I wonder about reflex tests

By Rev Duncan Macleod

I feel as though I’ve spent a lifetime wondering about ways in which we empower and nurture the emergence of new generations of leaders in the church. It comes from my own experience of being supported and encouraged in faith-filled leadership as a child, teenager and young adult. A word that’s helped me understand this dynamic is “reflexivity”.

Reflex testing often involves using a small rubber hammer on body tendons to see if your nervous system and spinal cord are working. How does our body respond to external stimulus? Reflexivity, on the other hand, is about ways in which we ourselves are shaping our environment. Are we aware of the ways in which we influence younger generations? How do we check on the ways our own biases, values, social position and theology shape healthy and life-giving interactions with children and young people?

I’ve found it’s useful to reflect on my own life, the ways in which my values and biases have been influenced by others, and also the ways in which I have stepped out to explore my own sense of identity and priorities. Our families of origin, our education experiences, our social and relationship settings, all have been important in our growth and maturity as young adults. We’ve been shaped, but hopefully we’ve also learned to have some agency in becoming who we are, as individuals and as communities.

One of the critical tasks of ministry with younger generations is encouraging children and young people to discover their own sense of reflexivity. Can they learn about the dynamics of their own family culture, church culture, social culture – why things happen the way they do? Can they reflect on their capacity to shape their environments? Yes, they can and will find ways to exercise leadership, not just in replicating what they see, but in working with others to foster a community that is inclusive, nourishes life-giving faith and supports even younger generations. And hopefully we’ll be part of the learning and growing as we lead and listen.