Episcopal Church Foundation Vital Practices

by Peter Strimer on May 17, 2012

I somehow think that other rectors did not spend their last days of sabbatical crawling clubs in Chicago or dancing in front of the stage at Buddy Guy’s. But that is how my time away ended and I loved every minute of it.

As I spend my first days back at St. Andrew’s I am trying not to lose the freedom and spirit that I felt in my four months away. The time in Africa put me in touch with other cultures that unhooked me from the driven American linear life and gave me a new flow. Time at Taize unhooked me further. Traipsing Sicilian streets and ruins, I connected to La Dolce Vita and then spent time in Chicago leading the High Life.

I have come home to a church that likes to party. I thought it was hilarious that I spent a good portion of my first day back in the office making arrangements for our upcoming June 2 Annual Auction with a theme of Margaritaville: A Night in Key West. This Friday we will be hosting an African Rhythms Coffee House. This Sunday is our Rose Brunch, a fabulous feast for all our church school volunteers. Then the Pentecost picnic. Then Cosmic Bowling with the acolytes.

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by Miguel Angel Escobar on May 16, 2012

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.

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by Richelle Thompson on May 16, 2012

The build-it-and-they-will-come approach worked for Kevin Costner and baseball. But as a media strategy, it’s a strikeout.

All too often, we have a great event or a unique fundraiser to which we’ve committed time, energy, and money. But we wait until every other detail is complete before we think about how to promote the event. Or we post it on our Facebook page or to a listserv and then sit back and wait for the swarms to emerge.

I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating: A good media strategy isn’t an afterthought. It’s developed and woven throughout any project. And it’s proactive, seeking to put the information in front of the storytellers at every level, from the neighborhood newsletter to the regional radio station, from the diocesan newspaper to the church-wide press. 

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by Steve Ayers on May 15, 2012

Is anyone else concerned about our church’s impassioned embrace of depression as we look toward General Convention and a challenging future? The Episcopal blogosphere is full of articles underscoring our grim institutional trajectory. A couple of the best are from Episcopal Journey of Hope – Where Have All the Rectors Gone? – a stark appraisal of declining job opportunities in the Midwest, and from The Crusty Old Dean – Guns, Germs and the Episcopal Church, a challenge to the church to radically restructure or collapse.

A few observations:

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by Jeremiah Sierra on May 14, 2012

My girlfriend and I have been watching Downton Abbey, which you may have heard about if you live in the Western hemisphere. In the last episode of season one, set in 1914, the Earl’s country house gets a telephone. Some of the staff wonders whom they could possibly call. “No one you know has a telephone,” says a footman. “They will, you’ll see,” says a housemaid. “Will you show us how it works,” someone asks the head butler when the phone is installed. He refuses. “A telephone is not a toy but a useful and valuable tool.”

Indeed, technology has a somewhat fraught place in our lives and our communities. Churches need to stay relevant and connected, but they also need to keep in mind that technology is mainly a tool for the church’s larger mission, and maintain perspective.

Many churches, especially smaller churches, often undervalue technology. With tight budgets and busy schedules it’s easy to put buying new computers for the staff or upgrading the website on the back burner, but technology directly affects how the church and its staff are able to interact with the rest of the world. Our technology has progressed far beyond the telephone, of course. Now churches should be conscious of who they are cutting off when they neglect their website: an old website or non-existent Facebook page may prevent people from ever visiting a church. The Internet is where most people under 30 will start when looking for a new church, and so the webpage is the first thing they’ll see.

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