Leading Change

1 5 8 11 IN THIS ISSUE:

No Saints, No Heros, No Martyrs Vision for Impact, Not Just Change

Are You Leading A Zombie Parish?

Red Flags: Staff Dependent Churches

No Saints, No Heros, No Martyrs

BY CHAS BELKNAP, MICHAEL BUTLER, JANE MORLEY, AND JUDITH REES THOMAS It was Lent 2013; Robert’s Rules But change can happen: At our of Order had worked its peniten- last council meeting, in Easter tial magic. A three-hour meeting 2014, we met for six hours and had been reduced to three arguleft feeling energized. The council ing voices (mine included). The (we want the council - not the quiet ones stared at the floor clergy – to speak for the congrewishing they were home doing gation) had crafted a letter to the their taxes or cleaning their gutbishop that read in part: “You will ters. At the end of the meeting have picked up our enthusiasm. I feared that I was seeing some We have experienced a sense of of their faces for the last time. the Holy Spirit working through The quiet were ready to quit the us and with us, and the experience parish council (“vestry” in the has left us personally exhilarated.” States), leave the church, retreat Ours is a congregation that is in anger. I ran to the parking lot more Canadian than charisto intercept the exodus. I prommatic in temperament; in what ised, in my most authoritative ways has the Holy Spirit worked clerical voice, “It is not going through us? to happen again!” They could read my begging subtext: “Don’t In 2010 the Parish of the Penders leave!” I am sure that they also and Saturna Islands had three knew that I was not fully conficongregations on three small dent that I could fulfill my promislands. The largest island, North ise. They had seen many meetPender, has a year-round populaings like this one. They had seen tion of about 2,500; the smallest, five incumbents (rectors) in five Saturna about 350. Our parish, years; change was elusive. now about 45 families, has been in obvious decline for over ten JULY/AUGUST 2014 :: LEADING CHANGE :: www.ecfvp.org

years. Decline created anxieties that played out, mostly in the North Pender congregation, in conflicts over liturgy, financial control, and clergy. At one point the wardens and council asked the bishop to remove the incumbent. Her successor was let go after six months because of budgetary problems. Four years ago I was asked to serve as supply for the summer. By then the parish leaders, many of who were in their late 70s and 80s, were tired. The congregation on South Pender, exhausted, volunteered to attend the services on North Pender and close their beloved chapel. Reluctantly our parish leadership agreed if the parish was to survive there had to be change. Acceptance of the need to change did not make the older leaders any less anxious. For three years we had been feeling our way through a transition. We had held retreats and cottage meetings. We had already read about affirmative inquiry, communities of practice and parish renewal. The catastrophic meeting of Lent 2013 became a catalyst for the change. We needed to put into play the things that we had already discovered: 1) Collective Leadership can work well: We seek to fashion every area of activity, including the parish council, as teams

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that are loosely modeled as “Communities of Practice.” (Well summarized in Harvard Business School’s Working Knowledge Archive, “Cultivating Communities of Practice.”. We use teams, not wardens or executive style clergy. We have adopted a few phrases that capture our approach to parish management: a) No heroes, no saints, no martyrs; b) If it is not fun, quit; and c) If you can’t find someone to work with you, quit. We call our teams “tag teams” because leadership can jump in / jump out depending on the situation or personal schedules. 2) Appreciative Inquiry / with organizational journaling: We have not focused on parish history or tried to fix the many shortcomings of the parish. Rather, we have tried to identify those things that are working well. We keep a running internal commentary. First it was through e-mail, now we have a blog. We write commentary on our services, and on our events. We have found at council that we need two types of minutes: one, the typical minutes necessary to record official actions; the second, a narrative of the essence of the generative aspects of our conversation. Journaling allows us to identify what is working and is a mechanism for incorporating insight into our practices.

3) Governance as Leadership Model - Reframing the Work of Nonprofit Boards: Using materials from Centre Point in Calgary, an organization that advances nonprofit board management, we have paid attention to our need for “generative conversation” or what they call “board thinking leading to organizational robustness – sense making.” Before any parish council meeting several council members get together to ask, “What is the question here?” or “What is truly important?” and design an agenda that makes sure that there is quality time to address the generative issues. We have yet to have a name for what could be called a steering committee or generative team, in the course of council deliberations the identification of the team membership emerges naturally. 4) Talking Stick: We had used the talking stick in retreats as a tool to listen to each other’s stories now the talking stick replaced Robert’s Rules whenever the conversation gets hot or we need to dig deeper. If I were washed up on a desert island and could pick only one of the four factors listed above I would pick the talking stick. I was skeptical about the stick - I just went along with the practice at first; now I am a believer - I

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am ready to proclaim the talking stick process a holy sacrament. A stick circle turns debate into dialogue and dialogue into discernment. The talking stick engages wisdom, knowledge, and experience already resident in our congregation. First there is the quiet as everyone sits, then, as necessary the process is described and a question asked. If you hold the stick you are licensed to speak without interruption. When you are finished you either pass the stick to the person next to you or put the stick on a center table so another can use it when moved by the Spirit. The following speakers speak to the question rather than argue with the previous speakers. The quieter folk will find their voice. In general participants are attentive and calm. If one person excitedly interrupts, another will emerge as a keeper of the circle to encourage us to have patience with the process.

The talking stick process is egalitarian, safe, and fair. As Judy, a council member says, “the talking stick not only enables each to speak their ideas but, with the silence of everyone else, it adds the feeling of worthiness and respect to the speaker, in that each of the others are listening constructively.” As we are a small congregation we have even begun to use the talking stick liturgically PAGE 3

combining the talking stick with Lectio Divina.

Thomas has an MDiv, a background with the United Church, and is a spiritual director. Michael Butler, a member of both our Anglican church and a United Church parish in Vancouver, is a lawyer and was involved at many levels with the Canadian Federal Government. You can find more information about The Parish of Pender and Saturna Islands by checking out PenderandSaturna. org. We are drafting a Parish Operation Manual and invite the reader to make suggestions and contributions.

A collective leadership model discourages heroism. A community, by using the talking stick and by focusing on generative issues, becomes engaged in discernment. Such engagement is energizing and spirit filled.

Try This

Traditionally Anglican/Episcopal churches have relied on heroic leadership. Heroic priests, heroic wardens, heroic volunteers. We have tried to manage by exhortation and moral suasion. As parishes get smaller the heroes, lay and ordained, become exhausted and defensive. Our congregations become discouraged; our communities sour. Parishes with parttime or no clerical leadership create frightful burdens on wardens.

About the authors: This article, although written in the first person is a collaborative effort. The document has been vetted by the parish council, listed here are members of what we call the Generative Team: Chas Belknap is a priest from Los Angeles, retired to Salt Spring Island in British Columbia and serves part time at the Parish of Pender and Saturna Islands. He fancies himself a community organizer. Jane Morley is a lawyer/mediator with a background with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Canada. Judith Rees

Are their voices in your congregation that may be silenced because they never get the opportunity to speak? If you find that certain voices dominate every discussion, adopting the practice of using the talking stick (or rock or other object easily seen and held) will make space for others to add their voices to the conversation or discussion. Resources

Appreciative Inquiry, Clergy Leadership Institute http:// www.clergyleadership.com/ appreciative-inquiry/appreciative-inquiry.cfm

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“Board Governance as Leadership Summary,” Based on work by Chait, Ryan, & Taylor, from Centre Point, Calgary Centre for Nonprofit Management http://www. google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q= &esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&v ed=0CB8QFjAA&url=http%3A %2F%2Fwww.sparc.bc. ca%2Fresources-andpublications%2Fdoc%2F386board-governance-as-leadership-summary.pdf&ei=j9mpU_ vNH4KbyATPyYB4&usg=AFQjC NHhNJygqBP8ZYYtlVGIfhNdxz6 RpA&sig2=rctHfTISIJMSUpUaJV NS6w&bvm=bv.69620078,d. aWw

Lectio Divina http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lectio_Divina The Parish of Pender and Saturna Islands http://stpeterstchristopher.wordpress.com/ page/2/

St. Christopher’s Church, Saturna Island http://www.saturnacan.net/PageFiles/ Churches.html

“Cultivating Communities of Practice: A Guide to Managing Knowledge – Seven Principles for Cultivating Communities of Practice,” Harvard Business School’s Working Knowledge Archive http://hbswk.hbs.edu/ archive/2855.html

Leadership in the Age of Complexity: From Hero to Host by Margaret Wheatley with Debbie Frieze, Resurgence Magazine, Winter 2011 http:// www.margaretwheatley.com/ articles/Leadership-in-Age-ofComplexity.pdf

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Ni Santos, Ni Héroes, Ni Mártires POR BY CHAS BELKNAP, MICHAEL BUTLER, JANE MORLEY, AND JUDITH REES THOMAS Era la Cuaresma de 2013; las Reglas de Orden de Robert habían realizado su magia penitencial. Una reunión de tres horas de duración había sido reducida a tres voces que discutían entre sí (la mía era una de ellas). Los más silenciosos miraban al piso deseando estar en su casa llenando su planilla de impuestos o limpiando las canaletas. Al final de la reunión temí que estaba viendo algunas de las caras de los participantes por última vez. Los más callados estaban listos para renunciar a sus puestos en la junta parroquial, irse de la iglesia y emprender la retirada indignados. Corrí hacia el parqueo para interceptar el éxodo. Prometí, en mi voz sacerdotal más autoritaria, que no volvería a ocurrir. Podían percibir lo que estaba rogando entre líneas: “¡No se vayan!” No me cabe duda de que también sospechaban que no estaba seguro de que podría cumplir mi promesa. Habían visto muchas reuniones similares. Habían visto cinco rectores en cinco años y estaban persuadidos de que el cambio era poco probable. Pero el cambio puede ocurrir. En PAGE 5

nuestra última reunión del consejo, en la Pascua de 2014, nos reunimos por seis horas y salimos llenos de energía. El consejo (queremos que el consejo, no el sacerdocio, hable en nombre de la feligresía) había escrito una carta para enviársela al obispo que decía en parte: “Seguramente Ud. notó nuestro entusiasmo. Hemos sentido el Espíritu Santo trabajando mediante y con nosotros y la experiencia nos ha dejado personalmente llenos de júbilo.” La nuestra es una feligresía con un temperamento más canadiense que carismático; ¿de qué maneras trabajó el Espíritu Santo mediante nosotros? En 2010, la parroquia de las islas Penders y Saturna tenía tres feligresías en tres islas pequeñas. La isla más grande, North Pender, tiene aproximadamente 2.500 habitantes permanentes. La más pequeña, Saturna, tiene unos 350 habitantes. Nuestra parroquia, que ahora cuenta con unas 45 familias, ha estado decayendo significativamente por más de 10 años. El declive creó desasosiegos que se manifestaron principalmente en la feligresía de North Pender, espe-

cialmente en conflictos por la liturgia, el control financiero y el sacerdocio. En un determinado momento los coadjutores y el consejo le pidieron al obispo que quitara a la titular. Su sucesor se tuvo que ir a los seis meses a causa de problemas presupuestarios. Hace cuatro años me pidieron que sirviera como suplente durante el verano. En ese entonces los líderes de la parroquia eran septuagenarios y octogenarios y estaban agotados. La feligresía de South Pender, exhausta, ofreció asistir a servicios religiosos en North Pender y cerrar su bienamada capilla. El liderazgo de nuestra parroquia aceptó a regañadientes , por considerarlo necesario para nuestra supervivencia. La aceptación de la necesidad de cambio no calmó el desasosiego de los líderes de mayor edad.

