The Cobra Effect and Unintended Consequences for the Church

The term 'cobra effect' stems from an anecdote set at the time of British rule of colonial India. The British government was concerned about the number of venomous cobra snakes in Delhi. The government therefore offered a bounty for every dead cobra. Initially this was a successful strategy as large numbers of snakes were killed for the reward. Eventually, however, enterprising persons began to breed cobras for the income. When the government became aware of this, the reward program was scrapped, causing the cobra breeders to set the now-worthless snakes free. As a result, the wild cobra population further increased. The apparent solution for the problem made the situation even worse.

In the social sciences, unintended consequences are outcomes that are not the ones foreseen and intended by a particular action. Some of the unintended consequences should have and could have been anticipated but were missed due to lack of foresight, incompetence, wilful neglect or undue haste

Perhaps the likely consequences that result from a particular action have changed; we cannot presume that because consequences could sometimes be easily predicted in the past, that it will always be the same. Results that have been obvious and predictable for many years start to lead to totally different outcomes, this can be very difficult to deal with

This issue could help us to ask important questions about the church:

Could the consequences of building chapels all over Wales be that the church's approach to mission  has become static and fixed rather than mobile and outward looking?

Could the focus on church meetings as the way to preach the gospel lead to a church that expects people to come to them rather than to 'Go and make disciples of all nations'?

Could the desire to have equiped ministers actually end up with disempowered congregations?

Could the consequences of only allowing trained ministers to baptise and to take communion lead to the congregation never trying to obey the great commission?

The big question that follows is 'what can I do about it?'