discerning-partners

Which Type of Campaign Is Right for Your Church or Nonprofit?

Mon, 10 Aug 2026 21:03:07 GMT

Capital, comprehensive, and capacity campaigns share strategies — but they serve different purposes.

Campaign terminology can be confusing. Capital, comprehensive, and capacity campaigns often use similar strategies — leadership gifts, donor conversations, pledge periods, communications, and public commitment — but they're designed to accomplish different things.

Understanding those distinctions can help you choose an approach that fits your mission, your donors, and the culture you have locally.

01 — CAPITAL CAMPAIGNS

Funding a Specific Project

A capital campaign is generally organized around a clearly defined need, such as:

— Constructing or renovating a building

— Purchasing property

— Retiring debt

— Acquiring major equipment

Donors are usually invited to make campaign commitments above and beyond their regular annual giving. In a church, members continue giving their normal tithes and offerings while making a separate pledge toward the capital project.

This structure is relatively easy to understand: regular giving supports your ongoing ministry, while campaign giving funds a particular project.

Capital campaigns work especially well when the project is tangible, the need is compelling, and you want to maintain a clear distinction between ongoing operations and special commitments.

However, good communication must connect the project to your larger mission. Your church is not simply raising money for bricks and mortar; you are creating space for worship, discipleship, care, outreach, and ministry. Your nonprofit is not simply purchasing property or equipment; you are increasing your capacity to serve people and advance your mission.

02 — COMPREHENSIVE CAMPAIGNS

Funding the Larger Vision

A comprehensive campaign brings several kinds of giving together under one larger vision. Instead of asking donors to maintain their regular giving and make a separate capital pledge, you invite them to consider their total commitment over a defined period — often three years. That commitment may include:

— Annual or operating support

— Capital needs

— Special programs, missions, or scholarships

— Endowment and other strategic priorities

You then communicate one overall campaign goal representing the combined funding needed to sustain your current work and advance your future vision.

This model is common in educational institutions because alumni and other donors are often committed not simply to a particular project, but to the institution itself — supporting faculty, students, facilities, programs, and long-term priorities as expressions of the same underlying commitment.

The same dynamic can exist in a church. Members may be deeply committed to the church’s overall mission and understand that personnel, ministries, missions, facilities, and operating expenses are interconnected. In that environment, a comprehensive campaign can help people think more holistically about generosity.

“ I have worked with churches where a comprehensive campaign made strategic sense on paper but would have created unnecessary confusion in the congregation."

THAT FIT IS NOT AUTOMATIC

This is particularly true when a church has a strong and deeply rooted tithing culture. Members may have been taught for years that the tithe supports the church’s regular ministry, while gifts toward a building or special initiative should be given above and beyond the tithe. Asking those members to combine everything into one commitment can feel as though the church is redefining something they consider spiritually important.

The question is not simply whether a comprehensive campaign is technically possible. The better question is whether it fits your congregation’s understanding of stewardship. A campaign should clarify generosity — not leave faithful people wondering whether the expectations have suddenly changed.

03 — CAPACITY CAMPAIGNS

Strengthening Your Ability to Fulfill the Mission

A capacity campaign focuses on strengthening your church or nonprofit’s ability to fulfill its mission over time. The term is used somewhat differently across the nonprofit world, but capacity campaigns commonly focus on:

— Expanding the donor base and increasing recurring or annual giving

— Strengthening staff and developing leaders

— Improving fundraising, data, and technology systems

— Building reserves and creating a more sustainable development program

A capacity campaign may include some capital needs, but it is not primarily centered on constructing a building.

This approach may be appropriate when you have a compelling mission but do not yet have the infrastructure, donor engagement, staffing, or financial stability required for your next stage of growth.

Its success should not be measured only by the amount raised during the campaign. A successful capacity campaign leaves you stronger afterward: more donors are engaged, giving is more consistent, systems are more reliable, leaders are better prepared, and you are less dependent on a small number of supporters.

