Kenneth Halstead From Stuck to Unstuck
At a meeting last night I presented a few ideas from Kenneth A. Halstead’s book, “From Stuck to Unstuck: Overcoming Congregational Impasse”. The book was published by Alban Institute in 1998 but hasn’t really had much press attention.
Here’s the blurb from Alban Institute:
Despite having worked diligently at problem solving, a congregation may be dismayed to find that a difficult situation has actually become worse. The frustrations of becoming stuck can give rise to patterns that keep repeating themselves. Not just a different sort of action but different ways of thinking are called for to break such an impasse. The author, a pastor and family therapist, uses insights from systems theory and from several therapy methods to explain ways of becoming unstuck. This could be just the resource your congregation needs to make a breakthrough.
Halstead describes an ‘unstuck’ congregation as a place where there’s an energizing effect from taking part in and talking about congregation. He looks for open communication with few restrictions about what can be talked about. An ‘unstuck’ situtation is marked by confidence that leaders, fellow members and the organisation as a whole listen and respond to needs. There’s a sense of growing as a group towards maturity and greater faithfulness, while effectively adapting to a changing world.
A stuck congregation, on the other hand, features these factors. There’s a sense of ’spinning the wheels’ - putting lots of energy into going nowhere. In desperation people are overlearning, overgeneralising, and over applying past strategies, buying into systemic addictions but unaware of them. In fact lack of awareness would be the key factor Halstead identifies. There’s an assumption that ‘being stuck’ is normal. There’s insufficient language to describe what’s going on.
One of the key learnings for me from this book was the recognition of situations of paradox in which no simple solution can be found. Halstead says that we regularly see five attempts to ‘fix problems’.
- Attempt to force something that can occur only spontaneously
- Attempt to master a feared event by postponing it (e.g. avoiding conflict)
- Attempt to reach accord through opposition - arguing people into support
- Attempt to attain compliance through volunteerism - “you must want this”
- Confirm accuser’s suspicions by defending oneself
Halstead gives two contrasting paradigms for dealing with ambiguity and uncertainty…
Old Paradigm
We should solve life’s unavoidable paradoxes - uncertainty, predictability, ambiguity, complexity, pain, vulnerability, aloneness, helplessness, longings of the soul, death - using linear, logical, fixated, analytic solutions.
New Paradigm
We should find humanising ways of living with life’s unavoidable paradoxes - uncertainty, predictability, ambiguity, complexity, pain, vulnerability, aloneness, helplessness, longings of the soul, death - using gracious, courageous, creative, compassionate, humorous solutions.
So does anyone know Ken Halstead? He’s a Lutheran minister. I’ve found a reference in November 2005 to him moving to St. John’s, Richland Center in Wisconsin from Interim Ministry in Minneapolis Area Synod
