Consulants
18/02/14 04:50
One of the joys of life in the church is that we are an enterprise with a long history. We have a deep sense of being a part of something that stretches far beyond a single generation. This liberates us from a sense of having to have the latest, most cutting edge and advanced procedures. That is a good thing, because we have a tendency to stay perpetually behind the curve when it comes to organizational style and management philosophy.
For much of the second half of the twentieth century mainline protestant denominations experienced a gradual decline that accelerated as the dawn of the 21st century arrived. The decline was expressed in the counted numbers of members and in the amount of money that was available to organize the church for its state and national ministries. We have been through several generations of “downsizing.” The number of staff people serving in our national church setting is dramatically decreased from where it was in the 1980’s and 1990’s. This is not unique to the United Church of Christ, but it is perhaps a bit more dramatic in our denomination than in some other denominations because we weren’t all that big to begin with.
As we went through the process, buzzwords were flying all around the church. We spoke of “best practices,” of “unified governance,” and of “nimble” operating procedures. Of course we weren’t engaging in best practices, we weren’t unified and were are far from nimble. The reality and the catchphrases are a long ways apart.
And we tend to stay decades behind the most progressive operational practices. Although the business world was enamored with consultants, certificate programs and coaching twenty and thirty years ago, it took us a while to catch up.
These days, the Center for Progressive Renewal is a darling of the church’s national setting. I don’t know how much money flows from our national structures into the private center, but it is no small amount.
I have no doubt that I will live to see a different fad arise during my career. Sometimes we just have to chase the fads to give ourselves the illusion that we are accomplishing something.
The reality, however, is that consulting, certificate programs and coaching all are based on the assumption that the expertise that the church needs is somehow outside of the church.
I operate with an entirely different perspective. I believe that the experience and vision to lead the church into the next century and beyond will come from within the church, not from outside sources. We already know about grass roots mission. We already have leaders who are investing in building the church. We already have structures that are the right size for our congregations.
It is my observation that churches that hire consultants generally do not benefit from the consulting and coaching. Successful congregations, like the one I am privileged to serve, look within themselves for the vision and strength to build the future.
Imitation never works well for churches.
It is, I believe, at the core of our theology. Since we believe in incarnation - that is God become embodied - we understand that God comes to us and that Christ lives within us. The church is the body of Christ and as such it is complete. It doesn’t need to import ideas, structures, or practices from outside of itself.
The Center for Progressive Renewal, like many other consulting firms, is staffed by people who have great educational credentials. They have some experience within the church, though it is rare to find a church consultant who has served a single congregation for a decade. The truth is that they like being consultants much better than they liked being pastors. And that is fine.
It is simply that I have experienced the renewal of the church to be born of long term commitments by people who are willing to slog it out “in the trenches” without need for the high salaries and constant recognition on which the consultants thrive.
Having said, that I have a lot of years of working as a consultant under my belt. I have consulted with congregations across the United States as they work to build more effective faith formation programs. I carried the title “Educational Consultant” for nearly two decades. I still so some consulting work with United Church of Christ and Christian Church, Disciples of Christ, congregations in Nebraska. I have been guilty of the very practices of which I accuse others.
The church is like that. We are an institution of people who make mistakes, find ourselves in need of forgiveness, and rely on God’s grace to take the next steps.
I am struck, however, by the irony of the name of the Center for Progressive Renewal. It is, it seems to me, by its very nature and core values, unable to be progressive. No matter how I look at the organization, or how often I read the course descriptions or page through the lists of consultants and coaches, I can’t find within that institution much that excites me about the future. It seems to be all about business as usual.
Progressive renewal comes from within.
What excites me about the church is the ability of grass roots ministries to arise from within a congregation. When a congregation is able to respond to the projects and suggestions of its members, wonderful new projects arise. From our Costa Rica ministry to the Woodchuck Society, to the Prayer Shawl Ministry to Love, INC., the newest and most exciting ministries of our church have all arisen out of the concerns and passions of our members.
You might expect that an institution with thousands of years of experience and history might not be so short sighted when it comes to thinking about the future. If I were called into the consult with the Center for Progressive Renewal, I would ask them to ask their staff to pick a local congregation and make a commitment.
As long as they keep moving on from congregation to congregation they are missing some of the deepest joys of life in the church.
