Caution, Toxic Area

I just read a report about a nuclear waste dump in the area of the presbytery in which I served for 23 years. A company had established a nuclear materials facility in a flood plain and was not all that careful about the residue from their work. Some years ago the Army Corps of engineers began a toxic cleanup of the site. Over 100 truckloads of soil were hauled away to a dumping site out of the flood plain. Suddenly the cleanup stopped with the discovery of plutonium and uranium that the Corps was ill-equipped to handle. Since that time nothing more has been done with the cleanup. The dumpsite where the truckloads of material were hauled is surrounded with a tall metal fence with concertina wire atop it. At one point, military guards were stationed at the entrance with lethal firepower.

In my experience, there are some congregations which have become irreparably toxic. At some point in the past something happened. Years of effort to clean-up the mess have only removed some of the more superficial toxic residue. Perhaps the damage came in the form of sexual or fiscal misconduct within the congregation. Maybe the damage was done as the result of a congregational split. Regardless of the reason for the toxicity, in spite of rigorous efforts to remove the toxic memories, the life of the congregation has been so poisoned a thorough clean-up is impossible.

In the story of the nuclear site and the dump site, those in the town and surrounding area are fearful of the nuclear material getting into the food supply of gardeners and farmers. They are fearful further efforts to remove the even more dangerous materials might cause the materials to become air borne. This does not even begin to address how many others downstream have been or may be effected by the nuclear materials leeching into the water supply. Yet, there has been and is no mass exodus of residents. Most remain and try to carry on with their daily lives.

In toxic congregations some members hang on and hang on praying for the day a new cleanup effort might be successful. All the while, the presbytery, conference, or diocese has stopped cleanup efforts when discovering the extent of the toxicity and stuff they are ill-prepared to handle. At times members from the toxic congregation do move to a new congregation totally unaware they carry some of the toxin with them. The toxin has entered their emotional and spiritual DNA. The new congregation welcomes them with open arms. At some point in the future the toxin begins to replicate itself in the new congregation. A congregation of little conflict becomes a congregation of high conflict as members from the toxic congregation begin to react to situations or people which remind them of what happened or what might happen.

Dealing with toxic congregations is as perplexing as dealing with nuclear sites and dumps. I know of one toxic congregation which a presbytery closed, after years of trying to guide the congregation to being a nuclear free zone, and after four pastors all left within the third year of their service in the midst of high conflict. Maybe all we can do is to encase the toxicity, surround the site with high fences with concertina wire, and warn away future members and pastors.

I have no answers for this one. I have seen it in small and larger congregations; in city, suburban and rural congregations; in highly educated and barely literate congregations. There are no instant means of removing the toxicity of a nuclear site, nor of a congregation.