Episcopal Church Foundation Vestry Papers - for leading congregations

“Man plans and God laughs.” 

Has this wonderful Yiddish proverb ever been uttered in your vestry meeting? We can spend months planning a project or a new ministry, but sometimes it just doesn’t get traction. The wheels of our motivation and creativity get stuck, or some new priority rises up to block our path, or no one volunteers, so the church chugs along in the same ol’ ruts of the road. 

We intuitively understand that getting people involved in the early stages of change creates support, buy-in and ownership. But how do we get folks to pay attention, let alone volunteer to help?

For the next few months, my ECF Vital Practices blog posts will offer ways to engage people in prayerful discussions about the ministries and direction of their congregation. Four key practices will be explored: Celebrate. Listen. Be inspired. Plan. Most importantly, as each practice is employed, pray.

There are many ways to build consensus once you get a group together. Vestries, like many boards of directors, often sequester themselves away in annual planning retreats where the brainstorming is fun, team-building thrives and priorities become obvious. In a company, executives leave the retreat and start implementing with employees who are paid to follow. In a congregation, leadership leaves the retreat and hopes that the next newsletter and coffee hour forum will entice one-fourth of the one-third of the members who came on Sunday to help. 

Okay, so it’s hard. But we hold to God’s Word, “For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2: 10). Since God created each of us to do His work, how He must delight in bringing our diverse gifts together in His church! Begin your congregational planning by celebrating the gifts God has gathered together in your congregation. 

Identifying those gifts can be a very fun process. Nearly everyone enjoys the opportunity to share what they love. Be intentional about gathering stories just by asking one question, “What do you really love to do?” Ask it in a variety of venues (ECW meeting, choir rehearsal, all ages of Sunday school classes, and yes, coffee hour). Assign people to record the answers, succinctly yet with enough color to reflect how gifts are used. 

Once your “What do you love to do tour” has ended, announce a congregational meeting to reveal all of the answers. In advance of the meeting, neatly write the responses on pages and pages of flip chart paper and hang them around the room. Also in advance, invite a dozen or so people to speak at the meeting, sharing their answers verbally. Make it a party – serve cake and ice cream, decorate with balloons or flowers, and celebrate! 

Celebrate how our loving God has blessed us each with gifts that bring us joy when we use them. Celebrate that God has assembled all these gifts in your congregation. 

In my work with congregations as a capital campaign and strategic planning consultant for the Episcopal Church Foundation, I have seen the wisdom in taking time to pray and listen after input from the congregation is obtained. Pray for the wisdom to discern what God is calling you to do with all of these wonderful gifts and passions. Perhaps the gifts most frequently cited will reflect your existing ministries. Maybe you will discover entirely new ministry opportunities based on the gifts revealed. 

As you understand your congregation’s gifts, listen and look for needs that exist within your membership, the surrounding neighborhood or the community or diocese. How inspirational it is to find the connection between one’s gifts and the needs of your exact corner of the Kingdom! Be inspired by setting a vision for the impact of those ministry gifts. Then prayerfully plan, creating strategies to live into that vision. 

Celebrate. Listen. Be inspired. Plan. Together, these practices result in a heightened sense of identity, purpose and direction.

More ideas for each of these key practices will be shared in the months ahead. At least that’s my plan. Did I just hear a chuckle?

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