Transcript Florida District UUA Third Thursday Seminar

The Rev. Joan VanBecelaere
District Executive, Ohio-Meadville District
Chalice Lighting
Overview
 Introductions
 Why Do We Do Assessment?
 When Do We Assess?
 When Not To Do Assessment
 How Not To Do Assessment
 What Do We Assess?
 Best Practices
 Where Do We Start? Models of Assessment
 Other Resources
Introduction
 The focus tonight is on Congregational assessment.
 We will discuss some special considerations & the
context for congregational assessment.
 We’ll talk about best practices.
 And we will briefly introduce some of the more
successful, useful models for assessment.
Why We Do Assessment
 To provide feedback for growth ,
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learning and development
A tool for planning
To measure and document
progress toward a goal
To understand strengths
(to build on them) and weaknesses (to address them)
To provide insight into the dynamics of a congregation
To foster congregational health
Why We Do Assessment
Who has time for an assessment?
 We never feel like we have time for it.
 It’s easy to put it on the back burner in light of more
pressing issues.
 Without objective information about your
congregational climate, you can end up miles down a
decision making path in the wrong direction.
 Periodic assessment is crucial to informed decision
making and effective leadership
Why We Do Assessment
We’ve got too much going on already.
 Don’t think of assessment as an additional “project”.
That can make it feel overwhelming.
 Think of it as a routine “check-up” to make sure you’re
healthy and aware of any potential issues.
 A check-up can give leadership the ability to be
“proactive” instead of “reactive”.
Why We Do Assessment
 For the same reason you look both ways before you
cross the street … to evaluate where you are, where you
are headed, identify any danger, and make wise
decisions going forward.
When Do We Assess
A church assessment is a listening tool.
 “Listening well" is critical to effective leadership.
 Members will feel heard, understood, and valued.
During periods of change:
 Transition in church leadership
 Shift in demographics of the church body
 Change in ministry focus of the church
 Restructuring of staff/program framework
When Do We Assess
During periods of new developments:
 Preparing for a large project like a capital campaign
 Creating new ministries or programs - assess readiness
 Expanding or relocating to another building
During periods of strategic planning:
 Identifying the priorities/goals for the coming year
 Finding the strengths of the church to be maximized
 Categorizing the needs of the faith community
 Budgeting for the future
When Do We Assess
As a regular habit:
 As part of a regular check-up of the congregation’s
health and ministry - to provide timely and relevant
feedback to leadership.
 Life moves fast and change is constant. Conduct
assessment every 12-18 months to stay on top of
congregational changes in the church.
What Do We Assess?
 Worship and identity as a faith community
 Location and facilities (sometimes)
 Internal and outreach oriented programs
 Religious education for adults, youth and children
 Leadership & organizational dynamics
 Member characteristics
 Stewardship and giving
 Attitudes and right relations
 System health
Questions to Ask
In considering assessment, ask yourselves:
 Do we have an accurate baseline of where we are now for
the purpose setting goals and objectives for the future?
 Is listening (openness to feedback) something we
genuinely value as part of our leadership model?
 What benefits can we foresee from an assessment?
 What issues/fears/problems cause us hesitation in
considering doing an assessment?
 Based on our calendar, what would be the best
timeframe to conduct a congregational review and
assessment?
When Not To Do Assessment
(or be very careful)
 In the midst of conflict or when
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anxiety is high
Close to budget time (budget time
raises anxiety already)
Outside of an expected or announced
schedule (no sudden surprise
assessments)
If the congregation or leadership can
not handle honest feedback.
If someone has an axe to grind!
How Not To Do Assessment
Assessment is not “Evaluation”
Evaluation is an act of determining “value.”
Assumes there is some set of standard criteria
against which judgment is made.
Presumes an authoritative, knowledgeable judge, able
to apply the criteria in an objective fashion.
Even in the physical world, this is debatable.
In relational world, such claims are suspect.
Evaluation usually tied to determinations
of merit or demerit or reward or punishment.
Assessment vs Evaluation
 Assessment is all about listening.
 Assessment is a “listening exercise” rather than a
“report card.” or evaluation. Don’t think in terms of
“score” but rather in terms of “awareness.”
 Every church will have things they are doing well and
things that could use some attention.
 Awareness of the issues is half the battle
 You gain awareness via listening to everybody, not just
select groups/committees/etc.
Assessment vs Evaluation
 Leadership needs a thick skin.
 Be prepared for overly critical comments and those
who communicate their opinions with little or no tact.