CHOOSING WELL

The Right Campaign Begins With the Right Questions

None of these models is inherently better than the others. The right choice depends on:

What you need to accomplish
How your donors understand their relationship to your mission
Your existing stewardship and giving culture
Your financial and organizational realities
Which structure will communicate the invitation most clearly

The goal should never be to force your church or nonprofit into a preferred campaign model. It should be to shape a campaign around your people, your mission, and the realities on the ground.

Some consulting groups concentrate on a single model and move every client through essentially the same process. That standardization can make the consulting firm more efficient — but it can also result in your organization being shaped to fit the firm’s system, rather than the campaign being shaped to fit you.

Discerning Partners has been called in to take over campaigns that have grounded out because of this — and I can tell you from experience, it’s easier to make the right decision at the beginning than to try to make a change later in the process.

DR. JIM PACE, FOUNDER & LEAD CONSULTANT

HOW DISCERNING PARTNERS CAN HELP

We help you choose well — then build a campaign that fits.

— Discerning Partners has experience designing and guiding capital, comprehensive, and capacity campaigns.

— We begin by listening carefully to your people, your history, your stewardship culture, your financial realities, and the work you believe you are being called to undertake.

— We can help you determine which approach is most appropriate — and then build a contextual campaign that serves you where you are while preparing you for where you hope to go.

Campaign Timelines, Flexibility & Customization

Tue, 02 Jun 2026 22:14:06 GMT

Why Every Campaign Requires a Different Pace and Structure

Most capital campaigns are far longer than many churches or nonprofits initially expect. While the most visible portion of a campaign may appear to be the public fundraising effort itself, a healthy campaign actually stretches across multiple distinct phases: preparation, readiness assessment, vision clarification, leadership development, quiet phase fundraising, public phase engagement, and finally the stewardship phase where pledges are fulfilled over a 24–36 month period. When viewed from beginning to end, many campaigns realistically span three to five years from the earliest planning conversations through final pledge fulfillment.

The preparation and readiness portion alone can often take several months before a church or nonprofit is even ready to begin active fundraising. Leadership alignment, project clarity, communication strategy, financial planning, donor evaluation, staffing considerations, campaign structure, and timeline development all require careful attention. Once the active campaign begins, the Quiet Phase commonly lasts several months as leadership and major donor conversations occur, followed by a Public Phase that may last another two to four months depending on the size and complexity of the project. After those visible phases conclude, the stewardship phase continues quietly in the background for years as pledges are fulfilled, relationships are maintained, and long-term generosity strategies continue developing.

One of the most important things organizations should understand is that no two campaigns are exactly alike. Every church and nonprofit has its own culture, leadership dynamics, donor base, communication style, financial realities, decision-making structures, and ministry priorities. Because of that, every campaign should be customized. The pacing, sequencing, communication strategy, leadership structure, donor engagement process, public-phase rhythm, stewardship plan, and even the tone of the campaign itself may need to look different depending on the organization. Some churches need a longer discernment and preparation season. Others are ready to move quickly. Some campaigns are highly relational and decentralized. Others require stronger structure and communication systems. A healthy consulting process recognizes those differences rather than forcing every organization into the same template.

One of the challenges many organizations face is that campaigns rarely unfold exactly according to the original calendar. Economic shifts, leadership transitions, construction delays, staffing changes, donor timing, organizational crises, or unexpected momentum can all affect the pacing of the process. Some campaigns need to move more slowly to preserve organizational health and leadership sustainability. Others need to accelerate because of construction timelines, financial realities, or external deadlines. In some situations, organizations even find themselves restarting or recovering stalled campaigns that lost momentum under previous consulting structures or changing circumstances.

At Discerning Partners, one of our core commitments is flexibility, customization, and continuity throughout the entire process. We intentionally structure our work so that the same senior leadership stays with the organization from beginning to end. The person helping shape the early readiness conversations is the same person walking with leadership during donor meetings, public communication, stewardship strategy, and long-term follow-up. Churches and nonprofits are not handed off between departments or passed through layers of changing project managers. We believe continuity matters deeply because campaigns are not simply fundraising projects; they are relational and organizational journeys that require trust over time.