Por tres años hemos estado tanteando nuestro camino hacia una transición. Hemos tenido retiros y reuniones en hogares. Ya habíamos leído sobre la indagación afirmativa y la renovación de las parroquias. La catastrófica reunión de Pascua 2013 fue una verdadera catalizadora del

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cambio. Necesitábamos aplicar las cosas que ya habíamos descubierto: 1) El liderazgo colectivo puede funcionar bien: Tratamos de diseñar todas las áreas de actividad, incluyendo el consejo parroquial, como equipos diseñados aproximadamente como las “Comunidades de Práctica” (bien resumidas en el Archivo Working Knowledge de la Escuela de Administración de Empresas de Harvard titulado “Cultivating Communities of Practice.” Empleamos equipos, no coadjutores ni sacerdotes de tipo ejecutivo. Hemos adoptado varias frases que captan nuestra manera de abordar el manejo de la parroquia: a) Ni héroes, ni santos, ni mártires; b) Si no es divertido, renuncie y c) Si no puede encontrar a alguien que trabaje con usted, renuncie. Decimos que los nuestros son “equipos móviles”, porque el liderazgo puede entrar o salir en cualquier momento, dependiendo de la situación o de sus compromisos personales. 2) Indagar con apreciación y registrar en diario: No nos hemos concentrado en la historia de la parroquia ni en tratar de arreglar sus numerosos puntos flacos. En PAGE 6

lugar de ello hemos intentado identificar las cosas que están funcionando bien. Mantenemos un comentario constante. Al principio era por correo electrónico, pero ahora tenemos un blog. Escribimos un comentario sobre nuestros servicios y eventos. Los miembros del consejo determinamos que necesitamos dos tipos de actas: la primera, las típicas actas necesarias para documentar actos oficiales; la segunda, una narrativa de la esencia de los aspectos generativos de nuestra conversación. Registrar en diario nos permite identificar lo que está funcionando y es un mecanismo para incorporar conocimientos adquiridos en la práctica a nuestras actividades.

3) Gobernanza como modelo de liderazgo – volver a enmarcar el trabajo de los juntas de entidades sin ánimo de lucro: Empleando materiales en del Centre Point en Calgary -- una organización dedicada al mejoramiento de la gestión de las juntas directivas de las organizaciones sin ánimo de lucro --, hemos prestado atención a nuestra necesidad de mantener una “conversación generativa” o lo que llaman “pensamiento de la junta que conduce al forta-

lecimiento de la organización y que tiene sentido”. Antes de todas las reuniones del consejo parroquial, varios miembros del consejo se reúnen para preguntar, “¿Cuál es la pregunta aquí?” o “¿Qué es realmente importante?” y diseñar una agenda que asegure que haya tiempo de calidad para abordar los temas generativos. Todavía no tenemos un nombre para lo que se podría llamar un comité directivo o un equipo generativo, pero en el curso de las deliberaciones del consejo la identificación de los miembros del comité surge naturalmente. 4) El palo de la palabra: Hemos empleado el palo de la palabra en retiros como una herramienta para oír historias sobre la manera en que el palo de la palabra remplazó las Reglas de Robert cuando las conversaciones se acaloran o necesitamos profundizar más. Si fuéramos náufragos en una isla desierta y tuviéramos que elegir sólo uno de los cuatro factores que anteceden, yo elegiría el palo de la palabra. Al principio no confiaba mucho en el palo, pero ahora soy creyente y estoy listo para proclamar el palo de la palabra como un sacramento sagrado. Un círculo que

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emplea el palo de la palabra convierte el debate en un diálogo y el diálogo en discernimiento. El palo de la palabra activa la sabiduría, los conocimientos y la experiencia que ya están presentes en nuestra feligresía. Primero está el silencio cuando todos se van sentando y después, en la medida en que es necesario, se describe el proceso y se hace una pregunta. El que tiene el palo tiene permiso para hablar sin interrupción. Cuando termina se lo pasa a la persona que tiene al lado o lo pone en una mesa en el centro para que otro lo pueda usar cuando lo mueva el Espíritu. Los próximos oradores hablan sobre la pregunta, en lugar de discutir con los oradores anteriores. Hasta los más callados encuentran su voz. En general los participantes son atentos y calmos. Si alguien interrumpe excitadamente, otro surge como el cuidador del círculo para estimularnos a que seamos pacientes con el proceso.

El proceso del palo de la palabra es igualitario, seguro y justo. Como dice la concejal Judy, “el palo de la palabra no sólo permite que todos expresen sus ideas , sino que también, con el silencio de todos los demás, da un sentido PAGE 7

de valor y respeto al orador cuando nota que todos los demás están escuchando constructivamente”. Como somos una parroquia pequeña hasta hemos empezado a emplear el palo de la palabra litúrgicamente combinándolo con la Lectio Divina.

Tradicionalmente, las iglesias anglicanas y episcopales han dependido de liderazgos heroicos: sacerdotes heroicos, coadjutores heroicos, voluntarios heroicos. Hemos tratado de administrar por exhortación y persuasión moral. A medida que las parroquias se encogen, los héroes, tanto legos como ordenados, se agotan y se ponen a la defensiva. Nuestras feligresías se desaniman y nuestras comunidades se agrían. Las parroquias con liderazgo sacerdotal a tiempo parcial o sin ella crean enormes cargas para los coadjutores.

Un modelo de liderazgo colectivo desanima el heroísmo. Al emplear el palo de la palabra y concentrarse en asuntos generativos, las comunidades entran en un proceso de discernimiento. Esa participación está llena de energía y espiritualidad. Pruebe esto

¿Es posible que se silencien

voces en su feligresía porque nunca se les da la oportunidad de hablar? Si halla que ciertas voces dominan todas las conversaciones, adoptar la práctica de emplear el palo de la palabra (o una piedra u otro objeto que se pueda ver y asir fácilmente) crea espacio para que otros añadan sus voces a la conversación o al debate.

Los autores: Si bien este artículo está redactado en la primera persona, es un esfuerzo conjunto. El documento ha sido examinado y aprobado por el consejo parroquial y los siguientes son los miembros de lo que llamamos el Equipo Generativo: Chas Belknap es un sacerdote de Los Angeles jubilado de Salt Spring Island en la Columbia Británica que se desempeña a tiempo parcial en las islas Pender y Saturna. Se describe a sí mismo como un organizador comunitario. Jane Morley es abogada y mediadora con experiencia en la Comisión de Verdad y Reconciliación de Canadá. Judith Rees Thomas tiene una maestría en teología, experiencia en la United Church y es directora espiritual. Michael Butler es miembro de la Iglesia Anglicana y de una parroquia de United Church en Vancouver, es abogado y participó en muchos niveles en el gobierno federal canadiense. Para obtener más información sobre la parroquia de las

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islas Pender y Saturna visite PenderandSaturna.org. Estamos redactando un Manual de Operaciones Parroquiales e invitamos a nuestros lectores a hacer sugerencias y aportes. Recursos Appreciative Inquiry, Clergy Leadership Institute http:// www.clergyleadership.com/ appreciative-inquiry/appreciative-inquiry.cfm

dia.org/wiki/Lectio_Divina

The Parish of Pender and Saturna Islands http://stpeterstchristopher.wordpress.com/ page/2/

St. Christopher’s Church, Saturna Island http://www.saturnacan.net/PageFiles/ Churches.html

“Cultivating Communities of Practice: A Guide to Managing Knowledge – Seven Principles for Cultivating Communities of Practice”, Working Knowledge Archive de la Escuela de Administración de Empresas de Harvard http://hbswk.hbs.edu/ archive/2855.html Leadership in the Age of Complexity: From Hero to Host por Margaret Wheatley con Debbie Frieze, Resurgence Magazine, invierno de 2011 http://www.margaretwheatley. com/articles/Leadership-inAge-of-Complexity.pdf

Modelo de tarjeta “I give electronically” (“Dono electrónicamente”) http://www.ecfvp.org/ yourturn/electronic-givingcard-for-offering-plate/

Lectio Divina http://en.wikipePAGE 8

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Editor’s Letter Welcome summer! For many congregational leaders, the church’s program year has ended providing opportunities to catch our breaths, sort out and through things undone, and take some time off. For many of us, it is also a time for review and reflection and a time to think about changes for the coming program year.

Our July and August Vestry Papers articles all relate to change. Included are the experiences of churches of various sizes, including the tiny congregation found on the Penders and Saturna islands in British Columbia as well as contributions from clergy and laity. And, as has become our practice, each article includes a recommended action your congregational leadership team might want to try. Our articles this month include:

“No Saints, No Heros, No Martyrs” by Chas Belknap shares the story of the small parish of Penders and Saturna Islands and how, over the course of a year, their leadership team has moved from being tired and anxious to enthusiastic about the way in

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which ‘the Holy Spirit is working through us and with us.” Also in Spanish.

When Christ Church in Pensacola began to think about their future, they engaged in a process of strategic thinking. Their goal was to identify their vision and their values, as well as some priorities for strategic action. Linda Buskirk shares their story – and the strategic solutions process – in “A Vision for Impact, Not Just Change.” Also in Spanish. July feels like the right time for Vestry Papers to share Ken Howard’s “Are You Leading a Zombie Parish?” This ‘tongue firmly in cheek’ piece is Ken’s way of slipping a serious issue past the defenses that often may keep us from some critical self evaluation.

As Christians, we are called to live incarnational lives, acting as Christ’s hands and feet in the world. In “Red Flags: Staff Dependent Churches,” Melissa Rau shares a phenomenon she’s observed in seemingly successful congregations that appears to lead to a decline in

worship attendance.

“Shared Leadership” by Beckett Stokes, describes the experience of several small congregations in the Diocese of Colorado who are growing and thriving as a result of their adoption of the diocese’s model of shared leadership. She also shares some of the resources the diocese offers in support of this leadership model. When the long time rector of Christ Episcopal Church in Montpelier, Vermont retired, the congregation had the opportunity to explore different models of leadership. In “Becoming/Continuing/ Expanding,” Nancy Davidge tells the story of this revitalized congregation and how their lay led ‘centers of creativity’ are restoring the church both literally and figuratively. At Iona-Hope Episcopal Church in Fort Meyers, Florida, the congregation lives into its core values through their practice of small group ministries, impacting not only life inside the church but also helping to shape policy in Lee County,

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Florida. In “Small Groups, Big Impact,” John Adler shares how his former congregation brings people with similar interests together to bring about real change in the church and the world.

In Tillamook, Oregon, four Christian churches have found new energy by working – and occasionally worshipping – together. Three of these four churches also share a rector. “Pooling Resources” by Nancy Davidge, tells the story of how this somewhat unusual arrangement came about and why it makes perfect sense for this small community in Western Oregon.

At the end of each Vestry Papers article you’ll find a list of the resources mentioned in the article as well as additional information related to the topic. If you have a resource you’d like to share, please email me with the link or add it to the site using the Your Turn feature. If you’ve a subscriber, click on the Make a Submission button.

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Not a subscriber? It’s easy; look for, and click on the Subscribe button in the top right hand corner of the homepage: www.ecfvp. org. And, please to share this issue of Vestry Papers with others in your congregation, along with an invitation to subscribe to ECF Vital Practices and Vestry Papers. Subscriptions are free; visit ECFVP.org and click on the Subscribe tab on the upper right hand corner of this page. New subscribers are asked to fill out a short registration form to have Vestry Papers and ECF Vital Practices content delivered twice a month to your email inbox.

http://www.ecfvp.org/.

PPS: Do you live in an area with limited Internet access? If you have a smart phone, consider browsing ECF Vital Practices from your mobile device; the site has been optimized for smart phones which makes it easier to search for content.

Faithfully, Nancy

Nancy Davidge

PS: To make it easier to find the resources offered through ECF Vital Practices, please consider adding a link to ECF Vital Practices to your website. Here’s how: Using your websites ‘add a link’ tool, insert our full URL –

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Vision for Impact, Not Just Change BY LINDA BUSKIRK

If your parish could be personified, which would it be: A missionary or a visionary? Missionaries are wonderful as they carry out good works and spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. However, when the discussion turns from “mission” to “vision,” sometimes people push back. Missionaries are practical, down-to-earth workers, after all. Visionaries are up in the clouds.

If that’s what you think about vision, I am on a mission to change your mind!

Think of vision as the desired IMPACT of your mission. Understanding what God is calling your ministry to accomplish is inspirational and generates ideas and energy for change. Invite your congregation into a discussion about your ministry strengths, and then prayerful discernment about what God has gifted you to do in your part of the Kingdom.

In 2011, Christ Church in Pensacola, Florida, did this, guided by a strategic solutions initiative of the Episcopal Church Foundation. Church leadership facilitated lively PAGE 11

discussions in which parishioners identified ministry strengths. From this, a vision emerged for a diverse and faithful community in which “the openness of Christ Church to welcome and engage all people in a faith journey will continue to grow.”

Such work results in a heightened sense of identity, purpose, and direction for a congregation, or any entity. It requires the commitment of a small leadership group to lead the way. In a church, a steering committee is often comprised of lay, clergy, and staff leaders who engage the entire congregation for input and feedback. If not readily identified, an analysis of the needs of the community beyond the church’s door may also be conducted.

