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New Staff? Let's Do a Start Up! Central Midwest District |
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New Staff? Let's Do a Start Up! Central Midwest District |
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Workshop presenters were Dori Davenport, Religious Education Consultant, and Angela Merkert, District Executive, both of Central Midwest District. Davenport has 18 years' experience in three districts and Merkert has been involved with congregational services for 16-17 years.
The approximately three-dozen participants brought with them a wide range of experiences in working with a wide variety of combination of professional ministerial and non-ministerial staffs. Some were in the midst of calling new ministers, hiring DREs, or interims. Others had multiple ministers or music directors. Some had come to find out what the heck is a Start Up, and others came to share horror or success stories.
Typically, a Start Up is a one-day or a weekend-long retreat conducted by a UUA field staff at the request of a congregation soon after calling a new minister or hiring a Religious Education staff to help them clarify directions and develop goals for the next several years. Participants typically include the new hire, the Board of Trustees, lay leaders, and all professional staff whose jobs interconnect with those of the new hire.
An interim minister may request a Start Up under certain circumstances, for example, if thecongregation has had a long ministry prior to the interim ministry, or if there has been some serious conflict.
It is important that those participating in a Start Up stay for the whole process and not simply drop in mid-way or leave early before goals and objectives are developed. In addition to the goals and objectives at the end of the retreat, often some sort of covenant statement between the congregation and the new hire emerges. At the conclusion of the retreat, participants should come up with a plan of action, deadlines, and assignments of tasks to individuals. In addition, someone should be responsible for tracking these action plans and to make sure that they are carried out.
The four-step retreat procedure is outlined below (presenter's handout):
What is a Start-Up?
It is a weekend or day with the goal of clarifying and developing the directions of the congregation for the next several years. It is a time when the focus of a new minister or religious educator, lay leadership, and the congregation is placed on the priorities and goals of the transition period. The Start-Up also provides an opportunity to identify or clarify role expectations and develop an initial covenant among the participants. It is a time of expressing the congregation's hopes for the new minister or religious educator. By the end of the weekend the congregation learns more about itself and about what the role of minister or religious educator includes and how time is measured to do that work.
The Start-Up is ideally scheduled within the first twelve weeks following the arrival of a new minister or religious educator and includes the following:
- Congregational Timeline - a look at the congregation's history
Identify the themes, myths, and norms (unwritten rules) that emerge from the history. Also name the accomplishments.
What is this congregation's identity? How does it answer, Who are we?
Other questions to consider include: Which of the values does the congregation want to preserve? Which could be problematic for the new staff person? Which add vitality to congregational life?- Develop goals for the major areas of development in which to work over the next year.
Work for the minister, other staff, the board, the congregation. Review the role of minister or religious educator and identify time requirements. Prioritize the roles the congregation assumes of this person. Identify areas for shared ministry.- Develop action plans, including assignments and deadlines for the top priority goals.
- How we will be together-initial steps of covenanting. Identify the qualities desired in the work of the congregation.
Reported for the Web by Kok Heong McNaughton; photos by Tori Bell
General Assembly 2001 · Program Grid
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