Dealing with Fictions

From time to time, in any Church, fictitious stories will arise -- sometimes deliberately circulated. One minister said that the worst he had experienced was a rumour that his leg had been amputated. If only we all had it so easy. A less serious example in my own ministr(ies) was a dismal rumour that only one person had responded to a request for special donations. I knew, however, that many people had donated -- in fact more than I had anticipated. OBSERVATION: What to do with fictitious stories? Where negative fictions would seem to have a wider circulation, I often tackle them directly, in an appropriate meeting, or in our Church newsletter -- where possible in a good-spirited and conversational way. I find that this is highly effective in restoring a sense of peace in the Church, and in preventing the same from happening again very soon.