With mission and identity affirmed, the next step is looking to the future. Prayerful discernment produces a vision statement describing the desired impact of using ministry strengths to fulfill the mission. A path to the future begins to emerge, but who knows what opportunities or threats lie around the corner in this fast-paced world?

In order to enable church leadership to make strategic decisions anytime, a set of values, called “strategic criteria” is also created. Criterion include the mission and vision statements and ministry strengths, but may also preserve other important aspects of identity such as valuing present location, or an important ministry such as a school or food bank. The criteria help the congregation understand that while the future may include change, the things that they value the most will come along with them.

To live into its vision, Christ Church identified some priorities for strategic action. These goals included developing more robust marketing, determining the best use of some recent property acquisitions, and providing vital programs to reach youth and families. With the economy still reeling from the 2008 downturn, Christ Church did not immediately jump into new expenditures to achieve the goals. However, the goals became a guiding force for the vestry, which reviewed

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them annually and worked to strengthen Christ Church’s ability to achieve them.

“The goals were a gift of hope for us. They helped us hold on to what we were called to do. They helped us focus in the midst of keeping above water, so we could say, ‘when the economy turns around, this is where we will go,’” according the Neal Goldsborough, rector of Christ Church Pensacola, who adds that today the church is making progress on each of the strategic priorities. The everyday work of ministry can be overwhelming… so much to do, so little resources. One of the most valuable aspects of time spent in strategic thinking is that it calls leadership to step away from everyday “missionary” tasks to reflect on God’s abundance and to invite the Holy Spirit to reveal a vision for what can be. In other words, become visionaries! If you would like more information on ECF’s Strategic Solutions initiative, please contact Kate Adams, ECF Special Projects Director at 800-697-2858, ext. 6008 or [email protected].

Linda Buskirk is a capital campaign and Strategic Solutions con-

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sultant for the Episcopal Church Foundation. She brings to ECF diverse experience as a consultant to social-profit agencies, specializing in board governance and strategic development. Linda has a masters degree in public affairs from Indiana University. She lives in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where she and husband Ron are members of Trinity Episcopal Church. She is a graduate of the Congregational Development Institute of the Diocese of Northern Indiana. Linda serves her parish and diocese in many capacities, including roles in stewardship and communications ministries. Try This Try This: Identifying the ministry strengths of your congregation is an important part of the strategic thinking process and one that should involve broad participation. Schedule some small group discussions and invite members of the congregation to share a church related experience that is special to them. Question that invite stories include:

• Tell me about a time when you experienced a sense of community at St. John’s. • Tell me about a time when St. Anne’s was at its best in representing Christ. What made that possible?

• An apostle means someone who is sent forth. What about your experience at Trinity Church has prepared you to be an apostle in the world today?

Questions can be done in a variety of settings, including a facilitated discussion where people are invited to share their answers at their own tables, and then report their stories to the entire gathering. Or you can post questions on flip chart paper and invite people to write their answers over a period of a few weeks. It is important to record answers so Vestry can then review them and identify trends in the answers that reveal your congregation’s ministry strengths. Resources Christ Church Pensacola http://www.christ-church.net and http://www.christ-church. net/about-us Sharing Faith Dinner http:// www.epicenter.org/sharingfaith/

Strategic Solutions Program, Episcopal Church Foundation http://www.ecfvp.org/tools/ strategic-solutions/

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“The Difference Between Mission and Vision” by Linda Buskirk, ECF Vital Practices, January 13, 2012 http://www. ecfvp.org/posts/the-differencebetween-mission-and-vision/ “The End to Business as Usual” by Tom Ehrich, Vestry Papers January 2011 http://www. ecfvp.org/vestrypapers/ healthy-practices/the-end-tobusiness-as-usual/

“Try This at Church: What Do You See?” by Nancy Davidge, Vestry Papers, March 2014 http://www.ecfvp.org/vestrypapers/building-strong-teams/ try-this-at-church-what-doyou-see/ Vision and Planning webinar, Episcopal Church Foundation http://www.ecfvp.org/webinars/vision-and-planning/

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Visión Para Tener Impacto, No Sólo Cambios POR LINDA BUSKIRK

Si su parroquia se pudiera personificar, ¿qué sería, misionera o visionaria?

Los misioneros pueden ser maravillosos cuando realizan sus tareas y diseminan el Evangelio de Jesucristo. Sin embargo, cuando la conversación pasa de “misión” a “visión”, a veces la gente tiende a eludir el tema. Después de todo, los misioneros son trabajadores prácticos, con los pies firmemente en la tierra, mientras que los visionarios andan volando por las nubes. ¡Si eso es lo que usted piensa sobre visión, estoy en una misión para hacerlo cambiar de opinión!

Piense en la visión como el IMPACTO deseado de su misión. Entender lo que Dios está llamando a su ministerio a lograr inspira y genera ideas y energía para el cambio. Invite a su feligresía a hablar sobre los puntos fuertes de su ministerio y después a discernir con la ayuda de la oración lo que Dios les ha dado el don de hacer en su parte del Reino.

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En 2011, Christ Church en Pensacola, Florida, hizo eso, guiada por una iniciativa de soluciones estratégicas de la Fundación de la Iglesia Episcopal. El liderazgo de la iglesia facilitó conversaciones animadas en las que los parroquianos identificaron puntos fuertes de ministerio. De todo ello surgió una visión para una comunidad diversa y llena de fe en la que “la apertura de Jesucristo para dar la bienvenida y fomentar la participación de toda la gente en una jornada de fe seguirá creciendo.” Esa labor resulta en un mayor sentido de identidad, propósito y dirección para una feligresía o cualquier tipo de entidad. Requiere el compromiso de un pequeño grupo de liderazgo para que lidere el paso. En una iglesia, el comité directivo por lo general está formado por líderes del sacerdocio, legos y del personal que obtienen la participación y los comentarios de toda la feligresía. Si no se identifica fácilmente, es posible que también se requiera realizar un análisis de las necesidades de la comunidad más allá de las puertas de la iglesia.

El próximo paso después de haber

afirmado la misión y la identidad, es mirar hacia el futuro. El discernimiento asistido por la oración produce un enunciado de visión que describe el impacto deseado de emplear el ministerio para cumplir con la misión.

Empieza a surgir una senda hacia el futuro, pero ¿quién sabe qué oportunidades o amenazas estarán a la vuelta de la esquina en este mundo tan acelerado? Para permitir que el liderazgo de la iglesia tome decisiones estratégicas en cualquier momento, también se crea un conjunto de valores llamados “criterios estratégicos.” Los criterios incluyen los enunciados de misión y visión y de los puntos fuertes del ministerio, pero también pueden preservar otros aspectos importantes de la identidad, como valorar la ubicación actual o un ministerio importante, como una escuela o un comedor parroquial.

Los criterios ayudan a la feligresía a entender que si bien puede ser que haya cambios en el futuro, las cosas que más valoren irán junto con ellos. Para vivir su visión, Christ Church

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identificó algunas prioridades para la acción estratégica. Algunos de esos objetivos fueron crear un plan de comercialización más robusto, determinar el mejor uso de las propiedades adquiridas recientemente y proporcionar programas vitales para llegar a los jóvenes y a las familias. Con la economía todavía tambaleante por el bajón de 2008, Christ Church no realizó nuevos gastos para alcanzar sus metas. Sin embargo, las metas se convirtieron una fuente de orientación para la junta parroquial, que las repasó anualmente y se esforzó en fortalecer la habilidad de Christ Church de alcanzarlas.

“Las metas fueron un don de esperanza para nosotros. Nos ayudaron a mantener lo que estábamos llamados a hacer. Nos ayudaron a concentraros en medio de tratar de mantener la cabeza fuera del agua, para que pudiéramos decir, ‘cuando la economía mejore, es ahí donde nos encaminaremos´,” según Neal Goldsborough, el rector de Christ Church Pensacola, que añade que en la actualidad la iglesia está progresando hacia todas sus prioridades estratégicas. El trabajo cotidiano de ministerio puede ser abrumador… ¡tanto que hacer, tan pocos recursos! Uno de los aspectos más valiosos del tiempo que se dedica al pensamPAGE 15

iento estratégico es que requiere que el liderazgo se aparte de las tareas “misioneras” cotidianas para reflexionar en la abundancia de Dios e invitar al Espíritu Santo a que revele una visión de lo que puede ser. En otras palabras, ¡conviértanse en visionarios!

Si le desea obtener más información sobre la iniciativa Soluciones Estratégicas de la ECF, póngase en contacto con Kate Adams, directora de Proyectos Estratégicos de la ECF, llamando al 800-697-2858, ext. 6008 o en [email protected]. Pruebe esto

Identificar los puntos fuertes de ministerio de su feligresía es una parte importante del proceso de pensamiento estratégico y algo en que debe haber una participación amplia. Programe varias discusiones de grupos pequeños e invite a los miembros de la feligresía a que compartan una experiencia relacionada con la iglesia que sea especial para ellos. Algunas de las preguntas que invitan narraciones son:

Cuénteme sobre una vez en que sintió un fuerte sentido de comunidad en St. John’s.

Cuénteme sobre un momento en que St. Anne’s estaba mejor representando a Cristo. ¿Qué

hizo que eso fuera posible?

Un apóstol es alguien a quien se envía al mundo. ¿Qué me puede decir sobre cómo su experiencia en Trinity lo preparó para ser un apóstol en el mundo contemporáneo?

Las preguntas se pueden hacer en una variedad de medios, incluyendo una conversación en que se invita a la gente a que comparta sus respuestas en sus propias mesas y después narre sus historias a todo el grupo. O puede poner preguntas en un rotafolios e invitar a la gente a que escriba sus respuestas a lo largo de un período de varias semanas. Es importante dejar constancia de las respuestas, para que la junta parroquia después pueda verlas e identificar las respuestas que revelen los puntos fuertes de ministerio de la feligresía. Linda Buskirk es asesora de campañas de capital y de Soluciones Estratégicas de la Fundación de la Iglesia Episcopal (ECF). Trae a la ECF una experiencia diversa como asesora de entidades sin ánimo de lucro, especializada en gobernanza de la junta directiva u desarrollo estratégico. Linda posee una maestría en asuntos públicos de la Universidad de Indiana. Vive en Fort Wayne, Indiana, donde ella y su esposo son miembros de Trinity Episcopal Church. Es graduada del

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Instituto de Desarrollo de Feligresías de la Diócesis del Norte de Indiana. Linda ocupa muchos puestos en su parroquia y diócesis, incluyendo participación en los ministerios de mayordomía y comunicaciones. Recursos Christ Church Pensacola http://www.christ-church.net and http://www.christ-church. net/about-us

http://www.ecfvp.org/vestrypapers/building-strong-teams/ pruebe-esto-en-la-iglesia-queve/ Webinar Vision and Planning, Fundación de la Iglesia Episcopal http://www.ecfvp. org/webinars/vision-and-planning/

Sharing Faith Dinners http:// www.epicenter.org/sharingfaith/

Strategic Solutions Program, Fundación de la Iglesia Episcopal http://www.ecfvp. org/tools/strategic-solutions/

“La diferencia entre misión y visión”, por Linda Buskirk, ECF Vital Practices, 13 de enero de 2012 http://www.ecfvp.org/ posts/the-difference-betweenmission-and-vision/

“The End to Business as Usual”, por Tom Ehrich, Vestry Papers, enero de 2011 http://www. ecfvp.org/vestrypapers/ healthy-practices/the-end-tobusiness-as-usual/

“Pruebe esto en la iglesia: ¿Qué ve?”, por Nancy Davidge, Vestry Papers, marzo de 2014

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Are You Leading a Zombie Parish? BY KEN HOWARD

Leadership teams are invited to take this ten-item quiz to discover whether your church is undead. In case you haven’t noticed, zombies are becoming more popular these days. Gone are the oldtime zombie movies with their slack-jawed, shuffling zombies. Nowadays the undead are appearing in zombie action movies, zombie romantic comedies, and zombie Bollywood flicks. Zombies have even made their way into business literature. Companies and non-profit organizations that are operating but not growing have come to be called Zombies, because they are in a state of limbo – not dead, yet not exactly alive either – and because they maintain their undead existence by draining resources away from healthy organizations. So what about zombie churches? Could there be congregations in which the individual members were alive, but the congregation as a whole was undead, having lost both the desire and the capacity to grow? It’s not just possible but true. By the standard just articuPAGE 17

lated, a significant portion of our churches (perhaps even a plurality) could be classified as zombies. In fact, churches may be more at risk of becoming zombies than other kinds of organizations, because they can blind themselves to their condition by convincing themselves that their lack of change and adaptation to new contexts is due to the strength of their traditions. And they can often maintain their undead existence for decades by consuming their own endowments and/or denominational resources that might otherwise go to healthier congregations.

c. False. Most members of our congregation believe that our church exists not only to minister to them, but to the community and the world around us.

