Transcript Back to the Basics

Back to the Basics
Vestry School
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Back to the Basics
Due to copyright, the cartoon that appeared here
is not reproduced. Visit www.glasbergen.com.
Back to the Basics

It’s NOT OK that
 congregations
struggle with
 Deteriorating
buildings
 Dwindling memberships
 Minimal budget
 the
Church no longer has role in Public Discourse
 we’re locked in antagonistic relationships
Back to the Basics

It’s NOT OK that
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old models of organization have decayed
young people raised in the church have left
and we have not attracted any to replace them
theological and liturgical changes meant to grow
the Church have left it smaller and irrelevant
Back to the Basics
The
Church
is NOT OK
Back to the Basics

What does it mean to be a Christian
Leader in an Episcopal congregation?
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Christian 101
Leadership 101
Polity of the Episcopal Church 101
Christianity 101

From “An Outline of the Faith” –
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“What is Holy Baptism?”
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“Holy Baptism is the sacrament by which God
adopts us as his children and makes us members
of Christ’s Body, the Church, and inheritors of the
kingdom of God.”
Christianity 101
Christianity 101
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Jesus’ Baptism marked his true identity
Jesus’ Baptism marked his kinship with God
Jesus’ Baptism propelled his ministry of love
Our Baptism marks our true identity
Our Baptism marks our kinship with God and with
one another
Our Baptism SHOULD propel our ministry of love
Christianity 101

From “An Outline of the Faith” –

“What is the duty of all Christians?”
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“The duty of all Christians is to follow Christ; to
come together week by week for corporate
worship; and to work, pray and give for the
spread of the Kingdom of God.”
Christianity 101
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“The duty of all Christians . . .
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Follow Christ
Work for the spread of the Kingdom of God
Pray
Give
Christianity 101

Belonging to a Christian Community doesn’t
make you a Christian any more than walking
into your garage makes you a car

It’s believing, and acting on that belief, each
and every moment of your life that makes
you a Christian
Leadership 101
Due to copyright, the cartoon that appeared here
is not reproduced. Visit www.glasbergen.com.
Leadership 101

“Leadership Style Indicator” – from packet
(You can find both the Indicator and the Scoring
Mechanism at http://www.teal.org.uk/styledn.htm)
 Circle
number indicating your agreement
#1 Strongly Disagree to #5 Strongly Agree
Leadership 101
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Transfer scores from the Indicator to the grid on
the second page of the Indicator
Take care to subtract the score you awarded to the
questions given in the final row of the grid. This will
give scores for each of the Leadership Styles. For some
the scores may be clustered quite closely together,
others will have more variation - this is a function of
how closely you grouped your scoring.
Leadership 101
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Pioneering Leadership Style
Strategic Leadership Style
Management/Administration Leadership Style
Team Leadership Style
Pastoral Leadership Style
Encouraging Leadership Style
Leadership 101

Again – The Leadership Style Indicator and the
Scoring Mechanism can be found at:
http://www.teal.org.uk/styledn.htm
Leadership 101
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Story of the Exodus –
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God had a purpose for their journey - vision
God provided manna to sustain them – trust
The journey, not the destination, shaped them
Moses – Pioneering Leadership Style
Aaron – Management Leadership Style
The irony of the leadership dance
Leadership 101

Max DePree – on leadership
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“The first responsibility of a leader is to define
reality. The last is to say thank you. In
between the two, the leader (and I might add
leaders – as the whole Vestry or Bishop’s
Committee) must become a servant and a debtor.
That sums up the progress of an artful leader.”
Leadership 101
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“The End to Business as Usual”
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Vestry’s job is to run the congregation
Goal is to keep longtime members happy
They have skills to do the work of the Vestry
NOT
Leadership 101
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Vestries need to think about congregations future
Take risks & make radical commitment to change
Seek methodologies that suit this era
Vestries need to be savvy about church systems
Need consistent and accurate metrics
Vestries need to listen to the marketplace
Leadership 101
“If vestries stepped back from day-to-day
operations, took on entrepreneurial attitudes,
learned from others, got smart about church
dynamics, made a radical and informed commitment
to engaging a changing world, and stopped blaming
the recession, they could turn this decline around
quickly and set a new growth era in motion. But
business as usual will sink us.”
Leadership 101
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Episcopal Church Foundation Web Site:
www.ecfvp.org/vestrypapers/healthypractices/the -end-to-business-as-usual
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Church Wellness Web Site:
www.morningwalkmedia.com/churchwellness/project-materials/leadershipdevelopment/
Leadership 101
“Stop asking God to bless
what you’re doing. Get
involved with what God is
doing – because it’s
already blessed.”
Episcopal Polity 101
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As members of the Episcopal Church we
have several things that free leadership from
the burden of micro-managing the parish
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The Constitution and Canons of the Episcopal Church
The Constitution and Canons of the Diocese of FdL
The Book of Common Prayer
The traditions of the Diocese and the Congregation
Episcopal Polity 101
Episcopal Polity 101
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National Constitution:
Outlines structure of The Episcopal Church
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National Canons:
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Title
Title
Title
Title
I – Rights & Responsibilities of laity
II – Worship of the Episcopal Church
III – Ministry of Church; Lay & Ordained
IV – Disciplinary Process
Episcopal Polity 101
The
Constitution and Canons
Of The
Diocese of Fond du Lac
And
Rules of Order
And
Other Official Information
Amended and Revised by the 135th Annual Diocesan Convention 2009
Meeting in Minocqua, Wisconsin
Episcopal Polity 101
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Diocesan Constitution and Canons – examples
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How to live together as separate congregations
Responsibilities of Diocesan Committees
Officers every congregation must have
Financial accountability of each congregation
It’s in there!
Episcopal Polity 101
Constitution and Canons of National Church
and the Diocese of Fond du Lac
found on Diocesan web site at
www.diofdl.org
Episcopal Polity 101
Episcopal Polity 101
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BCP frees leadership in congregation from
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having to outlining and structure worship
selecting Scripture for use on Sundays
Rubrics in BCP free leaders from
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deciding who does what, when
what to require regarding the Sacraments
Episcopal Polity 101
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Traditions of diocese and congregation help
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when your priest retires
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Diocese has “best practices” to aid the search
when to hold Annual Meeting in a congregation
with a lot of “snow birds”
Back to the Basics
You have been Baptized with the
power of the Holy Spirit to respond
to Jesus’ call to serve God and serve
your neighbor.
Back to the Basics
You have been elected by members of
your congregation to be leaders; respond
by being a leader that will move the
congregation into a better future, leading
and helping them serve God and their
neighbor.
Back to the Basics
You have been given helpful
boundaries in the “Constitution and
Canons” and The Book of
Common Prayer to free you to do
this work of service.
Back to the Basics
NOW - -
“Go in peace to love and
SERVE
the Lord.”