Nuggets #21

An Unstoppable Force by Erwin McManus
More of Chapter Nine

Jungle Warfare
The second kind of problems is camouflaged problems, problems that are not so clear but need to be uncovered. If stating the obvious can seem like a courageous act of leadership, then unwrapping problems that have remained unseen is even more dangerous. Clear problems are often related to the present condition of the church in its relationship to the mission of Christ. Camouflaged problems, on the other hand, are often hidden within the human heart. Camouflaged problems usually involve core values and human motivation.

Camouflaged problems may appear when blame is being assigned. It's amazing how the local church will blame the outside world for the struggles within. While acknowledging that greater is he that is in us than he that is in the world, we attribute the decline of the church to the darkness outside or the apathy of those without Christ. We are too quick to blame the decline of the church on the disinterest of the unchurched.

If the root issues or core problems are not identified, a church can spend too much time and energy addressing the wrong issues.

Though all of this part of the book struck me, I really like how he uncovered the issue of camouflaged problems being hidden within the human heart and usually appear when blame is being assigned. I thought about two different scenarios where this is true. As one person blames another, the issue could be within the person being blamed. There could be a heart issue that needs to be addressed. Then again, if the person is being blamed wrongly, the issue could be within the blamer's heart. Only through open and full communication can the root issue be uncovered and dealt with.