1. Your typical congregant thinks the purpose of your church is to minister to the congregation.

3. Your congregation’s socialcultural-demographic makeup roughly reflects that of the zip code in which it is located.

Are you leading a zombie church? Take this ten-question quiz and find out…

a. True. The typical member of our congregation thinks the purpose of the church is to minister to them.

b. Uncertain. I have no idea how the average congregant thinks about the purpose of our church.

2. Your church’s growth rate is lower than that of the zip code in which it is located.

a. True. The community in which we are located is growing faster than our congregation.

b. Uncertain. I do not know the growth rate of my congregation or the community. c. False. Our congregation is growing faster than the surrounding community.

a. True. The makeup of our congregation is similar to the makeup of the neighborhood.

b. Uncertain. I don’t know how to answer this question.

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c. False. Our congregation is less diverse than the surrounding community.

4. The makeup of your church’s zip code is changing and your congregation is growing. a. True. Our neighborhood is in flux and our numbers are growing. b. Uncertain. I’m not at all sure how the two compare.

c. False. Our neighborhood is changing and numbers are declining as long-time members leave (or die). 5. Your congregation has an endowment.

a. True. Our church has an unrestricted endowment. b. True. Our church has a restricted endowment.

c. False. Our church has no endowment.

6. The vestry (or board) has done a demographic study of the church’s zip code in the last five years. a. True. Our vestry has conducted a demographic study and verified it “on foot.” PAGE 18

b. True. Our vestry has conducted a demographic study but has not verified it. c. False. Our vestry has not conducted a demographic study. 7. The vestry (or board) has asked itself why your church exists at least once in the last three years. a. True. Yup. I’ve heard that asked…answered, too.

b. Uncertain. I don’t really know. c. False. I don’t think so. Why would they do that?

8. The vestry (or board) has asked why a ministry or program exists at least once in the last year. a. True. Indeed, the vestry regularly asks that question. b. Uncertain. I don’t recall. Maybe it was at one of the Vestry meetings I missed. c. False. Wow! That would be awkward. I think not.

9. The vestry (or board) has purposefully allowed at least one program or ministry to end and reported to the congregation what they have learned from the experience within the

last three years. a. True. Yes. I remember when they “retired” the [insert name here] program.

b. Uncertain. I couldn’t tell you. c. False. Not on my watch!

10. The average active participant in the congregation can describe in one or two sentences the congregation’s vision/ mission. a. True. Yes. I hear it every Sunday. b. Uncertain. I’m not sure.

c. False. Nope. Don’t think I’ve ever heard it spoken. What was that slogan?

Visit ECF Vital Practices at http://www.ecfvp.org/yourturn/ are-you-leading-a-zombie-parish/ for the scoring guide to this quiz. Okay. You’ve taken the quiz and found out you’re leading a zombie church or a church that’s at risk for becoming undead. What do you do now? Neither condition is easy to deal with. But stretching our zombie metaphor just a little further, clearly a church that is at risk for

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going zombie would be a lot easier to deal with than a church that has already become Undead. After all, a church that is “merely” at risk still has a mind capable of critical thought. But by “definition,” a church that has actually gone zombie no longer has a functioning mind and has therefore lost the capacity for independent thought and with that the capacity for self-critical reflection.

If your church is merely at risk of becoming infected with undeadness, you may be able to engage the congregation’s critical faculties by having the members of your vestry or board take the same quiz you just did, then engaging them in a discussion of what they make of their scores. While the quiz is admittedly somewhat tongue-in-cheek, engaging your leadership playfully on issues such as these may gain a lot more traction than a more somber approach. After all, while it may really piss you off first, knowing the truth will ultimately make you free (John 8:32). Dealing a church that has already joined the ranks of the undead is an infinitely greater challenge. Just as Hollywood zombies do pretty good jobs of emulating many activities of the living, a zombie church can also do a more than halfway-decent job of imitating healthy church life: often good PAGE 19

enough to lure in the occasional non-member, and generally good enough to convince its own leadership and membership that a healthy, friendly, welcoming congregation. They may have even convinced themselves that they want to grow (but just can’t seem to figure out why they don’t). More often, however, they may be found employing rationalizations like, “Growing in number is not the only kind of growth: growing in depth is valid, too.” Not that there’s anything wrong with growing deeper. It’s just that actually deepening one’s relationship with Christ usually translates into a deeper encounter with Christ’s transforming love, which is usually marked by a natural desire to share that love with others. When a church becomes so thoroughly convinced by its own rationalizations that it no longer retains the capacity for self-criticism, the only recourse may the proverbial “bullet to the head.” Once in a while, a zombie church, as it grows closer to actual death, may benefit from the salutary effect of staring death in the face. Occasionally, this insight, combined with new leadership at the helm, may be capable of beginning the long road back to health. I’ve seen it happen, but it is rare. Unfortunately, many zombie churches would rather die than change. And if this is the case, the

only options left are either: (a) let it “live” until it depletes the last of its own (a perhaps other’s) resources of time, talent, and treasure, or (b) put it out of its misery now while sufficient resources remain to start a new church or invest in the living in some other way. Daunting, right? Yet I can offer two rays of hope: Question #7 and a lot of prayer. If you can help your church remember WHY it exists – its reason for being – its first love – the Truth that can make it free – there may be a chance to come back from the brink. And prayer because, as Jesus said, “This kind can come out only through prayer” (Mark 9:29). Ken Howard is the author of Paradoxy: Creating Christian Community Beyond Us and Them (Orleans, MA: Paraclete Press, 2010), the founder and director of The Paradoxy Center for Incarnational Christianity at St. Nicholas Church, and the rector of St. Nicholas Episcopal Church in Germantown, Maryland. St. Nicholas Church was the first successful church plant in its diocese in nearly forty years. Growing steadily since its start in 1995, it is in the top third of diocesan congregations in size and the top 5% in per capita giving. Ken’s blog, Paradoxical Thoughts may be

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found at PracticingParadoxy.com. Try This Take the quiz! http://www.ecfvp. org/yourturn/are-you-leadinga-zombie-parish/ I wrote it with tongue firmly in cheek, striving mightily to emulate the elegant Cosmo Quiz style. My intent was to use humor in a healthily subversive way, to slip a serious issue past the defenses we church leaders always seem to have in great quantity. I freely admit that this issue is more complex than a 10-question quiz could ever hope to explicate. I mean, it would take another 20 questions just to address the role dioceses and other adjudicatories play in the creation, care, and feeding of zombie churches, for heaven’s sake. Still, if I have given you even a little something to think about, I will be content. Even in small doses, critical thinking prevents zombie brains.

September 2011 http://www. ecfvp.org/vestrypapers/innovative-stewardship/one-stepout-of-stuckness/

Paradoxy: Creating Christian Community Beyond Us and Them by Ken Howard http:// www.paracletepress.com/paradoxy-creating-christian-community-beyond-us-and-them. html

Practicing Paradoxy, Ken Howard’s blog http://practicingparadoxy.com

St. Nicholas Episcopal Church in Germantown, Maryland Zombie Parish Questions and Answer Key http://www.ecfvp. org/yourturn/are-you-leadinga-zombie-parish/

Resources

“At 30, 50, or 70, who do you want to be?” by Malcolm Boyd, The Episcopal News, June 9, 2014, The Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles http://episcopalnews.ladiocese.org/dfc/newsdetail_2/3165886#. U6s8DBZD115 “One Step Out of Stuckness” by Jamie Coats, Vestry Papers, PAGE 20

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Red Flags: Staff Dependent Churches BY MELISSA RAU

My name is Melissa, and I’m…a lay leader. I’m also married to an Episcopal priest but I’m certainly not the quintessential preacher’s wife. One of the ways I live out my own calling is by working with a number of churches throughout the country (mostly Mainline Protestant churches), helping them establish sustainable ministries by implementing healthy systems and structure. I love my work!

Recently I’ve become bothered by a common theme I’ve encountered among many program-sized and smaller corporate-sized churches (whose average Sunday attendance is between 150-600 people). These are churches that are typically well staffed, with at least one full-time clergyperson and many times two or more. They have either completed a successful capital campaign in the last few years despite the downturn of the economy or they are endeavoring upon a new capital campaign. These congregations typically value children’s and youth ministry, their present rector wasn’t right out of seminary when he or she came to serve the church, and the majority of the parishioners are well-educated folks who have enjoyed professional success PAGE 21

in the secular world. What I’m seeing

Many churches across the country, no matter the size, denomination, geographical area, etc., are experiencing a decline in attendance. I’m sure this is nothing new to you; the rise of the “nones” is something of which many are keenly aware. Ironically, some medium-sized churches are being celebrated for enjoying a surge in membership. Numbers are actually up in places—though not all for the right reasons.

Whether the medium-sized church is in decline or enjoying some growth, something that many of these churches have in common is a high level of staff dependency. Sadly, it’s the staff-dependent church that will soon, if they haven’t already, begin to see a rapid decline in worship attendance and will begin to see the offering plate reap less and less. Stewardship will be down. Those capital campaigns that were successful just a few years back? They may not be nearly as successful this go-round.

Why this matters Consider the story of when Jesus cursed the fruitless fig tree in Mark 11:12-26. Jesus didn’t just have a temper tantrum because he was hungry and there wasn’t any fruit to eat. He probably cursed the tree because it was a waste of space and wasn’t serving its purpose. The variety of fig tree that Jesus approached produces two crops during a harvest cycle: The main crop in August and the breba crop in March/April.

What I’m saying may be unpopular. Those reading the Vestry Papers probably love their church deeply and may not want to admit that their church community isn’t as engaged in God’s mission as God would have it be. But I’m going to say it: In churches where I see an unhealthy level of staff dependency, the hands and feet of Christ are often bound. Warning signs

Do any of the following sound familiar? If so, it may be time for you to pray for the strength and the endurance to lead the charge to change, to find ways to live into

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our baptismal covenant and once again become the hands and feet of Christ:

• “We can’t do that before we get permission from the rector.” Okay my clergy buddies, this one might hurt a little, but the deal is this: Christ didn’t die to make you the boss. To my lay leader friends, we are the church, together. Your priest is ordained, not to do ministry for you, but to preach and teach the Gospel. He or she was called to sacramental ministry, and that is what makes the order of ministry to the priesthood special. Consider Matthew 10:2425. • “Our job is to help the priest or the program staff do ministry.” Our baptismal covenant calls all of us to ministry. Your clergyperson and staff should have specific skills and expertise in empowering and equipping YOU, the Church, to help you serve in ways that make your heart sing. They can pave the way, but then they should get out of the way. • “We should hire someone to do that,” or “That’s why we hired so-and-so…” Consider your youth minister. Do you pay him or her to care PAGE 22

about the kids? Or did you hire someone because he or she is experienced and has the skills to train and equip others to build relationships with youth? Hopefully it’s the latter because the former would be like saying, “Oh, sorry kids, we have to pay someone to care about you because we can’t be bothered, and you’re just not that important to us.” Harsh? Think about it. All the latest research shows that adult volunteers have the second-highest influence on a youth’s faith, superseded only by parents.

Our purpose, as the body of Christ, isn’t to check our gifts and talents at the door when we go to church. We are to live incarnational lives, acting as Christ’s hands and feet in the world, living sacrificially, supporting one another in our faith journey, reflecting God’s light and love to everyone.

We are all ministers—some are laity, others are deacons, priests, or bishops. Laity need not wait for instruction from clergy on how to minister to others; Jesus has already provided that. Mobilizing laity who have been disengaged isn’t going to happen overnight. It will take initiative, strategy, and time, in addition to humble clergy and bold lay ministers. It can be done, and it must be done in order for our beloved communities to be more than fruitless fig trees, but churches filled with an abundance of disciples, committed to living out the Gospel.

