Leadership and Organic Growth in Congregations

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Leadership and Organic Growth in Congregations
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Four Types of Growth

• Numerical growth
• Maturational growth
• Organic growth
• Incarnational growth

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Numerical Growth

• Usually described as an increase in church
  membership
• But more realistically, it includes the following
• Growth in worship attendance
• Children and youth RE attendance
• Adult RE attendance
• Size of the budget
• Number of activities
• Number of active members, not members on the book

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Maturational Growth

• Members equipped to use their unique talents and
  gifts for the well-being of the whole
• The congregation challenges, supports, and
  encourages each member to
• Grow in the maturity of their faith
• Deepen their spiritual roots
• Broaden their religious imaginations

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Organic Growth

• The congregation
• as a functioning community
• as a living organism
• with healthy internal organizational systems,
  including
• Policies
• Processes
• Practices
• Programs

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Incarnational Growth

• Congregations ability to manifest its faith and
  principles in tangible ways
• By embodying its UU values and message and making
  them real in the world beyond the congregation
• By sending its members out to engage in the world
  in order to make it more loving and just

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Organic Growth

• The congregation
• as a functioning community
• as a living organism
• with healthy internal organizational systems,
  including
• Policies
• Processes
• Practices
• Programs

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Examining your Structures
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Church is an organizational structure where the
variety and complexity of relationships requires
attention to matters of identity, purpose,
structure, and the role of leaders.
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• Identity
• Purpose
• Structure
• Role of leaders

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PoliciesProcessesPracticesPrograms
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Lets try an example

• Volunteers
• Why do you need them? Are you sure?
• What is the specific job or task?
• Does it really need to be done?

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Clarity is the thing

• We need two things to make anything in a church
  system work
• Clear Expectations
• Clear communication

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Clear ExpectationsClear Communication
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Volunteers

• Recruitment
• Training/orientation
• Retention
• Succession planning and letting go

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Recruitment

• Clear, definable
• Taskjob description
• Start date/tme
• Length of commitment
• Support, training
• Supervision

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Recruitment

• How will they benefit?
• Why them? Tell them!
• Know why they may say no
• Simply ask-nicely--not at coffee hour
• If they say no thank them
• Chances are the next time they will say yes

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Training/orientation

• Notebooks or Volunteer Handbook
• What goes in it?

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Retention

• Support them with good communication
• Help them see their work as ministry
• Do they feel like they are on a team?
• Create paths to other opportunities
• Recognize and Appreciate them
• Honor their commiment
• Invite their ideas and ask what they like

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Succession planning andLetting go
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