A Shocking Story!

I was shocked to hear about the actions of the emergency services who responded to the evacuation of a public school during a recent fire emergency and appalled by the follow-up actions of the Education Department!  

The fire was started by arsonists in the library and it quickly spread throughout the entire administration block and surrounding classrooms putting half the school community at risk of serious injury. 

As soon as the fire alarm was activated the school evacuation plan was immediately initiated with the students in relatively unaffected buildings being evacuated orderly through designated exits to the emergency assembly area.  Most of the staff in the administration block were able to exit through the main entrance.  However, a dozen teachers who were overcome by smoke inhalation had to smash a window in the staff room to escape from the thick blanket of smoke. Unfortunately, this window led into a closed in courtyard and the teachers were forced to climb over the timber privacy screens to get out.  

The class studying in the library were completely trapped with no way to safely exit by following the school's well rehearsed evacuation plan. Both emergency exits were blocked by flames and debris from the fire and panic caused the students to become disorientated with fear.  The librarian ushered some of the students to the back of the library and used a chair to break through a dividing partition into the classroom next door to find another way out.  The students on the mezzanine level with their class teacher climbed up the wall mounted book shelf and helped each other through a small overhead window onto the roof of the library.  Once on the roof they ran across the metal cladding towards the fire brigade frantically waving and yelling to get their attention.

As expected, the students who followed the school evacuation procedures were immediately attended to by the designated fire wardens to ensure they were accounted for and were assessed by first aiders for any injuries.  But to my surprise the staff who broke through the window and climbed over the timber screens were reprimanded by the police for not following correct procedures before being treated by the paramedics for smoke inhalation.  What I found most outrageous was how those trapped in the library were treated by the emergency services after their ordeal of escaping from the worst effected area of the school.  The librarian and students who broke through the partition wall were refused medical treatment by the ambos!  And those who climbed onto the roof were told by the fire brigade to go back the way the came and exit the building the right way!!

If this wasn't bad enough, an internal investigation of the incident by the Education Department found the teachers who had helped the students escape the 'wrong way' were in breach of department policy. The teachers lost their jobs and the students involved in damaging property were expelled from the school! Just when you thought this story couldn't get any more bizarre, the Minister for Education pursued legal action against the school principal to deter other schools from breaching emergency procedures in the future.

Sounds outrageous?  Absolutely, because it's not a true story!  If this fictional story was true, it would justifiably evoke the condemnation of every reasonably minded person associated with this made up school scenario. 

However, it does serve as a confronting allegory of the outrageous policies of the Australian government for handling traumatised people pursuing any means of escape possible from the dangers they face; irrespective of whether or not it complies with what is considered to be acceptable. In the face of imminent danger, real or perceived, there is no such thing as a 'right' or 'wrong' way to seek asylum. When you are in danger your survival instincts don't stop and ask if your safety is logical or even legal. When your family is at risk you don't stop and ask permission to make them safe.  If we are brutally honest and put our fears and prejudices aside, there is very little that any one of us wouldn't do if we genuinely felt our safety was threatened.  

Any parent who has ever said, "I would do anything to protect my family," needs to rethink condemning a mother or father who has acted on that statement.  Any government that has ever sent troops to war needs to reconsider policies that inhibit victims of war from escaping a conflict zone. Any society that values peace and freedom needs to reassess who is entitled to that same value.  

Finally, if you felt any level of outrage at the treatment of the students and teachers in this imaginary story then next time you hear a real story of people seeking asylum use your indignation to advocate for their universal right to life, liberty and security of person.

The Risk Management And Mission Conflict

"Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and illness...These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: ‘Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans.  Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. As you go, proclaim this message: “The kingdom of heaven has come near.” Heal those who are ill, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.  ‘Do not get any gold or silver or copper to take with you in your belts – no bag for the journey or extra shirt or sandals or a staff, for the worker is worth his keep. Whatever town or village you enter, search there for some worthy person and stay at their house until you leave.  As you enter the home, give it your greeting.  If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you.  If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet.  Truly I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.