This also means we adapt to the real needs of the organization rather than forcing every client into a rigid corporate timeline or standardized campaign formula. Some campaigns need time to breathe, heal, align leadership, or build trust before moving forward aggressively. Other organizations need to move quickly because of financial deadlines, project urgency, or stalled momentum from previous efforts. We have worked with churches and nonprofits that needed a longer runway and others where we were brought in after a campaign had stalled under another consulting group and significant progress needed to happen quickly because the clock was already running. Both situations require flexibility, experience, and calm leadership rather than a one-size-fits-all process.

This is another place where the philosophy of Discerning Partners differs from many traditional consulting models. Our goal is not simply to move organizations through a standardized campaign process as efficiently as possible. Our goal is to help churches and nonprofits navigate one of the most significant organizational seasons they may ever experience in a way that preserves leadership health, protects relationships, builds long-term sustainability, and allows the campaign to unfold at the pace and in the structure that best serves the mission. Sometimes that means slowing down intentionally. Sometimes it means accelerating strategically. Sometimes it means adjusting the campaign architecture itself because the organization’s culture or circumstances require something different. In every case, the campaign is built around the organization — not the other way around.

Why the Stewardship Phase Matters

Tue, 02 Jun 2026 22:02:47 GMT

Protecting Against Pledge Attrition & Building Long-Term Growth

Most capital campaigns that include 24–36 month pledge fulfillment periods experience some level of pledge attrition. Industry research commonly places long-term pledge attrition somewhere in the range of 5–15%, depending on economic conditions, leadership stability, donor engagement, communication consistency, and organizational health. In some campaigns, attrition remains relatively low because the church or nonprofit maintains strong relational connection and stewardship after the active campaign concludes. In others, pledge fulfillment slowly declines because communication fades, momentum disappears, or donors no longer feel emotionally connected to the vision they originally supported.

One of the most common mistakes organizations make is treating the campaign as “finished” once Commitment Sunday or Celebration Sunday has passed. In reality, the stewardship phase — the 24–36 month period during which pledges are actually fulfilled — is an essential part of the campaign itself.

While the stewardship phase is intentionally much slower and less active than the readiness, quiet, and public phases, it is still a critical leadership and communication season. The campaign may no longer dominate the weekly rhythm of the organization, but it should not disappear entirely from the life of the church or nonprofit.

At Discerning Partners, we believe the stewardship phase should not simply be about protecting against loss; it should also be about creating continued growth. Rather than assuming giving naturally declines after the active phases, we intentionally help organizations continue educating donors, strengthening vision alignment, and inviting additional participation over time. Many campaigns actually experience growth during the stewardship phase because donors gain greater confidence in the project, leadership trust deepens, or individuals who initially did not participate later decide to engage after seeing visible momentum and progress.

This is also the phase where additional giving modalities become especially important. During the active campaign, most gifts are often structured around standard pledge commitments. During stewardship, however, organizations can thoughtfully educate donors about other strategic and tax-wise giving opportunities such as Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs), Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) from IRAs, appreciated stock gifts, legacy giving, charitable trusts, and other planned giving pathways. Many donors simply are not aware of these opportunities during the earlier phases of the campaign. Stewardship provides space for calmer, more educational conversations that can significantly increase long-term campaign fulfillment.

Another important advantage of the stewardship phase is that it often creates room for new people to enter the campaign. Some individuals are not emotionally, financially, or spiritually ready during the active phases. Others may be newer to the church, hesitant during the initial launch, or waiting to see whether the project gains traction. A healthy stewardship strategy creates opportunities for these people to become involved later without shame or pressure. In many cases, campaigns that maintain healthy stewardship rhythms actually finish stronger than they initially projected because they continue building participation and generosity over time.

At Discerning Partners, we do not view stewardship as merely maintaining momentum until the final pledge payment arrives. We view it as a slower but deeply strategic season focused on relational care, donor education, long-term generosity development, and protecting the health of the organization long after the excitement of the public phase has faded. A campaign should not peak emotionally on Commitment Sunday and then disappear. Healthy stewardship ensures the campaign continues strengthening the organization rather than quietly fading into organizational fatigue.

