The Oates Journal (ISSN: 1098-1446) is a publication of the Wayne E. Oates Institute addressing issues related to spirituality, ethics, and healing from the perspective of pastoral care and counseling.

The group was discussing the “Old Hickory” case from my book (Hope in Conflict, Pilgrim, 2007, chapter 5) in which the interim pastor, Walt, had learned of allegations of sexual misconduct against a beloved former pastor. In the case, Walt had declined to pursue the allegations for at least three reasons: the denominational officers were not going to bring charges, the congregation was resolutely refusing to discuss any of the “public secrets” about previous pastors’ boundary violations despite Walt’s efforts to provide opportunities for conversation, and the former pastor in question was still present and was perceived to be powerful and potentially untrustworthy.

One of the group members offered a valid critique of Walt’s inaction based on a conviction that “something should have been done.”

After considering the critique, I continued to describe Walt’s actions in terms of patiently letting an issue emerge on its own time in a conflicted situation rather than push for resolution of one of the symptoms. As I reflect on it now, I’m even more comfortable with Walt’s inaction on that particular subject. In a chaotic situation, a leader, defined as “one who acts from an inner sense of freedom and integrity and an outer demeanor of respectful communion with others to move the congregation’s story into the future,” (Hope in Conflict, p. 64), has little or no real control over the outcomes of the chaotic moments. Staying steady and trustful in the deep inner wisdom of the congregation and in the work of the Spirit, the leader can find virtue in patience. The most one can do is to pick from my three recommended leadership actions (see pages 164-165):

• A careful observer

• A calm holder of verities

• A perturber.

In the case of Old Hickory Church interim pastor Walt had decided to regulate his own reactivity in the matter of the allegations, trusting the system to address it in its own way in its own time. He allowed what Heifetz and Linsky (Leadership on the Line, Harvard Business School Press, 2002, pp. 146 ff.) called “letting the issue ripen.” Walt left the congregation when they called a new pastor. Within a year that new pastor had fallen into some kind of minor boundary transgression and the congregation pounced on the incident, brought charges with the denomination’s justice system, and moved on to face their own history. Only after the fact was Walt’s patience confirmed as a wise move on his part. Living through chaos is not easy, but I still recommend that a leader face it by addressing one’s own anxieties, thinking systemically, and allowing the processes to work their own way out.

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