‘I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.  Be on your guard; you will be handed over to the local councils and be flogged in the synagogues.  On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles.  But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

‘Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death.  You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.  When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another. Truly I tell you, you will not finish going through the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes."  (Matthew 10:1-23)

Now, let's project this calling of 12 ministry recruits into a 2014 western world context and imagine completing a risk assessment of their first mission assignment.  Chances are this scenario would be assessed as a high risk activity with a high probability of failure, exposing inexperienced and unqualified people to an unsafe work environment.  Any responsible manager today would either cancel the mission or recommend a list of control measures to mitigate the known risks.  Either way, the process of risk management would have the potential to seriously compromise the effectiveness of the mission!

This is the climate that the church finds itself ministering in today where governance, compliance and risk management have an enormous influence and impact on the way mission is done.  No one will argue with the principle of creating and maintaining a safe ministry environment, however, the very nature of our mission and ministry to a lost and broken world is that it will take us way outside our comfort zone into unknown and, at times, unsafe situations.  My fear for the church, which is being swamped by legislative requirements and the constant threat of litigation, is that it is becoming distracted from its primary purpose and is risk managing itself out of mission!  

In a culture of risk management there is a fine line between being responsible and restrictive, proactive and protective, faith fueled and fear driven.  This line is easily crossed the moment our primary motivation for risk management becomes more about protecting the service than those we serve, money than mission, reputation than reformation.  In this increasingly complex world of risk management, sometimes the strategies we employ to manage risk exposes a huge gulf between our aspirational values and actual values by the way we implement control measures into our mission activities.

Here are some examples of how I have seen this manifested through my observations from within my context and through conversations with people from a similar context to mine:

1. The threat of aggressive clients prompts the installation of dividing screens between staff and the people seeking assistance in welfare centres. While providing protection, it diminishes the value of human dignity.
2. The insecurity of home visits to asylum seekers and refugees leads to a policy that prohibits staff from taking off their shoes when entering people's homes.  While addressing health and safety concerns, it violates the value of cultural sensitivity.
3. The fear of losing public donations or government funding restricts the ability to take a public stand on issues of social justice or morality.  While maintaining a public image, it compromises biblical values of truth and justice.
4. The concern about establishing a mission initiative in a 'dangerous' neighbourhood inhibits outreach to the most disadvantaged people in the community.  While trying to minimise perceived risks, it discourages the value of incarnational ministry.
5. The belief that mission is driven by money requires mission and ministry proposals to be fully funded before being granted approval.  While good financial management, it weakens the value of faith.

These examples are representative of an emerging reality that could be seen in any church or organisation that is struggling with the same tension between risk management and mission.  

Another dimension to navigating risk in the context of mission is the "cost of discipleship", which includes the act of self-denial and the reality of persecution, and "faith", which is "being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see".  This is foreign to the language and principles of risk management.  Translated into my context of The Salvation Army, whose mission is centred on "others" that includes "the last, the lost and the least" you can see the unavoidable conflict that risk management encounters with disciples of Jesus Christ who are engaged in faith inspired mission.

So, do we throw all caution to the wind and use mission and faith as a justification to disregard risk management obligations?  Absolutely not!  

The church has a biblical and legal mandate to practice good stewardship, which includes the way we manage people, property and finances.  What I do propose, however, is that any risk management process includes an assessment of the risk to mission, through a lens of faith, to ensure the strategies that are considered to reduce risk do not violate core values, compromise effective mission or cause us to step out of obedience where the Spirit is leading.  

We are at more risk of losing the very thing we are trying to protect if we allow a culture of risk management to diminish the cutting edge, faith fueled, Spirit led mission that characterised the early church and inspires generations of church leaders to fearlessly "go and make disciples of all nations." 


Published in April/May 2014 edition of JAC:  Journal of Aggressive Christianity