by Ken Morgan | Mar 6, 2025 | Uncategorized
Sure, it was a thinly-veiled act of sabotage – but its efficiency and elegance was breathtaking. The attractive mid-sixties cream-brick church in a well-to-do suburb was ripe for revitalisation. Situated in the middle of a pedestrian suburb, literally dozens of young families walked past the building every day taking their kids to school. The congregation was aged and had dwindled well below the size of viability. The previous two ministers had departed after short incumbencies, stating they had ‘burned out’. The new minister decided to start an afternoon contemporary-style service, more likely to be relatable for the couples with little kids who were moving into the area. The service launched with promising attendance. Perhaps the church could ‘j-curve’ back toward flourishing. That’s when the gatekeepers sprang into action. Waiting outside the church as those attending the new congregation were leaving, the old guard were armed with clipboards and disingenuous questions. The ‘new congregation survey’ successfully communicated to the newcomers that they were invaders who were threatening the heritage of the church. The fledgling congregation dwindled and discontinued soon after. This really was the church’s last shot at a future. The frustrated minister departed and within a couple of years the church was closed by the denomination. To the average church minister, footy club president or not-for-profit CEO, gatekeepers seem like bloody-minded conspirators who would rather the organisation die than change. As ‘pillars’ of their organisations, gatekeepers’ sometimes destructive actions seem to make no sense. To understand gatekeepers and what drives them, we need to appreciate that humans...