Of this much I am sure: Our church has been around for 135 years and we will be around for more than a century after everyone has forgotten the Center for Progressive Renewal.
I’m not sure how they define progress.
For much of the second half of the twentieth century mainline protestant denominations experienced a gradual decline that accelerated as the dawn of the 21st century arrived. The decline was expressed in the counted numbers of members and in the amount of money that was available to organize the church for its state and national ministries. We have been through several generations of “downsizing.” The number of staff people serving in our national church setting is dramatically decreased from where it was in the 1980’s and 1990’s. This is not unique to the United Church of Christ, but it is perhaps a bit more dramatic in our denomination than in some other denominations because we weren’t all that big to begin with.
As we went through the process, buzzwords were flying all around the church. We spoke of “best practices,” of “unified governance,” and of “nimble” operating procedures. Of course we weren’t engaging in best practices, we weren’t unified and were are far from nimble. The reality and the catchphrases are a long ways apart.
And we tend to stay decades behind the most progressive operational practices. Although the business world was enamored with consultants, certificate programs and coaching twenty and thirty years ago, it took us a while to catch up.
These days, the Center for Progressive Renewal is a darling of the church’s national setting. I don’t know how much money flows from our national structures into the private center, but it is no small amount.
I have no doubt that I will live to see a different fad arise during my career. Sometimes we just have to chase the fads to give ourselves the illusion that we are accomplishing something.
The reality, however, is that consulting, certificate programs and coaching all are based on the assumption that the expertise that the church needs is somehow outside of the church.
I operate with an entirely different perspective. I believe that the experience and vision to lead the church into the next century and beyond will come from within the church, not from outside sources. We already know about grass roots mission. We already have leaders who are investing in building the church. We already have structures that are the right size for our congregations.
It is my observation that churches that hire consultants generally do not benefit from the consulting and coaching. Successful congregations, like the one I am privileged to serve, look within themselves for the vision and strength to build the future.
Imitation never works well for churches.
It is, I believe, at the core of our theology. Since we believe in incarnation - that is God become embodied - we understand that God comes to us and that Christ lives within us. The church is the body of Christ and as such it is complete. It doesn’t need to import ideas, structures, or practices from outside of itself.
The Center for Progressive Renewal, like many other consulting firms, is staffed by people who have great educational credentials. They have some experience within the church, though it is rare to find a church consultant who has served a single congregation for a decade. The truth is that they like being consultants much better than they liked being pastors. And that is fine.
It is simply that I have experienced the renewal of the church to be born of long term commitments by people who are willing to slog it out “in the trenches” without need for the high salaries and constant recognition on which the consultants thrive.
Having said, that I have a lot of years of working as a consultant under my belt. I have consulted with congregations across the United States as they work to build more effective faith formation programs. I carried the title “Educational Consultant” for nearly two decades. I still so some consulting work with United Church of Christ and Christian Church, Disciples of Christ, congregations in Nebraska. I have been guilty of the very practices of which I accuse others.
The church is like that. We are an institution of people who make mistakes, find ourselves in need of forgiveness, and rely on God’s grace to take the next steps.
I am struck, however, by the irony of the name of the Center for Progressive Renewal. It is, it seems to me, by its very nature and core values, unable to be progressive. No matter how I look at the organization, or how often I read the course descriptions or page through the lists of consultants and coaches, I can’t find within that institution much that excites me about the future. It seems to be all about business as usual.
Progressive renewal comes from within.
What excites me about the church is the ability of grass roots ministries to arise from within a congregation. When a congregation is able to respond to the projects and suggestions of its members, wonderful new projects arise. From our Costa Rica ministry to the Woodchuck Society, to the Prayer Shawl Ministry to Love, INC., the newest and most exciting ministries of our church have all arisen out of the concerns and passions of our members.
You might expect that an institution with thousands of years of experience and history might not be so short sighted when it comes to thinking about the future. If I were called into the consult with the Center for Progressive Renewal, I would ask them to ask their staff to pick a local congregation and make a commitment.
As long as they keep moving on from congregation to congregation they are missing some of the deepest joys of life in the church.
Of this much I am sure: Our church has been around for 135 years and we will be around for more than a century after everyone has forgotten the Center for Progressive Renewal.
I’m not sure how they define progress.