Building on the discussion of daimons and demons from the past couple of days, I want to expand that concept to looking at congregations. As the Bible does in speaking of the church as the Body of Christ, I want you to reflect on the congregation as an organic body. Just like with the individual, a congregation can have mood swings along several continuums from elation to despair, from confidence to anxiety, from humility to pridefulness. Often these emotional stages are prompted by conditions or incidents. A bad financial campaign can throw a congregation into a state of anxiety. A wonderful Lent/Easter season can leave a congregation feeling elated. As with what we discussed concerning the daimons or natural urges of humans, these feelings are natural but when they get out of hand, they can become unhealthy and even destructive.
So here is the first stage of the exercise. Explain to your governing board, a session for Presbyterians, the whole concept of daimons/demons and then ask them to name the five top emotions that they think might be pervasive in the congregation. It would be best for them to each make their personal list first and then to compile them and come up with a consensus. Remember that this is not a case of good or bad moods. The most positive mood can become destructive and the most negative can be redemptive. A congregation might feel anxious about a drop in attendance and that might lead to a greater consciousness on the quality of worship or the responsibility of members to encourage each other in regular attendance.
Once the consensus list has been made, this becomes the basis for reflecting on the redemptive possibilities in each area. Like with an individual, the challenge is not to erase the mood but to name it and respond to the positive possibilities and guard against the destructive possibilities that such a mood can create for a congregation.
