Laughter can also have a positive effect within a congregation. People who share a good laugh together are more likely to treat each other with respect when they have disagreements. This is especially true when we see ourselves being able to laugh at ourselves. Too often we only experience the pleasure of a good “roast” when a person is leaving or retiring. It doesn’t have to be that way.
Plan an evening congregational dinner. Announce well in advance that the idea would be to “roast” the congregation, the preacher, educator, musician, church board, choir, youth group, members, etc. Anyone can contribute but it will help set the tone if you identify some of the well known humorists in the congregation to prepare some material. You might also ask certain groups, such as the youth group, the choir, the men’s group, etc to prepare a specific roast. Their perspective can be very enlightening.
The purpose is to invite laughter to nurture the soul of the congregation and the individuals within it. Have a night in which we make fun of ourselves. You might even introduce a “Guess who” moment in which someone would act out some exaggerated characteristics of someone in the congregation and let the audience guess who they are portraying.
Of course you need to build in some protections against the misuse of humor that can hurt but the tone can be set in the invitation. Imagine the possibility of humor that can heal. Sometimes we can get too serious in the church and lose sight of the genuine fun of being together in community. Who do you suppose can come up with the best funny line about the pastor, the session, and the congregation as a whole? It would be a fun evening to see the results.