Melissa Rau is a lead consultant for Ministry Architects, the nation’s leading provider of children’s ministry, youth ministry, and small church consulting. She provides coaching and support in order that churches can establish thriving, sustainable ministries.

Discipleship

The key to living into our baptismal covenant is through ministry mobilization. Recently, I was fortunate to meet Lance Ousley, the canon for stewardship and development in the Episcopal Diocese of Olympia; he refuses to call folks volunteers. Instead he refers to everyone as ministers. He nailed it!

Melissa has published curriculum and numerous online and printed articles for Group Publishing, Simply Youth Ministry, YouthWorker.com, and other ministry journals. She particularly enjoys training and equipping youth workers at events such as Youth Specialties NYWC, Simply Youth Ministry Conference, and other regional church events.

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Melissa’s husband, Mike, is an ordained priest at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in New Canaan, Conn. Email Melissa at: melissa.rau@ ymarchitects.com Try This Here are three steps and a tip to get you started on increasing opportunities for lay ministry in your congregation:

1. Evaluate where clergy are spending their time and consider ways laity may be able to serve instead.

2. Begin a ministry needs list for your congregation that includes every lay ministry position within your church.

3. Create a ministry (job) description for every position outlining the description and responsibilities, team composition, time commitment, special skills required, and what training is provided and required.

4. Keep your eye out for this great new resource coming out in the summer of 2014: The 30-Day Change Project—Building Your Volunteer Team by Mark DeVries and Nate Stratman, ISBN: 9781483528236 PAGE 23

Resources “Baptismal Covenant” by Howard Kently Williams, Vestry Papers, November 2012 http:// www.ecfvp.org/vestrypapers/ liturgy-music-leadership/baptismal-covenant/ Beyond the Baptismal Covenant: Transformational Leadership for the Episcopal Church in the 21st Century by Donald Romanik http://www. episcopalfoundation.org/toolsand-programs/leadershiptools/transformational-layleadership

org/2012/10/09/nones-onthe-rise/

“Steps to Restructuring” by Richelle Thompson, ECF Vital Practices, June 26, 2014 http:// www.ecfvp.org/posts/steps-torestructuring-2/

Breba, the bonus fig crop http://www.treesofjoy.com/ content/breba-bonus-figs-crop

Leadership Development Initiative, Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts http://diomassleads.org

“Living Into Our Ministries: A Guide to Mutual Ministry Review” by Sam Magill http:// www.ecfvp.org/files/uploads/ Living_into_Our_Ministries2.pdf Ministry Architects http://ministryarchitects.com

“Nones” on the Rise, Pew Research Religion & Public Life Project, October 9, 2012 http:// www.pewforum. JULY/AUGUST 2014 :: LEADING CHANGE :: www.ecfvp.org

Shared Leadership BY BECKETT STOKES

Several years ago, the small Episcopal congregation in the town of Creede, population 400, located in the mountainous Southwest corner of the state, lost one of its cornerstone families to death and illness. At the time, Jan Jacobs, a member and lay leader there, feared their church would not survive another ten years. The small church only offered church services twice a month, making it difficult for locals to know when to come, let alone summer tourists and those from neighboring communities. Today, Jacobs is a lay pastoral leader at St. Augustine and works alongside leaders of two other congregations who share a full-time clergy person. She helps to lead services when the clergy person is not there – so St. Augustine now has church every Sunday, including a new Celtic service once a month – and their membership is growing. In many parts of rural Colorado, as in Creede, where congregations and communities are small, creative models for ministry involving lay leadership and shared clergy have been growing and thriving for the last several years. In these communities, there are many obstacles to hiring and keeping a full-time PAGE 24

clergy leader – from costs, to available housing, to the size of the congregation. However, these are often congregations that while small are vibrant, important parts of the community. For these congregations, rather than face the expected choices of either expanding the congregation or closing it, the Office of the Bishop, alongside regional leadership and the Commission on Ministry in the diocese, have established a new model for ministry that includes ordained clergy who serve more than one congregation and travel between them, and licensed lay ministers who provide day-to-day leadership and who lead services in between the clergy visits.

Jacobs and St. Augustine in Creede were part of the first such partnership in Colorado, which was formalized with an addition to the diocesan canons in 2007. This partnership also serves the small mountainous communities of South Fork and Monte Vista. Jacobs says this mode of ministry has been “very, very good” for St. Augustine, and “extremely rewarding” for her personally. St. Augustine’s has not

only survived, it has become more engaged in ecumenical work in the community, and just this past weekend, blessed new stained glass windows in its sanctuary. Thirtyfive people came to that blessing, a number Jacobs says was unthinkable ten years ago. Mary Hendricks serves as rector for one of the diocese’s newer partnerships, made up of two congregations 60 miles apart on the eastern plains of Colorado. To add another layer of complexity, one of the congregations is an EpiscopalLutheran congregation. Hendricks says that the fact that she travels physically between the two places necessitates both that the congregations be fairly independent, and that she be clear about what each place really needs from her at any given time. “I do not always know everything that is going on - and they do not know about everything I am doing each and every day,” she says. Moreover, she points out that the time and distance constraints mean “there is also a need for clarity on my part regarding what I bring to the two communities I serve and the ways in which I can and do contribute to the ministry that is already taking place within

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the two churches.”

Hendricks says this is a “striking contrast” to previous situations she has served in where people relied on the clergy to get things done. She also says that this degree of lay involvement means that more of her role is about teaching and empowering lay people to take on tasks and roles within the congregation, and also to understand what the healthy and appropriate limits of their ministry area.

sonally. She grew up in another small community in Colorado, where church was just the service on Sunday, without additional teaching or Bible study. “Through all this preparation,” she says, “I have really grown as a Christian.” She says she has learned about her faith, and thought deeply about worship and what makes it meaningful. She has also become more involved with other churches in Creede, and their work together. “It has been extremely rewarding to me,” she says.

But, it is this extensive training and formation that Jacobs says has been so valuable for her per-

In these smaller churches, the model and goals for ministry are often different than they are in other church communities. Because these are churches in smaller or remote communities, there is not necessarily an expectation or hope for growth, though growth is certainly welcome. The congregation’s role in the community becomes the focus. In many communities, these congregations share ministry and gather with other faith communities in their areas. Last year one of these smaller partnership churches offered a Lenten series on prayer that was well attended both by

In these congregations, lay pastoral leaders function as the dayto-day leaders and administrators of the congregation. They are licensed through the Office of the Bishop, according to the Canons of both The Episcopal Church, and the diocese. They undergo training with their local priest or partnership vicar, and then through the Office of the Bishop, and finally, in some cases through their own independent reading and study in a variety of areas, from Holy Scripture to liturgy to the polity of the Church. They also receive leadership training and support through the canon missioner for the diocese, Lou Blanchard. It is not a small commitment.

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Jacobs also believes that her leadership as a layperson has trickled down to the rest of the congregation. “When more lay people are involved,” she says, “Their experience of church expands.”

Episcopalians in the community, but also by people from the neighboring Catholic and Methodist congregations. That experience led to conversations between all the churches about ways they can continue to collaborate.

One of the other products of these ministry partnerships is that the congregations who share clergy often become more connected to each other than they would otherwise be, and the small congregations have formed other groups and alliances to share ideas about these ministries. Jacobs said that when one of the congregations in their partnership was without a lay pastoral leader, the other two lay leaders pitched in and traveled there when they were needed. Through Blanchard and the Office of the Bishop, the diocese convenes small church conferences periodically and at different locations around the state so that all the leaders involved in these partnerships – lay and ordained – can gather to share ideas and stories.

Blanchard in turn shares these stories of creative and resilient ministry with all the congregations she works with around the diocese, so larger congregations can learn about distributing leadership, collaborating with other congregations and organizations, and thinking creatively about who and what the church really

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is.

Beckett Stokes is the director of communications for the Episcopal Diocese of Colorado. Try This Who are the leaders in your congregation? Are they confined to a small group or is their broad participation from the congregation?

This leadership development chart (http://www.ecfvp.org/ files/uploads/Leadership_ Development_Chart.pdf ) can help you visualize the ratio between leaders/committee members and the broader congregation. After you place the number of members in each ring of the chart, ask yourselves: Who could be invited into a leadership role from one of the outer rings? Resources

Adaptive Leadership Powerpoint presentation, The Episcopal Diocese of Colorado http://www.dioco.org/congregational-development.html Church Development Institute, The Episcopal Diocese of Colorado http://www.dioco. org/church-developmentinstitue.html

Reading List, The Episcopal Diocese of Colorado http:// www.ecfvp.org/files/uploads/ Dio_Colorado_CDI_Reading_ List-1.pdf

Complexity of Leadership Powerpoint presentation, The Episcopal Diocese of Colorado http://www.dioco.org/congregational-development.html

Congregational Development Workshops and Conferences, The Episcopal Diocese of Colorado http://www.dioco. org/workshops-and-conferences.html

Leadership Development Chart, The Episcopal Diocese of Colorado http://www.ecfvp. org/files/uploads/Leadership_ Development_Chart.pdf

Licensed Lay Ministry Program, The Episcopal Diocese of Colorado http://www.dioco. org/licensed-lay-ministry-inthe-diocese-of-colorado.h

The Warden’s Handbook, Based on spring workshops 2012, The Episcopal Diocese of Colorado http://s3.amazonaws.com/dfc_ attachments/public/documents/3159421/Wardens_ Handbook.pdf

Church Development Institute PAGE 26

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Becoming/Continuing/Expanding BY NANCY DAVIDGE

Even with one of its historic stone walls in danger of falling down, things are looking up at Christ Episcopal Church in Montpelier, Vermont.

In February 2004, Christ Church learned it was one of five Vermont Episcopal Churches selected to participate in the Strategic Investment for Sacred Spaces program, a partnership between the Episcopal Church in Vermont, the United Church of Christ in Vermont, Partners for Sacred Spaces, and the Preservation Trust of Vermont. Underwritten in part by The Lilly Endowment, the program will help Christ Church rebuild and renovate their historic and sacred church.

This designation came about, in part, because of the work begun several years ago following the retirement of a rector who had served the congregation for 20 years. Taking advantage of an opportunity to explore different ways of being a congregation, members of Christ Church moved towards a mutual ministry model, adopting a leadership style more collaborative than PAGE 27

hierarchical.

What developed during this process was a call for a new, three quarter time priest. This ‘priest in partnership’ would partner with the vestry to lead the congregation with the lay members setting the agenda and leading all vestry meetings. Defining Their New Approach

Why are we here, where are we going, and how will we get there? These were the questions considered by the Congregational Life Focus Group at Christ Episcopal Church in Montpelier, Vermont. Formed in 2012, soon after the congregation called Paul Habersang as their new priest in partnership, this group – and process – was the result of the congregation’s exploration, with diocesan support, of new models of leadership. The Episcopal Church in Vermont, a senior partner of Living Stones, is an advocate for collaborative leadership and in 2012 committed itself to Stirrings of the Spirit, a three-year strategy to discern where the spirit is call-

ing us through exploration of new understandings and expressions of what it means to follow Jesus in a rapidly changing world.

For nine months, the nine people in the focus group engaged in an in depth conversation about what it means to be a cathedral in a capital city and to be a good neighbor in their downtown location. They talked, they listened, they prayed. They gathered their findings and shaped them into a purpose, vision, and strategy statements, which they presented to the vestry in April 2013. The result? The adoption of a purpose, vision, and strategy document that invites the entire congregation to share responsibility for “inviting, empowering, and supporting a creative, nimble, and diverse community of seekers who expand and nurture our vibrant life of discipleship.” It also recommits the church to “becoming/continuing/expanding” its historic role as a good neighbor in downtown Montpelier.

Rather than being the end of the process, the adoption of this document strengthened and expanded the congregation’s prac-

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tice of creating flexible ministry teams to address specific issues or concerns. Following a model encouraged by the diocese, these ‘centers of creativity’ bring three to five members of the congregation together to pray, discuss, and recommend action to the vestry. Groups look to the purpose, vision, and strategy document for guidance and direction. Testing the Process

In the fall of 2012, Christ Church was invited, along with other Montpelier based state and city offices, businesses, and organizations to consider becoming a partner in the city’s alternative source heating district. The buy-in cost? $80,000.

