Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Emboldened Empowered
Emboldened Empowered
Empowered
by Susan Engh
Great responsibility
Fear of power’s tendency to cor-
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said,
rupt isn’t all that makes us wary of
“Power at its best is love implementing claiming it. For with great power
the demands of justice.” When people comes great responsibility. Jesus
and communities of faith put their power said something similar, recorded in
to work for the sake of justice, positive Luke’s Gospel: “From everyone to
whom much has been given, much
social change can result.
will be required; and from the one
to whom much has been entrust-
ed, even more will be demanded”
because we know the famous quote prime victims of power gone cor- (Luke 12:48).
from Lord Acton: “Power corrupts; rupt. It’s understandable, then, that When we refuse power, it
and absolute power corrupts abso- we might shun power for ourselves. speaks to our unwillingness to take
lutely.” And certainly we’ve seen Perhaps we fear wielding it in simi- responsibility for anything beyond
that lived out. Still, it worries me larly destructive ways. Certainly familiar and necessary obligations.
that the Lord Acton quote flows that’s a temptation and a possibility. We resist power: We don’t want
more freely from our lips than this Yet, power will go to someone. And the responsibility. When we’re not
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the ones in power, we can always me. I’ve learned the value of tension ELCA pastor and author Den-
blame someone else if something as a creative force, as an indicator nis Jacobsen writes in Doing Justice:
goes wrong. When we wield power, that something truly important is Congregation and Community Orga-
we become responsible for actions stirring, that the Spirit just might nizing (Augsburg, 2001), “We need
that affect others. be blowing up a storm of positive the community . . . because we are
What if, in my foray into change. battling principalities and powers,
power, I make mistakes? What if I’ve also learned that risking wickedness in high places. On our
I’m wrong? What if I fail? Because controversy for the sake of my own we would be ineffectual, co-
that’s always a possibility. Power values wins me the respect of oth- opted, or crushed. As a community,
involves risks; and risks might lead ers. In fact, I have deeper relation- we experience a power that is great-
to failure. And most of us prefer to ships with people with whom I’ve er than the sum of its parts. Within
avoid failure. resolved conflicts. the community, we discover gifts,
abilities, and power that we did not
Taking a risk Powerful relationships realize we had. As a community, we
It becomes a vicious circle, with pow- If we acknowledge that we as indi- are emboldened and empowered to
erlessness gaining an ever-tightening vidual and communal believers are take stands and engage in struggles
grip. But I can choose to step out called to be powerful, we must also that we would not conceive of doing
of this pattern. Perfectionism, the remember the source and context on our own.”
fear of failure, is a learned behavior. of our power. Our only legitimate
We’re not hard-wired this way; we power comes from our relation- Power as service
can change. Deciding to take risks, ships, primarily the one we have All this talk about power is just
to encounter failure, to be powerful with God. We are children of a theory until we discuss what our
is a giant step toward becoming who powerful God, in whose image we God-given power is for. If God has
God created us to be. are created. important work for us to do and
True, people who exercise God chooses to share power gives us the power to do it, what’s
power must deal with tension, con- with us as co-creators. God gives the nature of that work? From a
troversy, and outright conflict. Do us the capacity and the ability: “You Christian perspective, all that we
we really want (more of) this in our shall receive power when the Holy have, our power included, is to be
lives? Many of us were raised to Spirit comes upon you.” used (a) for the glory of God, and
avoid such unpleasantness. So we If and when we do lay claim to (b) on behalf of the neighbor. Power
may not have learned the tools to our God-given power, the only way should not be used to increase our
manage it constructively. to fend off the temptation of cor- self-esteem, but in service to and in
In choosing to be a powerful ruption is to wield our power in the loving partnership with God and
woman of faith, I’ve had to fight context of healthy human relation- neighbor.
my habit of trying to smile every ships. When we serve with others Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said,
conflict away, my tendency to calm who have also chosen to wade into “Power at its best is love implement-
all the waters around me. I’ve had the risks of power and influence, we ing the demands of justice.” When
to deal with people being angry are more likely to be held (and to people and communities of faith
around me, even, at times, angry at hold them) accountable. put their power to work for the sake
Congregation-based organizing
Engaging power for justice is at the core Susan Engh, along with her advisory team of organizing prac-
of Congregation-based Organizing (CBO). titioners, promotes CBO as a ministry model. Two critical
Hundreds of Lutheran congregations are aspects of congregation-based organizing are development of
involved in CBO, many through local vital congregations and justice work in the public arena. Both
affiliates of one of four national interfaith involve focused leadership training, community building, issue
leadership training and organizing net- identification, and strategic action, along with theological and
works: DART, Gamaliel, IAF, and PICO. biblical reflection.
March 2009 25