Congregations can conduct conversations on vital issues without fragmenting if they learn how to deliberate together, Elizabeth Corrie told participants in a “Bold Faithfulness” seminar during the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s General Assembly in Atlanta June 28.
The focus of the seminar — “Sacred and Courageous Conversations” — arose out of the Fellowship’s constituent survey, which identified “engaging in difficult conversations” as one of five key needs of their congregations, reported Brian Foreman, CBF’s coordinator of congregational ministries.
Corrie, professor of youth education and peacebuilding at Emory University’s Candler School of Theology, said deliberation is an important tool churches can use to conduct those conversations safely.
It’s also grounded in the Bible, she added, noting the 12-year-old Jesus deliberated with religious teachers in the temple, when they spent time listening to each other and putting questions to each other.
Corrie defined deliberation as a form of discourse where people:
- “Tackle issues that are not easily solved.”
- “Face up to issues where people disagree.”
- “Look at difficult issues with an open mind.”
- “Listen carefully to different perspectives.”
- “Weigh the benefits and trade-offs of different courses of actions.”
- “Think about what matters most to them — what they really value when they can’t have everything.”
On the other hand, she said, deliberation is not:
- “Debate, where each side states a specific opening position and argues against the opposing view.”
- “Discussion, where people examine an issue but do not confront choices or weigh benefits and trade-offs.”
- “Advocacy, where people enlist supporters and rally for agreed-upon courses of actions.”
- “Making at ‘to do’ list, where people identify a few broadly accepted ideas and organize or advocate for them.”
“Deliberation matters because democracy depends on citizens coming together and making well-thought-out decisions on what we can do together to solve tough problems,” Corrie said.
“Deliberation matters because democracy depends on citizens coming together and making well-thought-out decisions.”
“Deliberating is necessary when a problem requires people to make ethical decisions,” she added. “The questions we wrestle with are: What should we do? Which solutions reflect my values — the things I care most about? Could there be unintended consequences I haven’t thought about? No solution is perfect; am I willing to accept the trade-offs of what I decide?”
Deliberation happens all the time as people make personal, family and work decisions, Corrie noted. And issues congregations wrestle with range from allocation of limited resources, to the role the church should play in its neighborhood and community, to how to respond to pressing issues, to how to balance tradition and openness to the Holy Spirit, she said.
Corrie divided participants into groups of six to eight members and led them to conduct a brief deliberation session on “The Church’s Role in a Divided Society.” Each group spent equal time deliberating three options:
- The Church as Refuge — “It is prudent for leaders to refrain from engaging in political issues.”
- The Church as Mediator — “Offering the church as a public space for navigating political issues without taking an institutional stand.”
- The Church as Prophetic Voice — “In both conservative- and progressive-leaning churches, some leaders claim … a moral and ethical imperative to honor God and God’s people by articulating their understanding of God at work in the world.”
In post-deliberation reflections, participants noted the deliberative format’s ability to enable them to draw out each other’s insights without pitting one against the other. They also discussed how the focus on listening and sharing discussion enabled them to gain broader perspectives on the topic.
Corrie noted the process can help churches conduct sacred conversations on a wide range of issues.
She recommended two resources for more information: