The Office of Discouragement

Detail on facing page from Dante’s Inferno, Gustave Dore, 1857.

by Scott Gamble and Michelle Heumann

The pastor steps into the pulpit and notices the person who argued at the last few voters’ meeting that pastor wasn’t doing enough to support the church’s boards—even though the pastor was at church every night last week, missing his anniversary and his kids’ soccer games. Weariness slumps his shoulders and he wonders how to get through the sermon, how to preach Gospel to this person who offers him only Law.

The director of parish services hangs up the phone and sighs. Her two-year-old is sick and needs to be picked up from daycare. But her husband is working out of town and she’s teaching the seniors’ Bible study this afternoon. Her husband needs his higher-paying job more than she needs hers, and they can barely afford daycare as it is. And forget trying to have another child—not with her salary and long, inflexible hours.  

“Maybe I should leave church work. God can use my gifts in other fields, where money, loneliness, and church politics wouldn’t cause me so much stress, anxiety, and depression…”

Church workers are a precious resource and there are too few of them, and many pastors and deacons are no longer serving because of parish situations that drove them away. The following article, inspired by C.S. Lewis’ Screwtape Letters, imagines what an elder demon might write to a junior tempter who has been charged with sowing discord in a congregation. We hope that this imaginary discussion from the wrong perspective will help readers consider the issue from a new viewpoint, leading us all to pray more diligently for our church workers and to consider how we can foster a culture of mutual encouragement and forgiveness.

My dear Gloomthorn,

Your new assignment may seem puzzling but be assured: this particular office is of vital importance to our cause and has been for centuries. You see, when Christians gather, they are strengthened in their faith. By dividing Christians from each other—separating them to fade like coals spread across a hearth—we will weaken them all the more quickly. 

This task is best begun by undermining their strong leaders. Do not waste time on lukewarm leaders or on ones who aid our cause by mistreating their flock, but focus on leaders who most effectively teach, preach, and demonstrate the Gospel. When a leader is brought down, their followers will either scatter in fear or mill about in confusion, forgetting to stand firm.

An effective method of undermining a leader is to distract them with the cares and concerns of day-to-day life. A disease in the family, a quarrel with a spouse or children—or even lack of a spouse or children—can be sufficient distractions for some.

For the strongest leaders, a more cunning strategy will be required. Dividing a church through conflict within itself can be quite effective, resulting in not only the undermining of the pastor but also an entire congregation, disbanding it and scattering the flock on the wind. 

Modern churches are often proud of their buildings, investments, and tax deductions, so encouraging leaders to unhealthy hope or despair over their finances can destroy a church—especially if they spend more time in meetings than in Bible study and prayer. Even if this strategy takes years to bear fruit, it is still a small amount of time compared to centuries. So bide your time and slowly increase the pressure.

As you take up your position in this office of discouragement, do not allow them to remember love: instead, beat them with law, tempt them with gold and bigger barns, trip them with pride, and sow disdain for each other’s struggles. We know that our former Master intended the world to know Christians by their love for each other… but we also know they are frail and easily led to hatred.

Your affectionate uncle,

Grimshade 

*  *  *  *  *

Dear Gloomthorn, 

You appear well suited to this assignment, as your observations of this church are quite keen. You have rightly identified their greatest defense against our assaults, and that is the despicable Book of our former Master—a Book which is not just stories or poems, but is in fact Himself speaking and being present in their midst, which we must certainly stop.

But if this church is as devoted as you say, it would not do to make a frontal assault on their trust in the Book; you will have to undermine their trust in their leader’s teaching on the Book, or disrupt them with strife that creates mistrust and shame.

Give these time-tested steps a try: beset the congregation with an unending chain of hardships—not all at once and not of any great magnitude, just a constant stream, so the pastor is worn down by the needs of his people.

Then, stir up a slight annoyance within one of the church members. Not anything important but something they are unwilling to see reason about: an unanswered visitation request, perhaps, or a sermon illustration they found distasteful. I trust you to select an appropriately insignificant grievance. 

If you are strategic, the pastor will have little awareness of his scars from past conflicts, and will require minimal prompting to either lash out in pain or cower and retreat into despair and anguish. These poor stupid wretches almost never recognize these attacks as from us, and instead fight amongst themselves, causing lovely chaos.

We can, of course, twist even the slightest perturbation to our advantage. A simple hesitancy when the phone rings or a flinch at each text notification is an anxiety that even the most well-guarded pastor can struggle with. You must work hard to cultivate a growing unease and paranoia about when the other shoe will drop.

However, avoid any battlegrounds that have been given over to our former Master. Remembering previous relationships restored by confession and forgiveness will almost certainly give the pastor resolve to—Satan forbid—reconcile with those who wounded him. 

I must admit, I am envious of the mayhem you’re about to unleash. I look forward to your next letter. 

All my best, your uncle,

Grimshade

*  *  *  *  *

Dear Gloomthorn, 

I relished every detail of your letter; I never imagined you would so quickly arrive at such a deliciously poisonous situation. This public conflict will surely lead to opportunities for embarrassed silence from the majority of parishioners. You’ve no doubt found that some people use our former Master’s gift for peace as an excuse to avoid conflict. They foolishly convince themselves that “peace” means not discussing subjects wherein people disagree or by which people have been hurt. But such silence is a false peace which leads to festering resentment.

Did you realize the pastor was already on the brink when you set him against the board member who was dissatisfied with his perceived weak stance on this important topic? 

Your chief weapons now will be fear and secrecy—and shame. Although most church members will avoid bringing up such an awkward situation, there will be some who truly believe in that disgusting practice of reconciliation. You must not allow these faithful few to participate in this act for we have no defenses against such an attack. 

As long as no one brings the pastor and the people together to confess their sin and partake in forgiveness, then you will have freedom to distort their memories and feelings of the event, compounding the damage even further. 

As to your question, applying these techniques of division, silence, and festering to the deacon could be just as effective as applying them to the pastor. Deacons have their own work, but they experience similar emotions, and so there is opportunity to sow discord between the members of the ministry staff as well as between them and the congregation. 

I look forward to a report about the techniques you choose and their effect on the pastor and deacon—and subsequently on the congregation. If you succeed here, I will recommend you for a more important assignment, as we attempt to thwart an upcoming gathering of church leaders. 

With pride, your uncle,

Grimshade 

———————

Scott Gamble is a writer and pastor with a B.A. in English and an M.Div. Michelle Heumann is a writer and editor with a B.A. in English and History and a M.A. in History.

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