The vestry called a center for creativity group to consider this option and make a recommendation. Looking to their purpose, vision, and strategy document, the group explored and wrestled with this opportunity, weighing the congregation’s commitment to stewardship of God’s creation and their Montpelier community and the critical need to address the $2 million worth of capital expenditures needed to stabilize the deteriorating church building. Their recommendation to the vestry: A regretful, not at this time.

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And then the unexpected happened: Christ Church received an anonymous donation of $40,000 specifically given in support of the district heat project. The vestry contacted the Center for Creativity group with this new information and asked them to reconsider. The result? The group revisited their decision and after conversation and prayer, recognized that this gift allowed the church to be both a good neighbor and a good steward. They recommended the congregation become part of the alternative energy program, using the $40,000 gift and taking on debt, to fund their buy in. The vestry agreed. One Thing Leads to Another

A centerpiece of Christ Church’s campus is the courtyard, a swath of green lawn open on the street side. It’s a place where people gather to sit or eat lunch during the workday or to enjoy the church’s summer Brown Bag Concert series or other outdoor events. Like the rest of the campus, it’s been in need of repair. Digging up the courtyard to lay the connector pipe from the heat plant to the church was a consequence of the church’s decision, moving the renovation of the courtyard from ‘someday’ to

this summer. Again, donors came through with funds and with the generous support of many contributors – including some downtown neighbors, Christ Church is able to make some necessary improvements to it’s safety, structure, and appearance.

Paul Habersang and others in the congregation believe that the ‘outward and visible signs’ of their new approach to leadership played a key role in their being invited to participate in the Strategic Investment for Sacred Places initiative. While the church itself – a stone building built in 1868 – has serious structural issues, Paul believes that the decision making process used by the congregation in determining their support for both the joint energy program and the courtyard renovation, helped Christ Church stand out from other candidates. A Revitalized Church

Recent testimony by long time church members describes the change at Christ Church.

Longtime member Angela Simpson says, “I love the priest in partnership model. I have loved watching Christ Church revive in the past two years. I love the way you can feel the spirit of the place stretching and changing.”

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And, returning member Cynthia Steed offers, “I recently moved back to Barre Town and started to come back to Christ Church. To my delight the new model with Paul Habersang as priest in partnership was exactly the tonic I needed to feel at home and vital in church again. The Spirit has once again filled me and the feeling in the community seems so much more alive, caring, and vital. A great lesson for all to participate and BE the church as a worshipping, working, praying, and rejoicing member of a lively parish. “I feel so blessed to be a part of this new awakening.”

Nancy Davidge is the Episcopal Church Foundation’s associate program director for leadership resources and editor of ECF Vital Practices. Try This When Christ Church’s Congregational Life Focus Group was tasked with discerning their purpose, vision, and strategy, they relied on Anthony Robinson’s book Changing the Conversation. [http://www.eerdmans.com/ Products/0759/changing-theconversation.aspx] Robinson’s recommends groups PAGE 29

start by gaining an understanding of the change and challenge the congregation faces. He suggests groups answer what he considers to be the key question: What is the nature of the situation we find ourselves in? Robinson advises groups to avoid falling in the traps of thinking (1) they are the only ones in this situation and (2) that somehow they are to blame. These are both rabbit holes that keep you from getting an accurate picture of the reality you face. Instead, remember God’s promise of resurrection and trust that by recognizing and understanding our challenges, we have a better chance of responding to them. Resources

“Changes at Christ Church,” The Bridge, August 3, 2013 http:// www.montpelierbridge. com/2013/08/changes-atchrist-church/

Changing the Conversation: A Third Way for Congregations by Anthony Robinson, Eerdman’s 2008 http://www. eerdmans.com/Products/0759/ changing-the-conversation.aspx Christ Episcopal Church Purpose, Vision, and Strategy Document http://christchurchvt.org/about-us/vestry-members/

Circles of Trust, Parker Palmer, Center for Courage and Renewal http://www.couragerenewal.org/approach/ Practices of the Circle of Trust Approach Episcopal Diocese of Vermont, Stirrings of the Spirit Initative http://www.diovermont.org/ Mission-and-Ministries/ Stirrings-of-the-Spirit-articles/ Living Stones website http:// livingstonespartnership.net/

Mutual Ministry Resources: Scroll to the end of “Time to Bloom: Baptismal/Total/ Shared/Mutual Ministry, a Rose by Any Other Name...” by Margaret Babcock, ECF Vital Practices’ Vestry Papers, March 2013 Partners for Sacred Spaces http://www.sacredplaces. org/#sthash.X4G6y9ic.dpbs

Priest-in-Partnership Position Description http://www.ecfvp. org/files/uploads/Priest_in_ partnership_description.pdf Quaker Practice of Clearness Committees http://www.couragerenewal.org/parker/writings/clearness-committee/

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Recuperar /Continuar/Expandir BY NANCY DAVIDGE

A pesar de que uno de sus muros históricos está en peligro de derrumbarse, las cosas están yendo bien en Christ Episcopal Church en Montpelier, Vermont.

En febrero de 2004, Christ Church se enteró de que era una de cinco iglesias episcopales de Vermont seleccionadas para participar en el programa Inversiones Estratégicas Para Espacios Sagrados, una asociación entre la Iglesia Episcopal de Vermont, Partners for Sacred Spaces (Asociados Para Espacios Sagrados) y el Fideicomiso de Preservación de Vermont. Suscrito en parte por The Lilly Endowment, el programa ayudará a Christ Church a reconstruir y restaurar el histórico y sagrado edificio de su iglesia.

Esta designación ocurrió, en parte, gracias a la labor iniciada hace varios años después de la jubilación de un rector que había servido a la feligresía por 20 años. Aprovechando una oportunidad para explorar diferentes maneras de ser una feligresía, miembros de Christ Church dieron los pasos iniciales para pasar a ser un modelo de ministerio mutuo, adoptando un estilo de liderazgo más colaboraPAGE 30

tivo que jerárquico.

Lo que surgió durante este proceso fue un llamado a tener un sacerdote a tres cuartos de tiempo. Ese ‘sacerdote en asociación’ trabajaría conjuntamente con la junta parroquial para liderar a la feligresía de manera tal que los miembros legos fijarían el orden del día y liderarían todas las reuniones de la junta parroquial. Definición de su nuevo enfoque ¿Por qué estamos aquí, adónde vamos y cómo llegaremos allí? Estas fueron las preguntas que consideró el grupo Congregational Life Focus en Christ Episcopal Church en Montpelier, Vermont. Formado en 2012, poco después de que la feligresía designó a Paul Habersang como su nuevo sacerdote en asociación, este grupo – y proceso – resultó de la exploración de la feligresía, con apoyo diocesano, de nuevos modelos de liderazgo. La Iglesia Episcopal de Vermont, una asociada de Living Stones, es una gran defensora del liderazgo colaborativo. En 2012 se comprometió a Stirrings of the Spirit, una estrategia de tres años para discernir

adónde nos está llamado el espíritu mediante la exploración de nuevas comprensiones y expresiones de lo que significa seguir a Jesús en un mundo rápidamente cambiante.

Por nueve meses, las nueve personas en el grupo de enfoque hablaron detalladamente sobre lo que significa ser una catedral en una ciudad capital y ser un buen vecino en el centro de la ciudad. Hablaron, escucharon, oraron. Unieron sus determinaciones y las moldearon en enunciados de propósito, visión y estrategia, que presentaron a la junta parroquial en abril de 2013. ¿El resultado? La adopción de un documento de propósito, visión y estrategia que invita a toda la feligresía a compartir la responsabilidad de “invitar, empoderar y apoyar a una comunidad creativa, ágil y diversa de buscadores que expanden y nutren nuestra vibrante vida de discipulado”. También vuelve a comprometer a la iglesia a “recuperar/continuar/expandir” su papel histórico de buena vecina en el centro de Montpelier. En lugar de ser el final del proceso, la adopción de este documento reforzó y expandió la práctica de la feligresía de crear equipo de

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ministerio flexibles para dirigirse a inquietudes o problemas específicos. Siguiendo un modelo estimulado por la diócesis, estos ‘centros de creatividad’ unen a entre tres y cinco miembros de la feligresía para que oren, conversen y recomienden acción a la junta parroquial. Los grupos recurren al documento de propósito, visión y estrategia para obtener orientación y dirección.

de US$2 millones necesarios para estabilizar el deterioro del edificio de la iglesia. Su recomendación a la junta parroquial: Lo sentimos, será alguna otra vez.

En el otoño de 2012, se invitó a Christ Church, junto con otros organismos de los gobiernos estatal y municipal, así como a empresas y organizaciones de Montpelier, a que consideraran ser parte del distrito de fuentes alternativas de calefacción de la ciudad. La participación costaba US$80,000.

¿El resultado? El grupo volvió a estudiar su decisión y tras de conversarlo y orar, reconoció que ese donativo permitiría que la iglesia fuera no sólo una buena vecina sino también una buena mayordoma. Recomendaron que la feligresía pasara a ser parte del programa de energía alternativa, empleando el donativo de $40,000 y tomando un préstamo, para financiar su participación. La junta parroquial estuvo de acuerdo.

Puesta a prueba del proceso

La junta parroquial llamó a un centro para grupos pro creatividad para que consideraran esa opción e hicieran una recomendación. Recurriendo a su documento de propósito, visión y estrategia, el grupo exploró y luchó con esta oportunidad, sopesando el compromiso de la feligresía hacia la mayordomía de la creación de Dios y hacia la comunidad de Montpelier, así como la crítica necesidad de dirigirse a los gastos de capital PAGE 31

Y después ocurrió lo inesperado: Christ Church recibió una donación anónima de $40,000 específicamente para el proyecto de la calefacción. La junta parroquial se puso en contacto con el grupo Centro Para la Creatividad con esta nueva información y le pidió que reconsiderara.

Una cosa lleva a la otra

El corazón del campus de Christ Church es un jardín abierto del lado de la calle. Es un lugar al que la gente acude a sentarse o a comer su almuerzo en días de semana o simplemente para disfrutar la serie de conciertos de verano Brown Bag de la iglesia

u otros eventos al aire libre. Al igual que el resto del campus, necesitaba reparaciones.

Excavar el jardín para poner la tubería que conectaría la iglesia a la planta de energía fue, en parte, una consecuencia de la decisión de la iglesia de iniciar la renovación del jardín este verano, en lugar de dejarla ‘para algún día’. Nuevamente hubo donaciones y con el generoso apoyo de muchos contribuyentes – incluyendo algunos vecinos del centro de la ciudad – Christ Church pudo realizar ciertas mejoras necesarias para su seguridad, estructura y apariencia. Paul Habersang y otros de la feligresía creen que los ‘signos externos y visibles’ de su nuevo enfoque del liderazgo desempeñaron un papel fundamental en haber sido invitados a participar en la iniciativa Inversión Estratégica Para Lugares Sagrados. Si bien la iglesia en sí – un edificio de piedra construido en 1868 – tiene problemas estructurales serios, Paul cree que el proceso de toma de decisiones empleado por la feligresía para determinar su apoyo al programa de energía conjunto y la renovación del jardín, ayudó a Christ Church a diferenciarse de otros candidatos. Una iglesia revitalizada

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El testimonio reciente de miembros de la iglesia desde hace largo tiempo describe el cambio en Christ Church.

Angela Simpson, miembro de la iglesia desde hace mucho tiempo, dice, “Me encanta el modelo de sacerdocio en asociación. Me emocionó ver revivir a Christ Church en los últimos dos años. Me encanta la manera en que uno puede sentir el espíritu del lugar extendiéndose y cambiando”. Y, Cynthia Steed, una miembro de regreso, dice, “Me mudé recientemente de vuelta a Barre Town y empecé a regresar a Christ Church. Para mi gran deleite el nuevo modelo con Paul Habersang como sacerdote en asociación era exactamente el tónico que necesitaba para volver a sentirme en casa y vital en la iglesia. El Espíritu nuevamente me llenó y el sentido de comunidad parece mucho más vivo, afectuoso y vital. Una gran lección en la que todos pueden participar y SER la iglesia como miembros de una parroquia llena de vida que rinde culto, trabaja, ora y se regocija. Me siento tan bendecida de ser parte de este nuevo despertar.”

