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Congregational and Leadership Assessment Ministry Dept, UUA |
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Congregational and Leadership Assessment Ministry Dept, UUA |
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Speakers:
Rev. David Hubner, UUA Department of Ministry
Rev. Jay Atkinson, Unitarian Universalist Church of Studio City, CA
Beverly Smrha, UUA Field Staff
The Assessing Our Leadership task force has been working for seven years, and has completed their report.
David Hubner said that the need is to figure out how well we're doing in our ministry, broadly defined. He's seen assessment done in a hurry, and done to try to resolve conflicts, neither of which work well. We need a democratic and fair way to see where a congregation is and where it's going.
Beverly Smrka introduced herself, explaining that she comes to the process as a layperson. Twenty years ago her church board asked its Committee on Ministry to come up with an evaluation process for a newly hired minister. They found nothing to support the quality of relationship that they wanted, and hence needed to find their own paths.
Jay Atkinson pointed out that in any corporation there is an evaluation process, but the famous management expert Peter Drucker has said that most evaluations are incompatible with the dignity of the workplace, focusing on finding weaknesses and looking only at the short term. When we assess, we must be clear what's being assessed and against what standards as a system challenge. Assess the leadership team of the congregation, whoever that is, board, committee chairs, minister, or others. When assessing ministry, consider all that the congregation does for its membership and its wider community. The first step of the process must take place within the congregation, determining its strategic goals and explicating its mission and its vision. What does the congregation hope to achieve? The assessment process measures against the strategic goals. Within the leadership, roles must be defined and must be clear among the various leadership members.
David Hubner confirmed that mission, vision, and goals come first. Assessment without that is futile, and is influenced or captured by the people on the committee. First the congregation needs to know why people are there at all; the UUA's congregational assessment does the first part democratically. That helps leaders define themselves and define their roles.
Bev Smrha gave an example of a congregation which was generally in good shape, but the committees were all going in different unrelated directions, missing a mission and vision. They needed to define their mission and vision, then their strategic plans and goals. Then leadership could make short term plans. After that it was possible to assess the leadership and created measurable goals to support the congregations' direction. Then they could turn around and see if the definition of the congregation's goals were correct, and where different or more resources were needed.
David Hubner suggested that a congregation should set a three to five year plan with annual goals for individual groups. Direct conversation among the congregation is more effective than questionnaires to determine the plan.
Bev Smrha said it's necessary to balance self-assessment with group truth telling, with leaders assessing themselves and then sharing what they find with others to foster a high quality relationship among leaders.
The role of the Committee on Ministry is important within the assessment process. It's not the same as a ministerial relations committee, the CoM represents the congregation as a whole, and needs the trust of the congregation and the minister to attend to the ministerial health of the whole congregation.
The Congregational Self Assessment packet will be available online at www.uua.org/promise/assessment.pdf. The Assessing our Leadership packet will be available at www.uua.org/programs/ministry/publications/assessing.pdf. Printed copies of both are available for $10 from Jean Hartman at the Department of Ministry, jhartman@uua.org.Reported for the Web by John R. Levine
General Assembly 2001 · Program Grid
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