Strategies for Confronting
the Tyranny of the Minority
Part 1
In the summary of a year-end evaluation of my performance was the line, "Our committee believes that Rev. Olson has outstanding professional skills and has served us well. There are some members of the congregation who feel that he should work at being nicer." A small group of members had stalled every initiative by claiming hurt feelings, anger, and seniority; an established opposition that was empowered because the other members of the congregation either thought it was important to be nice and keep everyone happy, or didn't care enough about the congregation's ministry to be involved in the controversies surrounding change. I was "not nice" because relatively fresh from a counseling background I had raised the issue that I thought it was irrational and dysfunctional not to do things for the health of the congregation because a few people thought their feelings might be hurt.
I believe it is an important pastoral issue to help congregations deal with disagreements from the perspective of spiritual growth and maturity. I think one of the most empowering factors for the phenomenon named the "tyranny of the minority" is the prevailing theology in church life that "God is nice" and it is our calling to be nice as well. Because church leaders want to be perceived as nice they avoid conflict, try to get everyone's opinion (whether they have one or not), and focus on placating opponents instead of dealing maturely with the issues.
A second factor that empowers the tyranny of the minority is the silence and passivity of the majority of church members. Many in our congregations are happy to have a place to worship and learn, but are not interested in taking their involvement beyond that point. They have an investment in the status quo that allows them to be comfortably uninvolved. Their peace at any price isolationism allows the minority to get away with claims that they represent a large body of people.
The Jesus Connection model transforms congregational structure in a way that inhibits the power of small minorities determined to block change. I will address this in future articles but summarize several key points here. The Jesus Connection emphasis on group discernment moves people from "I" to "We" and from stating personal opinions to listening for God's guidance - this must be a front burner issue during the congregation's sabbatical time. The Jesus Connection emphasis on committed membership encourages persons to be involved in on-going participation in ministry so that it is more difficult to be a passive observer whose silence is manipulated by others. The Jesus Connection emphasis on ministry groups or teams focuses more on spiritual growth and ministry and less on institutional concerns, and with permission for the groups to live out their ministries it is not as easy to block efforts as it is when planning is run through a central administrative board or church council.
These changes in congregational structure and attitude will not discourage minority opinions nor assume that the minority is always wrong. The process invites individuals to seek God's guidance together for the sake of mission and the goals of God's realm.
Grace and peace,
Loren Olson
1st United Church
Little Falls, MN