Why Context Matters in Campaign Consulting

Tue, 02 Jun 2026 21:59:10 GMT

A Philosophy Built Around Listening, Learning & Local Fluency

One of the most common frustrations churches and nonprofits experience with outside consulting groups is the feeling that the consultant arrives with a predetermined set of answers before fully understanding the organization itself. In many consulting environments, the process is built around applying a proven system as consistently as possible. That approach can create efficiency and predictability, but it can also unintentionally create distance between the consultant and the actual realities “on the ground.”

Organizations can begin to feel like the consultant is listening primarily to determine where the church fits within the consultant’s framework rather than genuinely learning the culture, dynamics, strengths, history, wounds, leadership patterns, and unique realities of the organization itself.

At Discerning Partners, we approach this very differently. We absolutely bring experience, strategy, tested structures, and a strong track record of results into every campaign we lead. We have seen campaigns succeed across different organizational sizes, leadership structures, financial realities, and ministry contexts. That experience matters. It allows us to identify common challenges, avoid avoidable mistakes, recognize unhealthy dynamics early, and guide organizations through complex seasons with wisdom and clarity. But we do not believe experience means we automatically walk into every organization already possessing all the answers.

Every church and nonprofit has its own internal culture, history, pace, communication style, leadership dynamics, donor relationships, governance realities, and emotional landscape. Two organizations may appear similar on paper while functioning completely differently in practice. A strategy that works extremely well in one setting may create unnecessary resistance or confusion in another. Because of that, we believe one of the most important responsibilities of a consultant is learning. Before we can effectively guide a campaign, we need to become as fluent in the local context as possible. That means listening carefully, observing patterns, understanding relationships, learning the language of the organization, recognizing pressure points, identifying leadership strengths and weaknesses, and discerning how the culture actually functions rather than simply how it appears externally.

This philosophy changes the nature of the consulting relationship. Instead of functioning as outsiders applying a prepackaged solution, we aim to become trusted partners who deeply understand the organization we are serving. That does not mean we simply affirm everything we see or avoid difficult conversations. In many cases, organizations hire consultants specifically because they need outside perspective, clarity, or course correction. But healthy guidance only happens when strategic expertise is shaped by a genuine understanding of the people and environment involved. In our experience, campaigns are healthiest when strategy and local context are working together rather than competing against one another.

This is also why customization matters so deeply to us. The principles behind healthy campaigns may remain consistent, but how those principles are implemented should often vary significantly from organization to organization. Some churches need stronger communication systems. Others need slower leadership alignment. Some nonprofits need more donor education. Others need healthier volunteer structures or better pacing. Some organizations require more direct strategic guidance while others benefit from a more collaborative and relational process. Effective consulting requires enough humility to recognize that organizations are not problems to solve with identical formulas.

At Discerning Partners, we do not see ourselves as arriving with “all the answers.” We see ourselves as bringing experience, proven results, strategic wisdom, and outside perspective into a process that must ultimately be shaped around the realities of the organization itself. We believe the best campaigns emerge when strong strategy is combined with deep contextual understanding. That approach takes more time, more listening, more flexibility, and more relational investment than simply applying the same system repeatedly. But we believe it produces healthier outcomes because the campaign becomes genuinely rooted in the mission, culture, and people of the organization rather than imposed from the outside.

Why Customized Campaign Models Matter

Tue, 02 Jun 2026 21:44:42 GMT

Why Organizations Should Not Be Forced Into a One-Size-Fits-All Process

Many campaign consulting groups are built around a highly standardized process. In many cases, that process has been carefully developed over years of experience, branded internally, and refined to move organizations through campaigns as efficiently and predictably as possible. There is nothing inherently wrong with having a structured methodology. In fact, campaigns need structure. The problem arises when the structure becomes so fixed that organizations are expected to adapt themselves to the consulting firm’s preferred model rather than the campaign strategy being adapted to the real needs of the organization itself.

