What's Happening

This is a model Joe describes in "What's Happening to churches of Christ". An excerpt follows.

Categories of People

Notice there are six categories of people contemplated in the model. In my opinion, these categories explain more about what is happening to us than do the types of churches.
Exasperateds are so fed up with the conflicts in our fellowship that they want to leave the Church of Christ . They generally view our brotherhood as denominational and feel that the negatives of other denominations are no worse than ours. Often they carry a great deal of personal hurt from the words or actions of Satisfieds or Zealots. That hurt strongly influences their feelings about the brotherhood and makes them lean toward cynicism and hopelessness about the future churches of Christ. They usually aren't considered Change Agents because they carry no hope for change. They dwell on the verge of leaving us altogether.

Opens are people who are comfortable with the nontraditional actions and doctrines of Innovative churches. They want to stay in fellowship with the Church of Christ but they put greater emphasis on their own spiritual development than on the judgment of other churches in the fellowship. They are often labeled Change Agents. They feel that certain changes in methodology and certain changes in traditionally accepted beliefs (like grace, fellowship, worship) must take place before the church will grow spiritually and numerically. They sometimes move toward becoming Exasperateds as they react to vitriolic attacks from Satisfieds or Zealots who try to force them back into more traditional views and actions. They typically don't see yielding to the demands of more traditional brothers as an act of compromise, but as an act of accepting spiritual lethargy or death.

Cautious worry about losing or harming their relationship with people in the Traditional churches. They want new and exciting things, are excited about their own spiritual growth, but have just enough fear of the "innovations" to be uncomfortable and concerned. Certainly not Change Agents, they retreat toward more traditional positions when pushed to make decisions between innovative or traditional actions or beliefs.

Searchers feel that changes have to take place to make the church vibrant but strongly fear making changes that may destroy the "identity" of the church. They like some things they see in Innovative churches but usually aren't comfortable with moving to those churches. They fear the loss of relationships of those they love in Traditional churches and often have questions about the "rightness" of some things the Innovative churches do. They would be ecstatic if someone could show them how to grow a spiritually vibrant and growing church while remaining totally within boundaries accepted by Satisfieds and Traditional Churches. When they are members of churches swelling from the death of smaller, dying churches, they enjoy the growth and the good things that come with it while harboring a secret fear that they are only delaying the inevitable realization that they haven't yet found the church they long for.

Satisfieds like things like they've been since the 1950s. They don't see any need to change and question or attack any change perceived as different from what the church has been during their lifetime. Neither increasing, level, or decreasing numbers of members affects their views or practices at all.

They feel that being doctrinally "sound" is the only test of faithfulness. "Sound doctrine" for them often translates into maintaining the views, beliefs, and practices of the church they grew up in or were converted to. They don't question, even when they feel they don't have good answers for what they believe or for the decline in their church's membership. Their confidence in the church they know, the leaders of that church, and the great preachers of the past lead them into a satisfied state that exists without question or scrutiny.

Zealots, like their first century namesakes, make strong attacks against everything and everyone they see as a threat to their culture and cling tenaciously to what they call the "old paths." They believe their defense of their culture is a defense of God's church and that conviction makes them very motivated and very aggressive. They make statements that their deductions and interpretations of the Bible are the "doctrine of Christ" and, therefore, equal to the very will of God. Therefore, they strongly condemn any statement or action not in total harmony with their deduced doctrines. They oppose many things done by the Left Wing and Innovative churches or said by Exasperated or Open people. The extreme in this group sometimes fabricate or embellish "evidence" to more forcefully attack those they feel to be a threat to the church they know. For example, they might write an article saying "this is what he said but this is what that really means." The difference in them and the Satisfieds is their extremely negative mindset and their quick willingness to attack orally and in writing anything or anyone they see as the enemy. Satisfieds tend to attack from a protective posture, usually only attacking when they feel their church or family is personally threatened. Zealots operate in offensive movements, attacking across the brotherhood whether or not they feel their church or family is personally threatened.

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