and I were renting at the time. (I was serving a church in New Hampshire as interim pastor.)
My wife was in California, and I had nothing else to do, so I drove downtown and walked to the Verizon Arena where Romney would eventually be speaking.
It was cold outside … 30 degrees … but the place was packed.
I met a guy in line, and we hung out together, taking photos of each other while standing about thirty feet from Romney.
Kid Rock sang a few songs … I didn’t know any of them, but they were LOUD … and some other politicians showed up and spoke.
Romney and his wife finally emerged around 11:30 pm. As rallies went, it was well-planned and exciting.
Romney lost New Hampshire anyway.
_______________
I’ve had brief encounters with three presidents … one before he took office, one while in office, and one after he left office.
I’ll always remember those brief encounters … and someday, tell my grandchildren about them.
However, the Gospels are full of brief encounters that various men and women, boys and girls had with Someone far greater.
And people not only remembered those encounters … those encounters changed their lives.
Thankfully, a few of those meetings were recorded for us in the pages of the New Testament.
I’d rather have an encounter with Jesus than anyone else.
As Billy Graham’s vocalist George Beverly Shea wrote and sang:
I’d rather have Jesus than silver or gold
I’d rather be His than have riches untold
I’d rather have Jesus than houses or lands
I’d rather be led by His nail-pierced hand
Than to be the king of a vast domain
Or be held in sin’s dread sway
I’d rather have Jesus than anything
This world affords today
And that includes ANY President you can name.
Beating Back a Pastoral Termination
Posted in Conflict with Church Antagonists, Conflict with Church Board, Conflict with the Pastor, Pastoral Termination, Please Comment!, Uncategorized, tagged countering a church coup attempt, forced termination of pastor, pastoral termination on November 17, 2017| Leave a Comment »
Pastor Joel could barely breathe.
The pastor of Good News Church for six years, Joel had just received a phone call from Tim, the board chairman. Tim informed Joel that a group in the church had just held a secret meeting intended to force Joel out of his position as pastor.
So many questions whizzed through Joel’s mind, among them:
*Who was in the group?
*What were they upset about?
*Why didn’t anyone share their concerns with Joel himself?
*How long had they been meeting?
*How much did the staff and board know about them?
Joel instantly became disoriented and confused. He couldn’t think clearly. He began having an anxiety attack … maybe even a full-blown panic attack.
He had been targeted before in his previous two ministries.
In his first pastorate, a group of former lay leaders organized and tried to push him out. But the board backed Joel completely, and the malcontents all left.
In his next pastorate, two staff members and three board members conspired to get rid of Joel, but their plot also failed, and they all departed together.
So Joel had been attacked before, but even though he had survived both attempts, he prayed that he would never have to go through another one.
And now this.
While Joel knew a lot intellectually about how to handle such a coup attempt, he also knew that when he was threatened, his emotions tended to overwhelm his brain, and that he quickly went into “fight or flight” mode.
He needed divine support, so he paused to ask God for wisdom and strength.
He needed human support, so he asked himself, “Which leaders do I know are 100% behind me?”
He identified three: Tim, the board chairman; Ron, the outreach pastor; and Craig, a former board chairman.
Joel contacted each person and asked if they could meet that night at a restaurant four miles outside town. All three agreed.
When everyone arrived, Joel asked Tim to tell the others about his phone call. Then Joel … thinking a bit more clearly … asked the following questions which he had written on a napkin:
*Tim, who told you about the plot?
*Why do you think they told you?
*Who do we know that opposes my ministry?
*What are their charges?
*What do you think their strategy is?
*Which staff members or board members might be with them?
After some discussion, Joel told his three supporters, “Based on my experience and research, I want to share with you how we can beat back this opposition and preserve congregational unity … provided that no staff members or board members are in on the plot.”
Pastor Joel told the leaders:
First, realize that nearly every plot against an innocent pastor is fueled by hatred.
Joel shared:
“Clear away the smoke, and you’ll find an individual who has contempt for his pastor. This individual – sometimes in concert with his spouse – has made a unilateral decision: the pastor must go.”
Joel then stated:
“If we can discover ‘the hater,’ we will have a better idea of discerning what’s happening.”
Joel went on:
“The hater is almost always the ringleader of the opposition. The pastor hasn’t recognized his brilliance … hasn’t paid him sufficient attention … hasn’t taken his ideas for the church seriously … hasn’t let his buddies be in charge … and hasn’t kept the church the way it was when I came in 2011 … so I must leave.”
Joel then said:
“When the hater is identified, his name probably won’t be a surprise to any of us. But others may say, ‘He really loves this church. He’s a fine man. He is so misunderstood. He’s just uncomfortable with all the changes. Cut him some slack.'”
Joel then shared:
“But once a plot is uncovered, there are only three possible outcomes:
*The hater repents of his rebellious behavior.
*The hater leaves the church.
*The pastor leaves.
Sadly, by this stage, haters almost never repent.”
Joel and his three supporters need to realize that the probable outcome of this conflict is that either Joel will leave … sending the church into turmoil … or the hater and a few of his minions will leave instead … the optimal option for the church’s mission at this point.