In practice, this often means churches and nonprofits are moved through essentially the same campaign framework regardless of their culture, leadership dynamics, denominational background, donor realities, communication style, governance structure, or organizational challenges. The language may shift slightly from client to client, but underneath the surface the process is often largely identical. Many firms do this because standardized systems are easier to scale, easier to train staff around, easier to delegate internally, and easier to execute repeatedly across dozens or even hundreds of clients. In some cases, consulting firms are also financially tied to a particular branded campaign model or proprietary system that becomes central to how they market and structure their services.

Again, none of this is unethical. Standardization creates efficiency. It allows larger firms to move organizations through campaigns more quickly and predictably. But efficiency and customization are often in tension with one another. The more rigid the system becomes, the more likely it is that churches and nonprofits begin adjusting themselves to fit “the way the company does campaigns” rather than the campaign strategy being shaped around the unique realities of the organization itself. Over time, organizations can begin to sense this. Meetings feel pre-scripted. Communication rhythms feel imported rather than organic. Timelines feel imposed rather than discerned. Leadership structures are expected to fit a template instead of being designed around the actual strengths and weaknesses of the organization.

At Discerning Partners, we intentionally approach campaigns differently. We work with several campaign models, structures, and strategic approaches because we believe no single process is right for every church or nonprofit. Some organizations need a highly structured leadership-driven model. Others need a more relational and decentralized approach. Some campaigns work best as comprehensive “one-fund” models, while others are healthier using more traditional campaign structures. Some organizations need a longer readiness and discernment process before active fundraising begins. Others need to move quickly because of project urgency or external timelines. We believe the campaign structure should emerge from the organization itself rather than forcing the organization into a predetermined mold.

This approach requires significantly more work on our end. Customization always does. It takes more listening, more discernment, more strategic adjustment, more relational involvement, and more long-term flexibility than simply applying the same process repeatedly. But we believe the results are healthier because the organization retains ownership of the campaign rather than feeling like it has been inserted into someone else’s system. Churches and nonprofits are not all built the same way, so campaigns should not all feel the same either.

This is one of the core philosophical differences behind Discerning Partners. We are not trying to morph your organization into “the way we do campaigns.” We are trying to build a campaign process around what your church or nonprofit actually needs. That means we are willing to adjust pacing, leadership structures, communication rhythms, donor strategies, campaign architecture, stewardship approaches, and organizational processes based on the realities in front of us. We believe consulting should serve the mission and culture of the organization — not require the organization to conform itself to the consulting company’s preferred operating system. In other words, our company is built around what you need, not around forcing what you need into the limitations of how we prefer to work.

Leadership Burnout & Campaign Sustainability

Tue, 02 Jun 2026 21:30:06 GMT

Why Organizational Health Matters During Campaigns

Capital campaigns can be transformative seasons in the life of a church or nonprofit organization, but they can also place extraordinary strain on the people leading them. Research on leadership burnout consistently shows that prolonged periods of organizational pressure, vision-casting fatigue, relational conflict, fundraising intensity, and sustained emotional labor significantly increase the likelihood of exhaustion and leadership transition. In church settings specifically, the risks can become even greater because spiritual leadership and organizational leadership are deeply intertwined. A campaign is rarely “just a project.” It affects relationships, expectations, staffing dynamics, decision-making structures, volunteer energy, and often the emotional climate of the organization itself.

One of the hidden dangers of many campaigns is that success can mask damage. A church may complete a successful fundraising effort numerically while simultaneously exhausting key leaders in the process. Pastors, executive directors, board chairs, campaign chairs, and senior staff often carry the emotional and relational weight of the campaign for months or years. During that time, they are expected to maintain normal ministry responsibilities while also absorbing increased meetings, donor conversations, conflict navigation, communication pressure, public expectations, and strategic decision-making. Studies related to pastoral burnout and nonprofit leadership fatigue consistently show elevated rates of emotional exhaustion, stress-related health concerns, and vocational discouragement among leaders carrying sustained organizational pressure without adequate support structures.

