What's Your DNA?

Last year my daughter made the proud announcement that she was going to be a geneticist. She’s twelve years old. Most people might find a tween’s fascination with molecular make up and genes surprising. Not me. It’s in her DNA. No really. It's quite literally due to her DNA. Twelve years ago I got the call every new parent dreads. You need to bring your newborn in for further tests - something’s not right. I subsequently discovered my sweet little girl had a rare genetic disorder. I explored the few options available for treatment, both accepted methods and exploratory methods. There’s nothing more disturbing to a parent than having a sick child and not knowing what to do to fix it. As I soon found out, there is currently no cure for this disorder, but there is treatment through diet. She started the diet immediately and it will be a lifelong discipline for her. Dietitians, geneticists, and phlebotomists have been part of her every day life and have shaped who she sees as being influential and life changing in the world. It has shaped who she wants to be - it is her DNA. 

A few years later a trial study on gene replacement therapy attempted a procedure on a volunteer patient with my daughter’s same disorder. The risks were high, but the adult patient accepted the consequences. All proceeded according to plan until day three post op when the patient’s body ultimately rejected the gene replacement therapy and the patient deceased - liver failure. The body could not tolerate the level of change and the patient’s DNA rejected what it perceived to be foreign and dangerous. Was it dangerous? Theoretically, no. But organisms do not respond on the theoretical - only the actual. 

That study came to mind this week as I thought about change and transitions, specifically as they pertain to organizations and the Church. I read an article on church planting and felt the desire to write on this topic. The Church is a living organism. Scripture repeatedly refers to Her in terms of a life-giving, growing, animate body. That is what we are. We are a living breathing community of like-minded individuals designed to work in concert with another. We have DNA - fundamental and distinctive characteristics that define who we are, what we look like, and how we interact with others. We are genetically coded like any other organism. 

I grew up in ministry. My parents are missionaries/pastors and I have watched many transitions during the course of my life growing up in ministry - some good and some bad. We always have good intentions, but sometimes you cannot account for every factor of a church’s DNA when proposing change. Just as you would not capriciously invade the body of a patient without careful research, testing, and planning, we should not carelessly execute change in the microorganisms we call a church. DNA is fragile when tampered with, yet surprisingly resilient when handled with care. 

My church is going through a transition right now. Not a negative transition, but a transition nonetheless. As with all changes, an analysis of the existing DNA is necessary for optimal performance, risk management and continuity - fancy business buzz words for overall survivability. One can make changes in diet, exercise, composition, and structure, but consulting with a physician and making decisions based on the individual is essential to successful transition. My workout must be designed for my body and its capabilities or I’m going to end up hurt. The same occurs when we try to transplant perfectly good ideas into an environment that does not foster the nutrients necessary for the growth of that specific plan. No matter how great an ideology, if it is incompatible with the existing DNA of a culture, it will fail.The compatibility between ideology and reality is essential. I’ve seen business after business topple in this town because they failed to take the culture into account when devising a model. DNA is everything. What makes a city? How was it founded? What is the work ethic? What are the demographics? What is the pace of business? Who are the movers and shakers? How did they become successful? Who actually makes decisions? (Not who thinks they make decisions - that’s entirely different.) Is the population transient or stable? Where do the locals hang out? The list is endless as to the amount of information one could collect to analyze the DNA of a community.

I read an article a few months ago about an L.A. judge who implemented a marathon training program on Skid Row. The program was a huge success and I remember thinking what a wonderful idea to imitate. I immediately wrote up a simple plan of how that might work in my community and started to research the surrounding culture. What I found out surprised me. My city doesn't really have a homeless population - or at least they do not recognize their presence. When they find a straggler they relocate the individual outside the city limits. (I’m not advocating for or against this method - I’m just relaying what I discovered.) In addition to this method of dealing with the homeless, the city also implements a successful drug rehabilitation program for which there are only 5-6 participants at any given time. Not quite the burgeoning load of Skid Row. What did I decide to do? While a great idea full of good intentions, this plan would not work for my location. Instead I focused on the need I did uncover - a precariously balanced demographic bordering on financial destitution and poverty. This I could deal with. I’ve been uncomfortably close to this several times in my life and my empathy is great. I once heard the statistic that over 80% of Americans live just one paycheck away from homelessness. That’s reality. One missed paycheck can change a person’s future for years. In a state that prides itself on every vice known to humankind, that’s not a situation you want to be stuck in all by yourself. Your best bet for turning a quick buck is to learn to entertain or hit the slots. And trust me on this, the first thought when in a panic is not necessarily crying out to God. The church is not easily seen as a solution here. Church is where you go when you get your act together. We get all cleaned up for church. Put on our “Sunday best” and go to impress. 

Thankfully that’s not how it works. Or at least that’s not how it’s supposed to work. That’s not how it worked for me. While I was still a sinner, Christ died for me. Not when I got my act together. Not after I cleaned up. Not wearing my Sunday best. He died for me as an abject wreck. While in Denver working with a church food bank I heard a man explain that he could not bring his family to church because his children did not have nice clothes. Is that what we’re teaching? God has no place for you unless you have nice clothes? God loved us because we first got ourselves cleaned up and our act together? I don’t think so. We have plenty of organizations that function by those standards. The Church should not be one. 

I didn’t find the program support I so desperately wanted in my research. I didn’t find what I was looking for at all. But that’s ok. I found something even better - the real hearts and needs surrounding me - the need for supportive community. I found the city’s DNA. I can build programs that are not only good in ideology, but that will be good in their implementation and effectiveness. I can create designs that foster growth and life instead of stagnation. I can allocate and utilize the resources and skills available to impact others and create healthy relationships around me. Miscalculating the DNA of your church and community can be the difference between life and death. Know your people. Know your DNA.