CREEDE HINSHAW: The value of holy chemistry

An article on the sports page last week that explored the value of team chemistry (in baseball) prompted me to think about the church. The article noted that researchers are trying to measure whether the strategy of building and encouraging team chemistry is more important than the strategy of assembling a group of exceptional athletes who may not get along well.

I don’t know how somebody could measure or quantify the mysterious value of team chemistry. Whatever the team sport, whatever the level of competition, how could one possibly assess the ability of each athlete to respect teammates, appreciate a team leader and sacrifice one’s own personal athletic goals for the sake of a winning team?

Nonetheless, the value of getting along together is highly important even though most religious organizations don’t call it chemistry. In the church we approach this crucial issue by using the Greek New Testament word koinonia (fellowship), the Greek New Testament word agape (love) or by exhorting church members to continue as one in the Spirit.

The ability to create or measure this holy chemistry is probably no easier to do in the church than it is for a sports team. But whether your team consists of athletes or religious pilgrims, most of us know when we have healthy chemistry with one another. Even the newest members of a church can soon recognize and evaluate whether their church has this holy chemistry.

One would like to think that shared goals and mutual love and care for one another would be commonplace in the church. And sometimes, and in some congregations, such love and respect is abiding and common. But even the strongest churches face challenges maintaining mutual love. Unity of purpose, mind and heart can be ephemeral.

.Is your congregation in a healthy place right now?

If your church is brimming with mutual respect and great love for one another, don’t forget to celebrate that. Maintaining a healthy congregation includes a good dose of affirmation and celebration. If on the other hand, your church is not in such a good place, things can improve.

One of the roles of church leaders (ordained and clergy) must be to identify warning signs, diagnose dis-ease in the body and make prayerful recommendations on deepening the mutual love and respect of that body.

I can’t speak for all faith traditions, but early Methodists dealt with the need to maintain a strong, holy chemistry by holding what they called a love feast, a tradition they picked up from the Moravians. This annual ritual allowed the church – in a non-sacramental way – to share food and drink together while at the same time renewing their bonds of love for each other and reminding themselves of their shared mission to love God and serve the world

Is it time for your congregation to plan something like a love feast? Whether you are celebrating what’s already happening or seeking to revive that holy chemistry, there’s always room for love in the church.

Email columnist Creede Hinshaw, a retired Methodist minister, at [email protected].