This reality becomes even more pronounced in campaigns where leaders feel isolated. In many consulting models, the primary goal becomes campaign completion itself: hit the number, complete the project, move to the next client. Again, there is nothing unethical about that approach, and many firms genuinely care about their clients. But the structure of the process can unintentionally communicate that organizational output matters more than organizational health. The result is that some campaigns leave behind strained staff relationships, exhausted volunteers, discouraged senior leaders, or campaign chairs who quietly say, “I would never do this again.” In some cases, churches or nonprofits experience major leadership turnover within a relatively short period after the campaign concludes. Leadership transitions after high-pressure organizational initiatives are well documented across both nonprofit and corporate sectors because sustained stress often produces delayed emotional consequences once the “adrenaline season” finally ends.

At Discerning Partners, we believe that is unacceptable. We work with both churches and nonprofits, and one of our core convictions is that there are no acceptable losses in this work. A campaign is not truly successful if the organization reaches its financial goal but loses people in the process. It is not enough to complete a building project while damaging staff health, leadership trust, board unity, volunteer sustainability, or pastoral longevity. We believe the process matters just as much as the outcome. That conviction shapes how we structure timelines, communication rhythms, volunteer expectations, donor strategies, meeting loads, and leadership care throughout the campaign journey.

This is one of the reasons we intentionally maintain long-term relational involvement rather than operating primarily through layers of rotating team structures. Because we remain closely connected to leadership throughout the campaign, we are often able to recognize early warning signs that other consulting models may miss: exhaustion, relational strain, unrealistic expectations, communication overload, unhealthy pressure cycles, volunteer fatigue, or staff discouragement. We do not simply monitor campaign metrics; we pay attention to organizational health. In our view, one of the responsibilities of a campaign consultant is protecting leaders from becoming casualties of the process itself.

This does not mean campaigns are easy or stress-free. Any major vision initiative requires sacrifice, discipline, difficult conversations, and sustained effort. But there is a difference between healthy challenge and avoidable burnout. At Discerning Partners, we believe campaigns should strengthen the long-term health of an organization, not quietly weaken it underneath the surface. The goal is not merely to raise money. The goal is to help churches and nonprofits move into the future with stronger leadership, deeper unity, healthier systems, and leaders who still have the emotional, relational, and spiritual capacity to continue leading well after the campaign is complete.

Toxic or Allergic Leadership

Tue, 22 Nov 2022 00:23:00 GMT

If we are trying to distinguish between a leadership situation that is toxic and one that is demonstrating an allergic response in one or more people, we need to better understand what is present in toxic situations that is not in allergic ones. [1]

To review:

Allergic response language is much more nuanced in its usage (knowing something will create a mild allergic response helps us understand how to respond to it; something that is mildly toxic is still toxic).
Allergic response language leaves room for reflection on the interaction between two leaders
Allergic response language allows for proactive or responsive steps we take to minimize its impact
Allergic response can help to describe why two people in the same situation do not respond in the same way
Allergic response language can extend and broaden the reflection process without preventing the process to eventually land on the toxic label

First it is important to note that this reflection is not formulaic, it needs to be engaged with Spirit guided discernment. [2]

In my consulting work I am frequently asked how you can tell if someone is toxic or not. The best answer I have come up with is that toxic leaders will always demonstrate consistent entitlement. Entitlement is best understood as the belief that I deserve something based on who I am or what I do. It can lead the entitled leader to feel they deserve unquestioned obedience; the privilege to use physical force to intimidate; or to be physically/sexually inappropriate with someone. This entitlement will express itself in different ways, but it will be clear and consistent. *Again, it is important to remember that while the bulk of this behavior travels from supervisor to subordinate, we are seeing more examples of this going from subordinate to supervisor.