Nancy Davidge es directora adjunta del programa de recursos de liderazgo de la Fundación de la

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Iglesia Episcopal y jefa de redacción de ECF Vital Practices. Pruebe esto Cuando al Grupo Congregational Life Focus de Christ Church se le dio la tarea de discernir su propósito, visión y estrategia, se basó en el libro de Anthony Robinson Changing the Conversation, [http://www. eerdmans.com/Products/0759/ changing-the-conversation.aspx] Robinson recomienda que los grupos empiecen adquiriendo comprensión de los cambios y retos que enfrenta la feligresía. Sugiere que los grupos contesten la pregunta que, según él, es fundamental: ¿Cuál es la naturaleza de la situación en la que nos encontramos? Robinson aconseja que los grupos eviten caer en la trampa de pensar (1) que son los únicos en esa situación y (2) de que de alguna manera ellos tienen la culpa. Ambos son conejeras que impiden que tengamos una imagen precisa de la realidad que enfrentamos. En lugar de ello, recuerden la promesa de resurrección de Dios y confíen en que al reconocer y entender los retos tenemos una mayor probabilidad de responder a ellos. Recursos

http://www.montpelierbridge. com/2013/08/changes-atchrist-church/

Documento de Propósito, Visión y Estrategia de la Christ Episcopal Church http://christchurchvt.org/about-us/vestrymembers/ Circles of Trust, Parker Palmer, Center for Courage and Renewal http://www.couragerenewal.org/approach/ Practices of the Circle of Trust Approach

Diócesis Episcopal de Vermont, Stirrings of the Spirit Initative http://www.diovermont.org/ Mission-and-Ministries/ Stirrings-of-the-Spirit-articles/

Sitio web de Living Stones http://livingstonespartnership. net/

Recursos de ministerio mutuo: Scroll to the end of “Time to Bloom: Baptismal/Total/ Shared/Mutual Ministry, a Rose by Any Other Name...” por Margaret Babcock, ECF Vital Practices’ Vestry Papers, marzo de 2013 http://www.ecfvp.org/ vestrypapers/cultivating-leaders/time-to-bloom/

“Changes at Christ Church,” The Bridge, 3 de agosto de 2013 JULY/AUGUST 2014 :: LEADING CHANGE :: www.ecfvp.org

Small Groups, Big Impact BY JOHN ADLER

What difference can one person make?

At Iona-Hope Episcopal Church in Fort Meyers, Florida, we know that each of us can make a difference. We’re living proof that when we, as individuals, gather into small groups, and our small groups join with other small groups, we can bring about real change. Let me share our story…

a congregation (altar guild, hospitality, office angels), in answer to needs as they arise (adult living facility services, soup kitchen, technology team), and in response to a good idea (book club, memoirs for healing, shawl ministry).

Our policy has always been if you have an idea we will help find a place for that idea to be fulfilled. Whenever someone has an idea for ministry all that is required is that Founded in 1998 as a mission they help identify a leader, comchurch in the Diocese of Southwest plete a brief statement of purpose, Florida, Iona-Hope has at its heart a and agree to follow the covenant set of core values. Set and approved established for small groups. Each by the guiding team that helped vestry member is assigned a small establish the congregation, they number of groups to stay in touch have been affirmed and modified with and to report on needs and over the years. Our core values: activities at vestry meetings. Group All are welcome; openness to risk; leaders meet monthly with the recchange and growth; Jesus is model; tor. a strong, real, personal relationship with Jesus; disciples making disAll of our groups operate on the ciples; and mission doing mission same principles. Each small group have served us well and have been has a lay pastor, a lay pastor constantly taught over the years. apprentice, and a host as well as a statement of purpose and written One of the ways we live into our agreements between the rector and core values is through collaboraeach of the positions listed above. tive leadership practiced through Each group also has a set of guidethe use of small groups. From the lines. Leadership positions are limbeginning, we set up small groups ited to three-year terms to prevent to manage the usual necessities of burn out and to make certain there PAGE 33

are always positions for newcomers to move into leadership roles. Working for Justice

Three years ago Iona-Hope launched our Justice Ministry small group, affiliated with the Lee (County) Interfaith for Empowerment or LIFE group. Each August, the Iona-Hope Justice Ministry group organizes house meetings for members of our congregation. Up to 10 people gather to discuss questions such as “What wakes you up at night” or “What is happening in our local community that aggravates you the most?” Responses are noted and a summary from all the groups is prepared. What has been amazing is how similar the answers are.

Following the house meetings, the leaders of our justice group participate in LIFE’s ingathering meeting where representatives from participating congregations share the findings from the many house meetings. Eventually, the many issues are narrowed into two or three. Again, it is amazing how similar the responses are and how well this process works.

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Late in the fall the entire group of represented congregations meet and select a general issue to focus on. This past year, the chosen issue was the large number of juvenile arrests for seemingly minor offenses and the negative effect these arrests had on a person’s record. A research to action group was formed, tasked with researching the issue to further assess the problem and beginning to seek solutions. In the spring the research is narrowed to a final issue and the groups begin to meet with local officials who have the authority to address the problem. The issue we finally settled on was the lack of the use of what are known as Civil Citations pursuant to Florida Statutes. Briefly stated county sheriffs and police chiefs have the option of issuing a Civil Citation instead of booking a minor on a misdemeanor and processing the individual through the court system. The Civil Citation program avoids an arrest record, the rate of recidivism is drastically reduced, the cost of processing is substantially reduced, and the minor does not have a record that can negatively affect their ability to qualify for scholarships, attend college, or get a job. Following Nehemiah

The individuals who can have the PAGE 34

most influence on the program are then asked to meet with us at our Nehemiah Action in the spring. The Nehemiah Action is our largest gathering and we try to get the largest possible number of people to these gatherings. Iona-Hope had 161 people in attendance, with the total attendance around 1200 people. The public officials (sheriff, chiefs of police, chief judge, states attorney) are then asked if they will do all they can to support the use of Civil Citations and to meet with representatives of LIFE on a regular basis to ensure that there is follow through in their promises. The officials who attended our Nehemiah Action promised to do all that they could to increase the use of civil citations. Within a few weeks the county sheriff changed the policy of his office to require that the arresting officer issue civil citations or that a written explanation be given if a citation was not issued.

This action was a resounding success and a win-win all the way around! At the same time the people of our congregation who had previously felt as if there was nothing they could do to change public policy were affirmed in every respect. They had found their power. In fact they are basking in the glory of these positive results and chomping at the bit to get started on the next issue. There

is also a very definite side benefit to all of our small groups because people can readily see how their efforts can be truly rewarded. The Benefit of Small Groups

At Iona-Hope, we’ve recognized that change often takes place when you start out small. Someone has an idea: They share it with others. A leader is identified. A small group forms. The group acts on the idea, shaping and forming it. And when the time comes, the group decides to continue, perhaps with new members and new leaders, or to disband.

Utilizing small groups and teams is a great way of providing organization for our congregations, especially our smaller congregations that do not have a full-time priest assigned. They provide an opportunity – and framework – for helping people with ideas to get them off the ground. It teaches the effort and direction necessary for recruitment of teams and team members. Our practice of having both lay pastors and apprentice lay pastors for each team – as well as term limits - provides opportunities for training the next generation of congregational leaders. John Adler is a recently retired Episcopal priest who planted both the Iona-Hope Episcopal Church in Fort Myers and Saint Monica’s

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Episcopal Church in Naples. He’s getting used to retirement while seeking to rejuvenate a consulting relationship with dioceses interested in planting congregations that will grow into parish status, welcoming methodology, and promoting regular check ups by visiting clergy. Try This What might it look life if your congregation adopted Iona-Hope’s small group model as a way to invite and involve people into the life of the congregation and its work in the wider community? To see how they organize – and advertise – their small groups, visit the small group page [http:// www.ionahope.org/small_groups] on Iona-Hope’s website.

Small Groups http://www. ionahope.org/small_groups

Learn more about how small groups function by reading these Iona-Hope newsletters July 2014 (see page 10 for a report from the Search and Call Team) http://images.acswebnetworks.com/1/786/ Newsletterforwebsite.pdf and August 2014 (especially page 10 for the Book Club Team and page 11 for the Booth Team) http://images.acswebnetworks. com/1/786/ AugustNewsletterforWeb.pdf

Talk about this at an upcoming vestry meeting. Introduce the leaders of your various groups and ministries to the idea. Are there a few people interested in starting a small group to try and get this started in your congregation? Resources

Iona-Hope Episcopal Church Core Values http://www. ionahope.org/core_values

Iona-Hope Episcopal Church PAGE 35

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Grupos Pequeños, Gran Impacto POR JOHN ADLER

¿Qué efecto puede tener una persona?

En la Iglesia Episcopal Iona-Hope, de Fort Meyers, Florida, sabemos que cada uno de nosotros puede tener un gran impacto. Somos prueba fehaciente de que cuando nosotros, como individuos, nos reunimos en grupos pequeños, y nuestros grupos pequeños se unen a otros grupos pequeños, podemos efectuar cambios reales. Permítanme contarles nuestra historia…

Fundada en 1998 como iglesia misionera en la Diócesis del Sudoeste de la Florida, Iona-Hope cuenta con un conjunto de valores centrales. Estos valores, fijados y aprobados por el comité timón que ayudó a establecer la feligresía, han sido afirmados y modificados a lo largo de los años. Nuestros valores centrales: todos son bienvenidos; apertura hacia el riesgo; cambio y crecimiento; Jesús es modelo; una relación fuerte, real y personal con Jesús; discípulos que forman discípulos; y, misión haciendo misión nos han servido bien y nos han enseñado constantemente a lo largo de los años.

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Una de las maneras en que vivimos nuestros valores centrales es mediante el liderazgo colaborativo ejercido en grupos pequeños. Desde el principio hemos creado grupos pequeños para gestionar las necesidades habituales de la feligresía (hermandad del altar, hospitalidad, ángeles de la oficina), responder a las necesidades que surgen (servicios de instalaciones de viviendas de adultos, comedores populares, equipo de tecnología) y reacción a una buena idea (club de libros, memorias para curación, ministerio de chal).

Nuestra norma siempre ha sido que si alguien tiene una idea encontraremos algún lugar para hacer que esa idea se cumpla. Siempre que alguien tiene una idea de ministerio, lo único que se requiere es ayudar a identificar un líder, completar un breve enunciado de propósito y acordar cumplir con un pacto establecido para grupos pequeños. A todos los miembros de la junta parroquial se les asigna un pequeño número de grupos para que permanezcan en contacto con ellos e informen sobre sus necesidades y actividades en las reuniones de la junta parroquial. Los líderes de los grupos se reúnen mensualmente

con el rector.

Todos nuestros grupos se desempeñan con los mismos principios. Cada grupo pequeño tiene un pastor lego, un aprendiz de pastor lego y un anfitrión, así como un enunciado de propósito y acuerdos por escrito entre el rector y cada uno de los cargos indicados más arriba. Todos los grupos tienen además un conjunto de directrices. Los puestos de liderazgo está limitados a tres años para prevenir el agotamiento y asegurar que siempre haya vacancias para que los recién llegados pasen a desempeñar papeles de liderazgo. Trabajar para la justicia

Hace tres años Iona-Hope inició nuestro grupo pequeño de Ministerio de Justicia, afiliado al Interfaith for Empowerment o LIFE Group del Condado de Lee. Todos los agostos, el grupo del Ministerio de Justicia de Iona-Hope organiza reuniones en hogares de miembros de nuestra feligresía. Hasta 10 personas se reúnen para hablar sobre interrogantes como “¿Qué lo mantiene despierto por la noche?” o “¿Qué es lo que más le molesta de lo que está pasando en nuestra

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comunidad local?” Las respuestas se escriben y se prepara un resumen de todos los grupos. Es realmente notable lo similares que han sido las respuestas.

dad para dirigirse al problema. El tema que elegimos finalmente fue la falta de uso de lo que se conoce como Citaciones Civiles, que son parte de las leyes de la Florida. En resumen, los sheriffs Después de las reuniones en y los jefes de policía del conhogares, los líderes de nuestro dado tienen la opción de emitir grupo de justicia participan en Citaciones Civiles en lugar de la reunión Ingathering de LIFE, fichar a un menor de edad por un en la que representantes de dife- delito menor y procesarlo medirentes feligresías participantes ante los tribunales. El programa comparten las determinaciones de Citaciones Civiles evita que de muchas reuniones en hogares. queden antecedentes de la detenFinalmente, muchos temas se ción, la tasa de reincidencia se reducen a dos o tres y nuevareduce drásticamente, el costo de mente es notable lo similares que procesamiento se reduce considson las respuestas y lo bien que erablemente y el menor de edad funciona este proceso. no tiene antecedentes penales que puedan tener un impacto A fines del otoño el grupo comnegativo sobre su habilidad de pleto de feligresías represenobtener becas, asistir a la univertadas se reúne y elige un tema sidad y conseguir un trabajo. general para concentrarse en él. El año pasado el tema elegido fue Acción Nehemiah el gran número de detenciones de menores de edad por infracA las personas con la mayor ciones aparentemente menores influencia en el programa se y los efectos negativos de esas les pide posteriormente que detenciones sobre los anteceden- se reúnan con nosotros en la tes penales de ellos. Se formó un primavera para nuestra Acción grupo de investigación para la Nehemiah . La Acción Nehemiah acción futura con el propósito de es nuestra mayor reunión e estudiar en problema en mayor intentamos contar con un gran profundidad y empezar a buscar número de participantes en soluciones. ella. Iona-Hope contó con 161 asistentes y la asistencia total En la primavera la investigación fue de cerca de 1200 personas. se reduce a un tema final y los Posteriormente se pregunta a grupos empiezan a reunirse con diversos funcionarios públicos funcionarios locales con autori(sheriffs, jefes de policía, jueces PAGE 37

principales, procuradores generales) si harán todo lo que esté a su alcance para apoyar el uso de Citaciones Civiles y si consentirán reunirse periódicamente con LIFE para asegurar que cumplan con sus promesas.