 Consider it a leadership compliment to have a house
stable enough not to be blown over by the occasional
outspoken critic.
 Do your best to stay objective and not get defensive.
 Remain open to receiving objective feedback for the
purpose of arriving at a clear view of reality.
Assessment vs Evaluation
 Even if you disagree with the feedback, dig for the
diamond rather than discarding it.
 Ask: “Assuming we’re dealing with a rational person
who doesn’t critique without cause (albeit emotionally
charged), is there a truth at the root of this critical
remark that we should be aware of?”
Assessment vs Evaluation
Guard against blaming individuals for weaknesses
discovered
Organizations operate the way they do because of ALL
of the people in the system.
Relationships determine behavior
My behavior influences you & yours
influences me
If you get unsatisfactory results, need
to change the system, not lay blame
Assessment Loop
Best Practices
Swing The Doors Wide.
 Invite as many people as possible to participate–the
more feedback the better.
 You want to know that you have a solid percentage of
the congregation’s population and that the data
represents the views of the members as a whole.
Best Practices
Be Genuine In Your Invitation.
 The more enthusiastic you are in saying “we really care
what you think and we want to hear from you,” the
better participation you’ll have.
 If you are not really welcoming, the people can sense
that and you’ll get minimal participation
 After all, who wants to spend 20 minutes taking a
survey if they don’t feel that their time and effort will
be valued?
Best Practices
Know When You Have A Valid Picture
 Minimum participation goal should be 20% of the
adult members, ideal is 25%-35%
 Don’t use small groups to assess. Each member needs
to do his or her own assessment work separate from
the "group think" of a discussion.
 Unlike a clergy or staff assessment, congregational
assessment is often anonymous, sometimes web
based.
 Often not statistically valid, but gives a good picture.
Best Practices
Be Patient
 Allow plenty of time to gather as much feedback as
possible.
 Survey window of 30-60 days
 Follow up with a series of leadership team meetings to
discuss the findings and results, identify the priority
issues, and make adjustments for the future.
 In some cases, the use of an objective, third-party
facilitator can be helpful in this process.
Best Practices
Analyze and Discuss the Results
 Compile findings and give to leadership for review.
 Leadership should discuss the results, looking at:
 Strengths and weaknesses discovered
 Areas of agreement and disagreement identified
 Disparity between how leaders and congregation
members view the congregation
 Underlying reasons for any disagreements unearthed
 Develop an overall summary of three strengths and
three areas of concern
Best Practices
Use the Data - Don’t create reports that are stuck on a shelf.
 After analyzing /discussing the data, set reasonable goals; how
you intend to use the findings to improve the congregation’s
life and work.
 Some goals may be huge, others minor
 Set well defined target goals (with a date attached) that give
a sense of direction and accountability.
 Don’t get overly complicated.
 The fewer goals you have the more focused you’ll be.
 Keep it simple and well defined.
Best Practices
Make Listening Part Of Your Routine.
 Do an assessment every 12-24 months to make sure
you’ve got your finger on the pulse of the congregation
 Much can change in a year or two.
 Awareness of strengths and issues is critical to healthy
leadership.
Where to Start: A Few Models
① Quarterly Congregational Assessment
Model
② Comprehensive Congregational Self-
Assessment Model
③ Congregatinal Self-Assessment and
Planning Retreat Model
A Few Models
 submitted by UU ministers and reviewed by CENTER
 web describes origin, context, benefits and challenges
and full process of each model
 include comprehensive as well as shorter models
 focus on Qualitative measures (effectiveness) and not
Quantitative (how many new members last month)
 full selection at: http://www.uuma.org/assessment
Quarterly Assessment
Developed by Rev. Kenn Hurto of Florida District.
Quarterly “Town Meeting” conversations:
Board invites a small focus group to a conversation on an
area of congregational life.
Choose a small set of appreciative inquiry questions.
Create the culture of routinely assessing some aspect of
congregational life.
Do one every quarter, leading to a rotating cycle.
Excellent for regular check-ups.
Quarterly Assessment
Possible Topics for Quarterly
Assessment ~ Two Year Cycle:
1Worship
2Adult Education & Spiritual Discernment
3Children's Religious Education
4Creating the Beloved Community
5Social Justice Witness
6Hospitality
7Board Management
8Fiscal Management
9Mission/Vision
Comprehensive Congregational
Self-Assessment
 Developed by John Buehrens and Lawrence Palmieri
Peers.
 Often used in conjunction with the Assessing Our
Leadership Model they also created. (on the UUA
website).
