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Interim Start-Up Workshop Begins a Congregational Conversation

from the Transition Team

On the weekend of November 11 and 12, 2016 the Rev. Sarah Gibb Millspaugh, of the Unitarian Universalist Association Congregational Life Staff of the Pacific Western Region facilitated an interim Start-Up workshop for UUCT members, friends and staff. Thirty-eight participated on Friday and forty-five on Saturday.

Rev. Millspaugh noted that, "All professional ministries are huge emotional and financial investments, whether they are called ministries, interim ministries or contract ministries. A Start-Up workshop is an important way to protect that investment by  Examining the myths and values at work in the congregation,  Recognizing the stories that are still influencing the congregation,  Clarifying roles and expectations, and  Setting some initial goals.”

At the Friday evening session, we constructed an historical timeline for UUCT from its 1948 founding through November, 2016 that looked at four areas of congregational life: conflict, governance, money and ministry. During this process, many of us shared personal stories of our own histories with UUCT, and it became obvious that some stories about UUCT congregational life are remembered differently by different people.

Rev. Sarah began the Saturday morning session with a leadership game: Follow Me – Follow You which led to an interesting discussion about how we choose our actual UUCT congregational leaders. She noted that all of us are “energy leaders” and that the energy that we bring to the church plays a large role in the life of our church. Next, we paired off and discussed a time in the past when each of us needed to say something to another person, but did not do so. We were asked to discuss how this failure to speak the truth affected that relationship and how this made each of us feel, in some situations, many years later.

Rev. Millspaugh noted that this activity related to trust issues in a religious congregation, that if lines of communication between minister – member – governance – staff are perceived as not open, we will protect ourselves by leaving the congregation, not contributing financially, or demonstrating other separative behaviors. In such a system, she said, we become less trustworthy and less transparent, and that we can restore trust by again being trustworthy. And that this restoration of trust begins by healing the trust in the minister and the lay leaders of the congregation. After some discussion, we generated the following list:

Things to Do to Rebuild Trust

1. Involve as many people regardless of past history. 2. Fulfill pledges. 3. Listen – open and honest communication. 4. Get to know each other & their story. 5. Meet task commitments (do what I promise). 6. Be honest. 7. Engage in activities. 8. Follow through with commitments. 9. Intervene / interrupt triangulation about church members or congregational life. 10. Attend more church functions (see and be seen). 11. Transparency – longer, better newsletter articles. 12. Assume benignity in everyone. 13. Reach out to those who just come in and sit down to learn who we are. 14. Listen and validate perspectives. 15. Follow up and follow through with conflict resolution. 16. Ask new people to sit with me.

In the afternoon, we spent considerable time in a whole-group activity generating and ranking priorities for the two-year interim ministry time. The list is as follows:

The Most Important Congregational Priorities for The Interim Ministry Time

1. Intentionally attract younger people, involve & appreciate them: 18 votes; 2. Continued effort to bring transparency & ethical decision making to finances: 17; 3. Create excitement & fun: 16; 4. Settle our governance (format, structure, process): 14; 5. Be kind. Reconsider, revise and be faithful to our covenant of right relations: 13; 6. Build up stewardship of time, talent & treasure – spiritual practice: 12; 7. Refresh, upgrade physical plant: 12; 8. Healing – programs, worship & activities, recognize complexity: 11; 9. Make transparency & building trust a two-way street between leaders & members: 11; 10. Forgive ourselves and each other: 10; 11. Small group ministry: 9; 12. Attract more families with children: 9; 13. Active social justice program: 8; 14. Transparency in ministerial search and search committee: 6; 15. Grow, support, nurture volunteer leadership: 6; and 16. Actively embrace the demographics of Tucson: 6.

Other priorities included clear, easy-accessed communication system – understanding 21st century process, lowering anxiety regarding finances & building trust with money, building relationships & trust with district, UUA & UU movement, engaging our faith in active ways beyond Sunday morning, discernment of our congregation & growth, and engaging all members & friends in the process.

Next Steps

The next steps in our interim process, as suggested by Rev. Sarah, are to combine the above priorities into a realistic, achievable task list for our congregation during the interim period, and

come to an understanding about responsibilities: which are our lay leaders’ responsibilities, which are our interim minister’s responsibilities, and which responsibilities are shared by the minister and lay leaders.

Our time together in the Start-Up workshop circle, as well as prior participation by many UUCT members and friends in Meet & Greet conversations with Rev. Lyn, enabled us to address, to some extent, three tasks of the interim ministry:

1. Claim and honor our past and heal our grief and conflicts

2. Illuminate our unique identity, our strengths, our needs and our challenges

3. Renew connections with available resources, within and beyond the UUA.

As we continue through the interim period we will continue to address the above three interim tasks as well as two others:

4. Clarify the multiple dimensions of our leadership, both ordained and lay, and navigate the shifts in leadership that accompany times of transition

5. Renew our vision, strengthen our stewardship, prepare for new professional leadership, and engage our future with anticipation and zest.

As Rev. Sarah noted: “This is work that will help this congregation begin a healthy new chapter with your minister."

From Rev. Sarah Millspaugh

(Please note that, although Rev. Sarah Millspaugh sent the following email on November 15 to the Start-Up workshop participants, her comments concern all UUCT members and friends. She requests that all Start-Up participants complete an online evaluation of the Start-Up at the indicated internet site.)

November 15, 2016

Thank you so much for sharing your time, energy, stories, ideas, and wisdom at the Interim Ministry Startup Workshop on the November 11-12 weekend. I very much enjoyed my time with you, getting to know you individually and as a congregation. I am delighted to be your partner in moving forward into a happier, more harmonious, and FUN congregational future.

Please take few minutes to share your feedback with me on this workshop. As someone who will be leading many Startup Workshops, I’d really like to know what you appreciated and where there’s room to improve: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/UUCT

I also want to share with you my appreciation of who you are, and where you are at in your congregational story. You are good people who have much to be proud of in who you are and what you’ve accomplished as a congregation. You’ve identified some of the real hurts you’ve endured over the years from conflict and polarization, and from clergy misconduct and its aftermath. You’re recognizing that you’re part of a system where trust has been broken, and that you are called to do the tender and courageous work of rebuilding trust. You also recognize the work of this interim period is work that you all can do: not just the work of loving one another but also the good work of clarifying your governance and building up a sense of stewardship. From my standpoint, it appears that the troubles you have faced with finances and governance over the years are interrelated with the trust issues that have understandably emerged from your history. You will do well to approach the heart work together with the stewardship and governance work, knowing that the success of each depends on the other.

I mentioned that I hail from the UU Church of Boulder, Colorado, which has a history with many parallels to your own. I am not sure if I mentioned that the congregation is thriving today, and was featured in the UUWorld last year. Congregations can, and do, overcome difficult legacies and write new stories of vibrancy and joy. With Rev. Lyn, your excellent leaders, and you—each of you—I can see you on the path to the congregation you dream about. I have faith in you.

Yours on the journey, Sarah