Tri-Faith Initiative moves forward through intimidation, bullying and threats.
I would like to thank everyone for caring deeply about this decision, especially the many members who have expressed their support for Countryside, whichever way the decision went.
These are the words of the “Moderator” of the relocation process for Countryside Community Church to join the Tri-Faith Initiative. Contained within that sentence is the essence of what troubles so many among that congregation – the expression of more gratitude for those who have “expressed support no matter what happens,” which is another way of describing folks willing to do as they’re told.
I have been contacted by many outsiders—many people outside the state of Nebraska who seem to have a much broader knowledge of the behind the scenes orchestrating that has gone on for the last few years. It has become very apparent that as Countryside members, we are being asked to vote on something huge which has implications far beyond our modest walls.
And, unfortunately, this has left me with even more angst about how our leaders have presented this proposal. Leaving out such huge chunks of information is so dishonest. I feel like a pawn in a huge chess game. The kings and queens hold all the information and the power, but they cannot win without the pawns fighting the battle for them.
These comments are from a Countryside Parishioner who set up a blog outside of the Church hierarchy in order to bypass the information gatekeeping by the Pastor and church leadership that has characterized the process thus far.
The blog has become a clearinghouse for those who have been excluded from the process by the consistent efforts of the pro-Tri-Faith church leaders to marginalize them. Many of them have been members of that church for nearly 50 years.
Also from the blog –
If we vote YES tomorrow, will this message control stop? Will we actually find out all the back-room deals and places where other money is coming from? If we, the members, haven’t come up with the bulk of the money, will we have any say in anything that truly matters as the process continues? If we vote YES, are we giving the leadership even more confirmation to continue with the marketing? If we vote YES, it will be very hard to turn the ship a different direction.
Talk of mega-money gifts has also come with talk of the strings attached to those donations.
I attended a Q&A session and was disappointed that the option of staying was not fully developed. How can a meaningful decision be made when the study dangles $16 million in “gifts” to make the relocation financially attractive but made no attempt to solicit comparable gifts if we stayed. One Q&A attendee was spot on when she asked if the gift benefactors were only willing to invest in our church if we relocated. The response was yes…
The Church leaders spent a great deal of money on developing a comparison study of moving vs staying. A common thread throughout the process has been repeated complaints that this study was in fact a marketing tool for moving, rather than a legitimate study of the issue.
Many have expressed relief that their gut reactions not to move are not felt by them alone. Our leaders characterizations of those unhappy with a move has been to portray us as plotting men and women who are seeking to hurt our church.
It was unfortunate that the members that had concerns and were frustrated by the process were labeled as people trying to “sabotage the process” and “hold the congregation hostage”. From my perspective, that is exactly what the $16 million in gifts has done.
Early in the process, many expressed the opinion that the decision appeared to have already been made, leaving only the need to “sell” it to the congregation. The heavy-handedness in the entire process has driven families from this church in droves, and conservative estimates place the ultimate loss at between 30-45% of the congregation.
Few are expressing cautious optimism – mostly from the winning side – but it appears that the damage has been done. It’s difficult to win back the trust of those who you have just spent that last year demonizing.
I’ll give the last word to a Countryside parishioner –
I attended 1 of the many meetings in the past year or so in regards to the Tri-Faith. It was discussed that “not everyone will move with us – we will lose some people. But we will replace them with more people after the move.”
“Replace Them?” Really? Are you replaceable? How about that friend that was there when you had a death in the family, are they replaceable? How about that youth member that helped you out to the car with your purchases from the garage sale, are they replaceable? If they are, what happens to them? Do you care?
Oh wait, I did hear at that meeting someone say, “They will find a new church.” Oh Ok – That makes me feel better.