 Comprehensive and thorough, requires a significant
investment of time and leadership.
 The model, including all forms, can be found on the
UUA website at:
http://www.uua.org/documents/ftp/congselfassessmen
t.pdf
Comprehensive Congregational
Self-Assessment
Five parts:
 I. Choosing A Leadership Team for the
 II. Creating a Congregational Profile
 III. Creating a Congregational Self- Assessment
 IV. Creating Recommendations for Action
 V. Identifying your Congregations Relationship to
the Larger Community
Comprehensive Congregational
Self-Assessment
 Designed to measure the general health of the
congregation to identify goals and objectives.
 Ideal when a congregation is about to embark on a
long range planning process
 Involves the entire congregation and invoke a
greater sense of interest, awareness, ownership
and accountability.
 Aims for holistic understanding of health and next
steps.
Comprehensive Congregational
Self-Assessment
BENEFITS OF THE MODEL
 Comprehensive
 Involves a great number of people
 Because of the broad participation and the depth of
the exploration, the results have a tendency to be
compelling
 Explores systemic health, ie. the strengths, abilities,
focus and passion of the whole rather than a selecte
group
Comprehensive Congregational
Self-Assessment
CHALLENGES OF THE MODEL
 Requires an incredible investment of time
 Requires the participation of key leaders as well as
those moving into leadership
 Requires follow up to incorporate findings into action
plans and an intentional process to incorporate and
monitor those plans in the future
Self-assessment & Planning
Retreat Model
 Developed by Nancy Bowen and Howell Lind
 Short duration / high intensity explorative assessment
created by congregational leadership
 The majority of the thinking / processing / choosing
of goals, milestones and strategies is done in a single
day retreat.
 An assessment form is provided and can be filled out
by all participants ahead of time to stimulate thinking.
Self-assessment & Planning
Retreat Model
 Uses appreciative inquiry tools to identify success and
look for ways to build on the decisions / actions that
brought it about.
 Tries to accomplish some of the same objectives of the
Comprehensive Congregational Self-Assessment
model in less time
 Ideal when time is short and a congregation wants
input from the major stakeholders but doesn’t want
the deliberation to carry on over time.
Self-assessment & Planning
Retreat Model
 Outcomes of the retreat can be useful for those
working on meta-level organizational / strategic
planning.
 Good tool for assessment when a new minister arrives
to activate congregational leaders and give the new
minister deeper understanding of the aims of the
stakeholders.
Self-assessment & Planning
Retreat Model
BENEFITS OF THE MODEL
 Short time frame
 Gets input from leadership and key people
 Focuses on the systemic health, ie. the strengths,
abilities, focus and passion of the
whole congregation
 Has the aim of naming and building
on strengths and ideals.
Self-assessment & Planning
Retreat Model
CHALLENGES OF THE MODEL
 Requires a fairly high energetic, intense plea for
people’s attention / participation.
 As a one day event, there will be key people who won’t
be able to attend whose buy-in is needed later.
 Requires follow up to incorporate findings into action
plans and an intentional process to incorporate and
monitor those plans in the future
Other Online Resources
 UUA Office of Transitions Congregational Survey
 “Conducting an Effective Ministerial Search
Survey” http://www.action-research.com/uua/
 Feeds into the ministerial search process.
 Results can help define what a congregation is looking
for in a minister.
 Provides potential candidates with a profile of who you
are as a congregation.
Other Online Resources
Hartford Seminary Congregational Assessment Tools
http://hirr.hartsem.edu/leadership/church_inventory.html
 The Church Planning Inventory
Designed to contribute to a serious in-depth planning
process. Acomprehensive analysis of church programs,
including youth & adult education, giving, missions, and
evangelism.
 The Parish Profile Inventory
A shorter version, suitable for when a church needs a general
overview of congregational dynamics or when the length of the
survey is an important issue.
Other Online Resources
 The Pastoral Search Inventory
Focuses on the questions a congregation seeks in its ministerial
leadership. A different survey model for congregations looking
for a new minister.
Other Resources
 UUMA/CENTER Resource: Assessment Models for Clergy
and Congregations http://www.uuma.org/assessment
 Jill M. Hudson, “When Better Isn’t Enough: Evaluation
Tools for the 21st Century Church;” Alban Institute
• McKinsey & Company’s “Capacity Assessment Grid,”
http://www.venturephilanthropypartners.org/learning/repo
rts/capacity/assessment.pdf or
http://www.emcf.org/pub/readingroom/mckinseyselfassess
ment.htm
Questions?
Thank you for being here today!