We question what is…
Offering an alternative perspective to challenge ‘group think’
Artwork by Sophie Killingley of Perish + Fade
Group think is a common feature in any well-established church community. ‘Group think’ is that settled consensus of thought which emerges within a congregation over time. It is a significant dynamic within a church which impacts on the way the world is seen and navigated.
by Rev Greg Bakker
I once participated in a Sunday morning Christian education class offered by a large church. Somehow during the session, the teaching took one of those turns which revealed a closed way of thinking. In this particular case, it unlocked group think about the people of another religious tradition. It wasn’t even about the beliefs of the religious tradition, but about the people themselves. In the midst of many negative comments from participants, I told a story about how I repeatedly entrusted my life as a Christian mission partner in a rural African nation to the group of people being discussed. My story introduced an alternative perspective to the settled way of thinking within that particular gathering.
Pioneering Parishes do just this – they tell alternative stories which question what is. Pioneering Parishes ask questions which challenge the settled consensus of thinking about the ways things are understood and done in congregation.
Learn to question what is through the Culture Change in Practice course.
