The Smart Church, By Connie Goodbread
February 2007

What happens in your congregation
when someone is offended,
uncomfortable or fearful?

We should try our best to be caring, kind and sensitive members and leaders of our congregations. If we are sure that we have built these qualities into our practices, processes and programs then we should move ahead toward our vision. We should stay our course.

One morning at worship we had over 300 people in the pews. There was no order of service. Instead, the words to the songs and readings were being projected onto the white wall behind the minister so that everyone could see and participate. Great pains had been taken to get all of the words spelled correctly and the typeface dark enough and large enough so that people in the back of the sanctuary could see. In the middle of the service, while the minister was speaking, a woman who had been sitting in the front row stood up and announced that she was irritated by the words b’eing projected on the wall. “I can’t stand all that stuff going on behind you. It’s too distracting.”

What is the right thing to do in this situation?

Here is a really good response from the minister. “I am sorry. Is there some way that you could make yourself more comfortable? There are seats in other parts of the sanctuary. This congregation and I have done a lot of work on the service this morning. We want to be inclusive and make sure that everyone can see the words.” The minister then went on with the service, allowing the woman to move or leave if that was her choice.

Too many times we allow one voice to over shout the many.

There is, of course, time for listening to everyone. There is also time for action and moving ahead with a plan. Leaders lead — the smart congregation supports their leaders while they lead and is not blown off course by the contentious and the recalcitrant. Ministry is the art of balancing comfort and challenge. Congregations are in the business of ministry. If we only offer comfort we are not holding our standards and expectations high enough. If we only offer challenge we are not healing wounds and spiritually embracing people.

The mission of a congregation is not to make people happy. “To make people happy,” is the mission of Disney World. The only person that can make you happy is you. When someone comes to you as a leader with continual complaints, saying, “I am not happy,” be sure to ask them how they are serving. The happiest people I know are the people who have learned the joy of service and generosity.

The Smart Church, By Connie Goodbread

Does your congregation empower, support and encourage leaders to lead?

You could measure how well your congregation is doing, in its
support of leaders, by counting how many past presidents are
still active members? How many ministers has your
congregation had in the past ten years? Twenty years? What
does this tell you about how your congregation empowers,
supports and encourages leaders?

The only real training for leadership is leadership. Anthony Jay

If the statement “The only real training for leadership is leadership,��? is true, when should we begin to recognize, encourage and empower leadership skills in people?
What would happen if we had fearless, adventurous, dynamic and inclusive leadership development programs in our congregations?

Do we empower leaders to be adventurous, bold and creative?

There is a policy at Rubbermaid that all ideas should be tried out and that creative thought should be encouraged. Someone came up with a creative idea and Rubbermaid put a lot of time, money and effort into the production and selling of this product. However, it failed to be the hit they had hoped for. The CEO of Rubbermaid went to the individual who had come up with the idea and congratulated her for her efforts. He told her that it didn’t matter that it wasn’t a hit, she should continue thinking up creative things for Rubbermaid to try.

What would happen if we had the same sense of adventure and fearless encouragement for creativity as Rubbermaid?
What would happen if we dared to be bold?
What would happen if we understood our fears but didn’t let them rule us?
What would happen if we no longer filled every slot just because it was empty but rather waited for the exact right person for the job? Or even changed the organizational structure if that’s what was needed?
What would happen if nominating committees understood that it is an honor and a privilege to ask someone to serve their congregation and Unitarian Universalism?
What would happen if individual members understood that it is an honor and a privilege to be asked to serve their congregation and Unitarian Universalism?
What would happen if we understood that we are, each of us, servant leaders?