Khyati Trehan for Google DeepMind / Unsplash
How do congregations work? What factors influence the way a congregation solves problems? The answers to these questions are rooted in the concept of mental models.
Mental models are assumptions or deeply held beliefs that influence how we think and perceive reality. These are cognitive frameworks that operate below the conscious level, which makes it hard to recognize and change them. However, every leader — whether they lead a congregation, a company or a committee — must discern and understand the mental models that drive individuals and groups to do what they do.
The ways that congregations make decisions and set priorities are rooted in their mental models about stewardship, leadership, community, justice — even Jesus. When leaders recommend moving the church in a new direction, the resistance that emerges is connected to congregants’ mental models. The new ideas may challenge their assumptions about what the church is supposed to do or how they fit into the congregation.
If you listen closely enough, you can understand the beliefs that underlie the congregants’ resistance. Then you can have a meaningful conversation about the assumptions behind the scenes.
How many times have you heard someone say, “The church is a business”? That’s a mental model of how a church should work and make decisions. If you want to identify the mental models that are at work in your context, listen to the conversations in decision-making meetings. What logic wins people over? What metaphors resonate with the group?
Ultimately, mental models are not a problem; they simplify our decision-making. But as Christian leaders, we should strive to lead our congregations to embrace mental models that bear witness to God’s love for the world.
Resources
How to bring about change in your church
It’s a difficult time for the church but it has a bright future if leaders help their congregations adapt to a new, diverse world, says a co-author of the book “Future-Focused Church.”
Q&A with Kara Powell
New people can mean new ways of doing things
The last four years have seen an influx of new hires for many organizations. Slowing down to make the changes that turnover requires can benefit everyone.
By David L. Odom
A case for Christian leaders to practice integrative thinking
The more our vision and our imaginations are remade by resurrection, the more we should refuse to accept things as they are and insist on seeking new ways waiting to emerge, writes a Baptist pastor.
By Paul A. Baxley
Debunking the myth that faith and science are in conflict
Americans may think that most scientists are atheists or even adversaries of religion, but that’s not the case. And welcoming scientists and scientific ideas into our congregations could help our youth, says a researcher who has studied the issue.
Q&A with Elaine Howard Ecklund
Design thinking can reveal problems and re-imagine solutions
Using the principles of design thinking can push Christian leaders to listen more closely to their surrounding communities and be more creative in addressing their needs, says the co-founder of Marion Design Co.
Q&A with Wendy Puffer
Before you go
Jesus once confronted the disciples’ mental models about sin and sickness. In John 9, the disciples encountered a man who was born blind. They asked Jesus who had sinned: the blind man or his parents. The disciples’ deeply held beliefs led to the assumption that the cause of congenital blindness was guilt.
Jesus gave them a different explanation, a new mental model. Jesus told them not to make guilt their starting point. Instead, he wanted them to see the potential and possibility of God’s glory through the blind man’s condition.
A significant aspect of Christian leadership is the work of examining our own mental models and inviting people to examine theirs in light of the gospel. In this way, we participate in Christ’s work of transforming minds, helping people see beyond inherited assumptions to the redemptive possibilities of God’s grace and power.
You can always share your ideas or feedback with me and the Alban Weekly team at alban@duke.edu. Until next week, keep leading!
Prince R. Rivers
Editor, Alban at Duke Divinity