Second, the hater will hold secret meetings and invite disgruntled churchgoers to pool their grievances against the pastor.
Joel told his three supporters:
“The hater has already determined my fate: he wants me gone. But if he goes after me alone, he knows he won’t succeed. He’ll be outnumbered. He needs allies … as many as possible … so he calls a meeting … shares a few of his complaints … and then solicits complaints about the pastor from others … the more, the better.”
Someone will be asked to record the complaints.
If the pastor has committed a major offense (heresy, sexual immorality, or criminal behavior) … and it can be documented … anyone who attends the secret meeting can take their evidence to the church board, and the pastor most likely will be dismissed.
But secret meetings aren’t intended to come up with serious charges, but many charges … any one of which are trivial and petty.
Pastor Joel told the men:
“This is what happened to me in my second pastorate. A group of 15 people came up with a list of 22 offenses I had supposedly committed. The list was then distributed via email all over the church as if to say, ‘Anyone so flawed should never be our pastor.'”
Pastor Joel went on:
“I was accused of not dressing appropriately for a church event … driving a car that’s too expensive … counseling women alone (even though there’s a window on my study door) … changing the worship order too often … letting my wife miss a Sunday when she was sick … and so on. They were all that trivial … and many of my accusers were guilty of the very same things!”
Joel added:
“The problem with soliciting grievances is that everybody has a different set of complaints. I might feel passionate about two complaints of my own, but I don’t feel as strongly about the complaints of others in the group.”
Joel went on:
“We need to find out who attended the secret meeting, and then send a message to the hater and his minions: ‘Select two people to present your complaints. The board will select two leaders to hear those complaints. That’s fair … a two-on-two meeting.'”
Joel then asked Tim:
“Has any list been distributed to the church yet?” Tim said, “Not as far as I know.” Joel replied, “Good. Let’s put together this meeting before any list goes out.”
Third, the pastor’s opponents will assume that the sheer quantity of charges against him will be enough for him to be terminated.
Some charges might be incident-based: “We saw the pastor do this after a service … we heard his wife say this after a small group meeting … we know that the pastor’s son was sent to the principal’s office at school.”
Other charges will be pattern-based: “The pastor is too intellectual when he speaks … he never takes my phone calls … he doesn’t show up for workdays … he strikes me as being depressed.”
Joel shared:
“Once again, if my opponents can produce even one impeachable offense, they won’t need to create a list of offenses. The list is their confession that they really don’t have anything substantive to use against me. We could create such a list against anyone in this church. Remember that.”
Joel then said:
“Most charges will be exaggerated to some extent. Listen for the words ‘always’ and ‘never.’ And listen for complaints to be overstated: ‘When the pastor made that decision, fifty people left the church.'”
Joel then told his supporters:
“When two leaders meet with two others from the faction, ask them how many offenses they’ve recorded. Then ask them to read each one … and you answer each one before they read the next one. Do not let them read the whole list because you can’t answer the whole list at once!”
Joel continued:
“As you answer each complaint, they will begin to lose heart. They may not even finish the list. When their complaints have been exhausted, ask them what they expect to do next. They will probably say, ‘We need to report to our group.'”
Joel advised:
“Ask them at that point, ‘Who is in your group? Who is leading your group?’ They probably won’t share any information with you, but they’ll know you’re onto them. By answering their charges, you will have exposed their plot … and their hearts.”
Joel then shared an insight from family systems theory:
“I have learned that when you can ‘peel off’ one or two of a pastor’s antagonists, the whole plot usually unravels. Suddenly all the fun is taken out of attacking the pastor.”
Joel then shared one more step:
Finally, tell the group in writing what you expect from the pastor’s opponents … including them.
Joel explained:
“Tell them that we have a simple process for handling complaints at our church. If you believe the pastor has wronged you personally, then set up a meeting with him and share your concern directly. If you want, one of us can meet with you as an impartial witness.”
Joel then added:
“If you are upset about church policy, you are free to speak with anyone on the board because the board sets policy. We will either ask you to make your complaint in writing or ask you to attend the next board meeting personally. After we have heard your complaint, we will discuss it and make a decision, and ask you to abide by it.”
Joel then said:
“Ask them, ‘Do you understand our process? Will you abide by it?’ Assuming they agree, then hold them to it.”
Joel then added:
“Then tell them, ‘We believe that our policy for handling complaints is consistent with Jesus’ words in Matthew 18:15-17 and Paul’s words in 1 Timothy 5:19-21. We believe the Bible teaches that conflict should be handled above-ground (in the light, not in darkness) and that those who are accused of sin should be able to face their accusers.'”
Joel then said:
“It’s my belief that if you handle matters this way, the two individuals will either leave the church immediately (the more likely scenario) and take others with them, or they will slink away and lose their appetite for getting rid of their pastor. And if they bow out of the ‘get the pastor campaign,’ others will probably follow suit.”
After some discussion, Joel concluded:
“If we as leaders take control of the process for resolving these differences, then we will likely take control of the results as well.”
What do you think about Joel’s strategy for beating back his opposition?
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