You can have entitlement without toxicity – we all struggle with being servant-hearted enough to never feel entitled to anything – however, it is not possible to have toxicity without consistent demonstrable entitlement. Notice here that I am saying consistent entitlement, but not comprehensive. This distinction is important. It is not necessary for a toxic leader to be toxic with everyone, or that this leader would always respond in an entitled manner with a particular person. It is only in the most significant toxic situations that this is the case. However, the difficult behavior will be consistent. This consistency will be one way we can work to discern is the situation toxic or are you having an allergic response to a particular leader or leadership practice.

In my next post I will give a brief test that will help you see if you are in a toxic situation vs one that is eliciting an allergic response.

[1] It is also important to clarify that toxicity is not always an upper-tier leader/leadership problem. It is very possible for someone at a lower rung of the org chart to be toxic as well.

[2] It is important to keep in mind that if you are feeling physically unsafe or someone is being sexually inappropriate, further reflection is not necessary. A supervisor needs to be told (police if the behavior is sexual).

Toxicity conversations are becoming toxic, there is a better way

Sun, 06 Nov 2022 00:23:00 GMT

In my consulting role, a question (or more likely a diagnosis) that comes up is, “What do I do in the toxic environment I am in?” The language of toxicity has spread to most areas of our lives, life within the church included.

And this language is helpful. It pushes back against the idea or model that has been so prevalent until recently that the pastor(s) or leader(s) are almost always right-so if there is a problem, it must be with me. While pastors and leaders certainly are right in some cases, the almost unquestioned authority that was often wielded, that goes along with that perspective, can be extremely harmful; and actually, get in the way of what the Spirit is trying to do in our churches.

So, I am all in for the conversations around toxicity.

But I do not think toxicity is actually the best word to use as widely as it is. It has become a word that means so many different things, my fear is that its usefulness as a diagnostic term in church life is waning, which means it now is primarily used as a label.

The word toxic comes to us through Greek and Latin routes which referred to poison, the Greek more commonly meaning poison used on arrows. Which seems like a great descriptor of someone who is genuinely toxic, they can poison from a distance.

In today’s usage it more technically means something that contains or is made up of poison that can cause serious debilitation or death. Again, as a descriptor for what a toxic person can do within a church, not too far off.

My issue with the word is that it is a better label than an analysis tool. And what we need in the church is help in analysis of toxicity. For that reason, I would offer a term more easily used to diagnose the situation or people that might be toxic around us.

The language of allergic response is overall much more helpful. Allow me to explain.

Even though there are different levels of toxicity that are used medically, in our common vernacular there are not. Something is toxic or non-toxic. Poisonous or safe. No parent would feed their child something that was “mildly toxic.” In the same way, a person is toxic, or they are not.

Allergies, on the other hand, are different. Even though very few of us know the technical distinctions between levels of allergic response, we are aware they are there. We don’t fully understand why some people can eat peanuts all day and be fine, but others can go into shock from the dust; but we are aware that happens. Most of us probably do not understand fully why certain treatments work (Flonase, inhalers, EPI pens), but we are aware that they can.

We carry around a much more nuanced level of understanding of allergic response. We know that a bee sting will cause almost everyone to have some swelling, some pain, while others need immediate medical attention, or they could die. Here, a single action (the bee sting) will hurt almost everyone, but some will have a much more significant response. To push this idea further, the average person, if stung ten times instead of once, will have a different reaction as well. So, what we look for is not just the incident, but the number of similar incidents, and what an individual carries with them that would cause a very mild to a very significant response.

This is much more helpful language. Everyone in the church world is going to get “stung,” regardless of where you sit on the org chart. In the language of toxicity, the conversation can easily shift to, “It didn’t bother this person at all, why does it bother you?” It’s all or nothing. The language of allergic responses looks more readily at the number of stings, and whether the individual has experiences that cause a more significant reaction. It is a much more nuanced conversation at that point.

So, if we are interested in trying to discern the questions of “Why is this situation eliciting this response in me or those around me?” this is a more helpful direction. Over the next few weeks I will work to flesh these distinctions out and give a tool that will hopefully help those that are in situations that are triggering an allergic response, or those who have been accused of generating that response.