PBBSS--Post Business Meeting Stress Syndrome

I noticed the plug in the bulletin regarding the upcoming Leadership Retreat. I get a "difficult to describe" feeling when I think of the retreat. When I became a deacon, one of the things that excited me most was knowing I could now attend the Leadership Retreat. I imagined a weekend of nonstop dialogue about our collective ministry at Sunshine. I assumed we would talk about what's going well, what's struggling, modifications of existing efforts, and new ideas for consideration. I imagined that we would inspire one another with this synergism of passion for what WE are doing and will be doing to advance God's kingdom in our area.

[Note: the WE of the previous sentence is not an oversight of the fact that it is truly God who is doing the doing, but rather an expression of enthusiasm about what God is doing through US as opposed to someone else, somewhere else.]

In reality, the retreat is a bit keyed down from the above description. Why? I don't really know. But I have a theory. I am calling it PBMSS-- Post Business Meeting Stress Syndrome. People who have a first hand experience with the old "business meetings," whether it be a Sunshine or anywhere else, will tell of great horrors. These meetings were incredibly tense and nonproductive. Decision-making in this free-for-all environment was chaotic and fraught with hurt feelings. Tremendous time and emotional energy could be spent on issues that ultimately are of no great importance. The real trauma of the experience has to do with the hurt feelings. In settings like this, the boldest and most dogmatic of brothers gets the loudest and last word--left in the wake is the offended, embarrassed, angered, and hurt.

The antidote to this organization quagmire is a well-functioning Eldership. Fortunately, Sunshine has been blessed with a well-functioning Eldership throughout the majority of its history, only spending brief periods of time laboring through business meetings. Nevertheless, a little trauma can go a long way! The Leadership Retreat, with its opportunity for open-ended dialogue and group participation, revives negative emotions tied to old memories of things better left in the past.

So what do we do in an effort to avoid a repeat of business meeting horrors. We organize and plan. All speaking is pre-planned and time is limited for free-for-all discussions. We schedule the entire time period--and we do not deviate from the schedule.

Well, that's my theory. Its easy for me to talk about--I had no first hand experience with the business meetings. It does seem clear that those who did suffer through such years, an indelible impression was made.

My dream for future Leadership Retreats is an atmosphere of enthusiastic, optimistic dialogue. A time when we get to listen to one another's dreams, and be inspired by them. For some, it will be a time to remember how to dream. Synergy is the best word to describe it! Synergy literally means with-energy. It denotes an energy that grows with togetherness.

A fire that is fueled will grow and effectively do the work of fire, whether be light, heat, or burning. Yes, a large fire can get out of control and cause great harm. On the other hand, dividing a large fire into several small fires will greatly weaken its productivity. With fire, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. It is not at all different with brothers and sisters in Christ. Let's put PBMSS behind us and embrace synergy!