Los funcionarios que asistieron a nuestra Acción Nehemiah prometieron hacer todo lo que estuviera a su alcance para incrementar el empleo de citaciones civiles. A las pocas semanas, el sheriff del condado cambió la norma de su departamento para requerir que los agentes que detuvieran a menores de edad emitieran citaciones civiles o que explicaran por el escrito por qué no lo hicieron. Esta acción fue un éxito rotundo y una en que todos resultaron ganadores. A la vez nuestros feligreses, que anteriormente habían sentido que no podían hacer nada para cambiar la política gubernamental, dejaron de sentirse impotentes. Habían encontrado su poder. De hecho, todavía están disfrutando su triunfo y empezando a pensar en sus nuevos proyectos. También hubo un importante beneficio lateral para todos nuestros grupos pequeños: la gente pudo ver claramente que sus esfuerzos realmente podían dar fruto. El beneficio de los grupos

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En Iona-Hope, hemos reconocido que los cambios a menudo ocurren cuando uno empieza modestamente. Alguien tiene una idea que comparte con otras personas. Se identifica un líder. Se forma un grupo pequeño. El grupo actúa sobre la idea, moldeándola y formándola. Y cuando llega el momento, el grupo decide continuar, tal vez con nuevos miembros y nuevos líderes, o desbandarse. La utilización de grupos y equipos pequeños es una excelente manera de proporcionar organización a nuestras feligresías, especialmente a feligresías de menor tamaño que no tienen asignado un sacerdote a tiempo completo. Brindan una oportunidad – y un marco de referencia – para ayudar a la gente con ideas a que las convierta en realidad. Enseña la dirección y el esfuerzo necesarios para el reclutamiento de equipos. Nuestra práctica de tener pastores legos y aprendices de pastores legos en todos los equipos, así como límites de plazos, brinda oportunidades para capacitar a la próxima generación de líderes de las feligresías.

la comunidad más en general? Para ver cómo organizar – y publicitar – sus grupos pequeños, visite la página de grupos pequeños [http://www.ionahope.org/ small_groups] en el sitio web de Iona-Hope.

Hable sobre este tema en una reunión próxima de la junta parroquial. Presente la idea a los líderes de sus diversos grupos pequeños y ministerios. ¿Hay varias personas interesadas en iniciar un grupo pequeño para tratar de iniciarlo en su feligresía? John Adler es un sacerdote episcopal recientemente jubilado que inició las Iglesias Episcopales Iona-Hope en Fort Myers y Santa Monica´s en Naples. Se está acostumbrando a la jubilación, pero al mismo tiempo está tratando de revitalizar una relación de asesoría con diócesis interesadas en iniciar feligresías con miras a alcanzar el nivel de parroquia, la metodología de bienvenida y la promoción de chequeos periódicos realizados por sacerdotes visitantes.

Aprenda más sobre el funcionamiento de los grupos pequeños leyendo estos boletines de Iona-Hope de julio de 2014 (en la página 10 hay un informe del equipo Search and Call ) http:// images.acswebnetworks. com/1/786/ Newsletterforwebsite.pdf y de agosto de 2014 (especialmente página 10 para el Equipo Book Club Team y la página 11 para el Equipo Booth) http://images. acswebnetworks.com/1/786/ AugustNewsletterforWeb.pdf

Recursos

Pruebe esto

¿Cómo serían las cosas si su feligresía adoptara el modelo de grupos pequeños de Iona-Hope como una manera de invitar a la gente e involucrarla en la vida de la feligresía y en su labor en PAGE 38

Iona-Hope Episcopal Church Core Values http://www. ionahope.org/core_values

Iona-Hope Episcopal Church Small Groups http://www. ionahope.org/small_groups JULY/AUGUST 2014 :: LEADING CHANGE :: www.ecfvp.org

Pooling Resources

BY NANCY DAVIDGE, BASED ON CONVERSATIONS WITH JERRY JEFFERIES AND CAROLYNNE FAIRWEATHER Tillamook, Oregon has many similarities to other small cities across the United States. There’s a strong sense of community. Neighbors come together to support each other and to volunteer in the community’s many social service programs. The community supports a number of churches and other faith traditions with several working together in service to God’s mission as the Tillamook Ecumenical Community. For eight or more years, four Protestant Church members of the Tillamook Ecumenical Community, St. Alban’s Episcopal Church, St. John’s United Church of Christ, St. Peter Lutheran Church, and the Tillamook United Methodist Church, have also gathered for shared worship. Their practice of celebrating Fifth Sundays by worshipping and breaking bread together has strengthened the bonds between the congregations and laid the ground for not only working collaboratively in mission but also for three of these congregations to hire the same clergyperson as their pastor or priest-incharge. The Back Story

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These congregations – known locally as the Four Churches – have experienced the same decline in attendance and drop in income as other churches across the United States. As the congregations grew smaller, their leaders talked about what the future would bring and ways they might work together beyond the shared Fifth Sunday worship and their collective service to the community through the Tillamook Ecumenical Community.

As they recognized their smaller congregations were no longer able to adequately support their individual ministries, members of the Four Churches began to ‘show up’ in support of each other’s programs: Preparing and serving food at St. Alban’s Monday night free supper that feeds over 100 people each week. Packing sack lunches during the summer for the Grub Club program, which provides over 6,000 sack lunches to local children. Volunteering at the food pantry located at the Methodist Church as well as helping out at programs sponsored by one of the Four Churches. Working together, they organize and provide meals and housing to support community

events such as the 4K for Cancer Cyclists, the Army National Guard Concert Band performances, and international students attending a local marching band camp.

Four years ago, as a result of illness among the clergy, parish vacancies, and diminishing numbers in each congregation, conversations among the church leaders culminated in the creation of a full time clergy position, shared by three congregations representing three different Christian denominations. Jerry Jefferies, the part time pastor at St. Peter Lutheran Church was invited to also serve part time as pastor of Tillamook United Methodist Church (with the assistance of deacon Carol Brown) and as priest-in-charge at St. Alban’s Episcopal Church. Meanwhile, St. John’s UCC chose John Sandusky, a faculty member and licensed minister working at the local community college, as its own part time minister. This somewhat unusual position was possible because The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has full communion agreements with The Episcopal

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Church, the United Methodist Church, and the United Church of Christ. And, it was also possible because the congregations knew Jefferies from his years as parttime pastor at St. Peter and they were willing to give it a try. Maintaining Denominational Identity

Key to the success of this shared clergy position was a commitment to maintain distinct denominational identities. Having worshipped at each other’s churches during their shared Fifth Sunday services, as well as shared lessons and carols and Easter services, members were familiar with how their liturgies and practices were similar and where they differed. Episcopalians and Lutherans celebrate the Eucharist, the Methodists and members of the United Church of Christ, Communion. Some denominations use wine, others grape juice. The books in the pews are different and there are variations in when people stand, sit, or kneel. During the offering, givers have the option of designating which church their gift goes to. Undesignated funds support the ministries of the Tillamook Ecumenical Community.

“While most members of the Four Churches welcome our close PAGE 40

involvement, not everyone is comfortable with change,” says Jefferies. Some people have found this transition difficult. There are members who choose not to participate in the Fifth Sunday worship. “We keep loving them and recognize their feelings of hurt,” continues Jefferies. “From the beginning we pledged to maintain each congregation’s worship style and identity, the things that made them unique.” Sharing Resources

Smaller congregations, smaller budgets, and shared clergy also means changing the way work gets done in a congregation. It takes time for a once larger church to shift from the way things were done when they were bigger to a new way of operating that fits better with their now smaller size. Vestry and council members have needed to take on additional responsibilities, including making arrangements for Sunday worship when Jefferies is serving one of the other congregations. Sometimes this is a simple, lay led prayer service or discussion. Other times, a retired pastor leads Sunday worship. Together, they write a quarterly newsletter, with each church having its own page. Recently they completed a four-church pictorial directory. There has been talk of

joint Bible study, and perhaps a series of classes to learn more about each other’s faith traditions. But, these are small congregations, and sometimes good ideas take time to grow into programs. That They May All Be One

For Jefferies, serving congregations of three different Christian denominations has been transformational. “It has brought to life our shared faith tradition as worshippers of Jesus Christ. Now, every time I study or read Scripture or prepare a sermon, everything screams ‘unity’ and what we share in common. Think about Pentecost when people of all tongues were able to understand one another. Or, Jesus, praying for his disciples in John 17:1011.” (NRSV): “All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them. And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.”

On December 30, 2012, the Four Churches in Tillamook were the recipient of The Episcopal Diocese of Oregon’s first Distinction in Ecumenical and Interfaith Award. Carolynne

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Fairweather, David Mitchell, and Cynthia Reynolds from the Diocesan Ecumenical and Interfaith Commission presented the award, a beautiful processional banner, during a joint service of Lessons and Carols in which the combined choirs of the four churches led the congregation in singing. While making the presentation, Fairweather noted, “This venture has energized each church. It is an excellent example of ecumenism and faith in action.”

behaviors when it comes to change. With your vestry, watch Who Moved My Cheese (the movie - https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=tDNhEYpBPbY) and reflect on your responses to change: Can you read the handwriting on the wall? How would you rate your ability to anticipate change? How well do you adapt to change? Do you see change as an adventure or a threat? How prepared do you feel for things continuing to change?

Nancy Davidge is an associate program director at the Episcopal Church Foundation and editor of ECF Vital Practices. This article is based on conversations with Jerry Jefferies, priest-in-charge at St. Alban’s Episcopal Church and pastor for St. Peter Lutheran Church and the Tillamook United Methodist Church, in Tillamook, Oregon. Carolynne Fairweather is an Episcopal deacon and member of the Diocese of Oregon’s Ecumenical and Interfaith Commission. If you have questions, please contact Jerry an email at [email protected].

Full Communion Partners: Evangelical Lutheran Church in America http://www.elca.org/ Faith/Ecumenical-and-InterReligious-Relations/FullCommunion

Try this How does your congregation deal with change? Who Moved My Cheese by Spencer Johnson is a story that reflects common PAGE 41

Resources

John 17:6-12 https://www. biblegateway.com/ passage/?search=John+17

St. John’s United Church of Christ, Tillamook, Oregon http://www.stjohnsucctillamook.net

St. Peter Lutheran Church, Tillamook, Oregon http://stpeterlc-elca-tillamook.blogspot. com/p/home.html Tillamook Ecumenical Community http://www.stalbanstillamook.com/community-service/tec/ Tillamook United Methodist Church, Tillamook, Oregon http://tillamookmethodistchurch.org

Who Moved My Cheese (the movie) by Spencer Johnson https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=tDNhEYpBPbY

“On Easter and all year long, Tillamook churches work toward unity” by Nancy Haught, The Oregonian, March 30, 2013 http://www.oregonlive.com/ living/index.ssf/2013/03/on_ easter_and_all_year_long_ti_1. html St. Alban’s Episcopal Church, Tillamook, Oregon http://www. stalbanstillamook.com

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