The story is the same every time without fail after an election, a new government comes to power (Federal, State, Council), and surprise, surprise, the budget was blown out of all proportion.
The posts are as predictable as ever. The newly elected Prime Minister / Premier checked out the books and alas, the accounts were in disarray. Every member of the good burghers of the State or Federal Government could have written the speech.
It was that generic situation, of change-overs and not everything as it might seem, that reflecting upon this - it could equally occur when a new Managing Director comes to a company and finds that all was not as it seemed on the management team; or it could be in the volunteer sector when a newly appointed musical director finds that several members of the chorus have a significant dislike for each other.
There is a long-standing joke about the three envelopes that I smile about.
The retiring manager shakes the incoming manager's hand, congratulates him/her, and whispers that he has left three numbered envelopes in the secret compartment of the top drawer of the desk. He advises the new person to open the envelopes, in order, whenever there is a crisis.
The new manager experiences a honeymoon period, then something nasty hits the headlines of the local paper, implicating his organisation. He/she opens the first envelope. "Blame your predecessor" it advises. The new bloke (or gal) calls a press conference, squarely puts the blame on those who are no longer there, and the crisis blows away.
Some time down the track, the business (or volunteer organisation) is seriously going down the gurgler. The not-so-new manager opens the second envelope. "Have a restructure" it advises. The manager does so, and some of the old wood is removed, new young turks brought in, and the organisation swims along with its head above water for a little longer.
But just like the recent events in the NSW Government, this doesn't last forever. Eventually at his (or her) wits' end, the now very tired manager opens the final envelope.
Its advice is sage indeed. On the paper is written "Prepare three envelopes."
But a situation more familiar situation is within Christian communities, when Ministers change over to another congregation. On reflection, he has come up with some of the more common surprises a minister finds or perhaps he/she is not so surprised after all!
The government minister might discover:
- the new congregational members need just as much railing against sin as his previous congregation.
- there is as much jealousy in the leadership as there was in his previous congregation.
- the mission funding is down and finds all the same issues apply here as to his previous post, relating to lifting the mission budget.
- the real authority in the congregation doesn't lie with the leadership team, but someone who has been in the congregation 'forever' and pulls the strings.
- the real authority in the congregation doesn't lie with the leadership team, but someone who has been in the congregation 'forever' and pulls the strings.
But there is another side of this story too, that of the congregation, who may find that the new minister:
- has feet of clay, just like their last minister.
- is as much as a control freak as their previous minister.
- is as heavenly-minded as their previous one and has no real grasp of the financial situation of their church.
- cannot budge the powers that be (the congregation member who has been there 'forever'), although secretly they wish he would break the bonds.
I smile at all this. There is enough universal truth in these comments that they apply to the principle espoused at the beginning of this article - "Woe is me, the budget was blown".
Dr Mark Tronson is a Baptist minister (retired) who served as the Australian cricket team chaplain for 17 years (2000 ret) and established Life After Cricket in 2001. He was recognised by the Olympic Ministry Medal in 2009 presented by Carl Lewis Olympian of the Century. He mentors young writers and has written 24 books, and enjoys writing. He is married to Delma, with four adult children and grand-children. Dr Tronson writes a daily article for Christian Today Australia (since 2008) and in November 2016 established Christian Today New Zealand.
Mark Tronson's archive of articles can be viewed at http://www.pressserviceinternational.org/mark-tronson.html