Episcopal Church Foundation Vestry Papers - for leading congregations

Many are saying that we are living through one of the most polarized periods in U.S. history. They point out that we, as a nation, are now divided into extremes: left and right, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican. What's more, the long-held practices of civility, agreeing to disagree, of reaching across the aisle in search of consensus, are now widely viewed as ineffectual and naive.

Against this backdrop, I find it fairly remarkable that many Episcopal churches continue to use consensus to make key decisions about their congregational life. It is truly countercultural!

As anyone who has ever been part of such a process knows, deciding by consensus can be a sort of endurance test for all involved. While inspiring, it is also lengthy, trying, and it assumes a heightened ability for working across differences. One leadership group* defines consensus decisions as "ones where each and every member of a team is willing to support and help implement the decision. All key stakeholders have had an opportunity to give their opinion and understand the implications of various options. All members, including the leader, have the same formal power to support or block proposals.” Click here for steps in consensus decision making processes.

At its best, deciding by consensus helps prevent a church’s leadership team from becoming divided into ‘winners’ and ‘losers’ around key issues pertinent to the life of the congregation. Because the aim is to find unity rather than agreement, the process can actually foster stronger relationships within a community. That said, there are also real drawbacks to this method. I’ve already mentioned how long this process can take. Particularly contentious issues may require two or three meetings for discussion. Also, when handled poorly, this method can result in either the ‘tyranny of the minority’ (where just one or two individuals refuse to engage the process) or ‘false unanimity’ (where those one or two holdouts feel extreme pressure to conform to the wider group).

There is a lot of information out there about how to facilitate a successful consensus decision making process. The following four tips for doing so come from two groups: the Episcopal Church’s Fresh Start program (2013 Update: Fresh Start is no longer an active program) and Interaction Associates, a training group that focuses on facilitative leadership.

• Prepare for the decision: Not only is this an opportunity to make a decision, it’s also an opportunity to educate your leadership team on the ins and outs of a particular issue. Fresh Start notes that “the group must have a clear understanding of what is to be decided, have all necessary background information and facts needed to make an intelligent decision.”
• Put all ideas on the table without criticism
• Choose the appropriate amount of time: For particularly contentious issues, you may need to meet over the course of multiple meetings.
• Have decided on an alternative: Realistically speaking, consensus may not be possible within the limited amount of time set aside for a particular issue. While you should try to stick with this method, Interaction Associates advises that facilitators have a decided upon fallback method that will help to avoid forcing false unanimity.