Archdiocesan Parish Council Development Initiative
An important project within the OCA's Archdiocese of Western Pennsylvania is the upcoming Parish Council Development Initiative. The goal is to equip parish council members - new and experienced – with new tools, practices and mindsets to strengthen their ability to meet the challenges facing parishes.
A pilot program will take place for four “test” parishes in February of 2024.
Training?! Not us!
Reactions to the "opportunity" to become better “equipped” will likely vary among busy parish council members.
Among the possibly less enthusiastic reactions are:
- No Need - “I know how to do this - been on the council for years.”
- Leave us Alone - “We have our way here at XXX church. We’ve always done it this way. We’re satisfied. Don’t rock the boat.”
- We’re Maxxed Out - “I just can’t do anymore. And, I sense you’re going to ask me for more.”
Why? Three Good Reasons
In response it may be useful to address the question “Why?” Why is it useful for parish council members --both experienced and those new to the role -- to engage with a “development initiative”?
There are, we think, three good reasons.
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Early parish council practices were shaped by influences from outside the Church |
Imperfections of inherited practice.
Early Orthodox parish council practices in America were primarily shaped by influences outside the Church. American business models, principles of democratic governance, practices of civic institutional boards, Protestant church polity, requirements of property ownership, the conflicting forces of congregationalism and clericalism and the sense that priests should ‘deal with the spiritual dimension and stay out of church business’ were all factors. Emerging Diocesan structures with distant hierarchal oversight, imperfect parish founding documents, jurisdictional disputes and nationalist/ethnic loyalties and, in some cases the early ownership of parish property by lay "brotherhoods" also added to the confusion.
As a result an understanding of the parish as the Body of Christ and the priest as the head of the parish were often missing from early practice.
Parish council members heretofore learned ‘what to do’ by observing the good and less good behaviors of predecessors who, lacking guidelines, followed approaches that may have been disjointed or ecclesiastically inappropriate.
Given this fragmented foundation, it is reasonable to believe improvements are possible. Reviewing what we do, why we do it and tuning up how we do it makes good sense.
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Parishes and Parish Councils face significant new challenges from a society not friendly to Christians and Sunday. The practices and mindsets of 1980 need to be updated |
Environment has changed. Stakes are higher.
Add to this that ‘business as usual’ is today an inadequate response. Collaboration between parish councils and clergy is clearly more important than 10, 20 or 30 years ago.
We live in a cynical, rampantly secular world. Churches of all types are facing significant moral, secular, cultural and legal headwinds. Our busy, mobile society is not friendly to Sunday –or most anything Christian.
Not only is the environment different but the stakes are higher. Without a strong, active clergy/ laity leadership coalition serving as a parish “driving force” it will be very hard for any church to survive -- much less thrive. The status quo will not be enough in the next decade.
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Parish councils face higher expecatations from educated laity. New skills for administration, finance, planning and communication are required. |
New skills and practices are needed and expected
Educated laity have higher expectations for transparency, good order and administrative practice. New parishioners - often received from other traditions or no religious tradition-- bring new outlooks. Safety policies, clergy burnout, commitment to the neighborhood, stewardship, encouraging generosity and lay engagement – all have increased priority.
The parish council’s role is bigger and broader than the past. Councils need to think with a longer time horizon and embrace a broader set of topics. In today's environment an effective parish council needs to exhibit skills in administration, finance, ministry, forward planning and vision, communication, outreach, group facilitation and management and divergent (idea) and convergent (decision making) thinking.
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An attitude of improvement comes from self reflection. Parish councils need to ask good questions |
Parishes have a choice. They can take no action --being satisfied with “what we’ve always done”. Or, parishes and their councils can “put on the new man”, establish a mindset of active improvement and become better prepared for guiding the parish future.
To find opportunities for improvement consider the following multi-part question:
Is your parish council, satisfied with:
- Our parish’s sense of mission and our efforts to fulfill that mission as a Christian community?
- Our vision of the future - what we desire our parish to look and be like in (e.g.) 5-10 years?
- How well we’ve identified the key opportunities and challenges facing our parish? The articulation of specific goals?
- How well we’re preparing our parish to move into the future? “What will it take”. What proportion of our council efforts go beyond short term fire-fighting?
- The collaborative nature of clergy/laity cooperation and assessing and avoiding pastoral overload and burnout?
- Our commitment to vibrant Orthodox worship? More than Sunday?
- Our ministry to the local community/neighborhood? Overcoming past “insularity”?
- The frequency and quality of internal communication to our parish?
- Our methods and content of outward looking communication to those seeking Christ?
- How effectively we use our parish resources? $, facilities and human. Can we do more with what we have?
- Teaching and building generosity toward Christ’s church. Or, are we afraid to teach and ‘ask’ for commitments?
- Do we invest an appropriate amount of our budget in children and youth? In adult education? In leadership and ministry development?
- What would the ‘best’ parish education and faith formation effort look like? Do we want that? Or are we satisfied?
- How effectively we are ‘making saints’/growing disciples? Is this not our parish’s ultime mission?
- Are we giving parishioners what they want – or urging them to seek a new, better life in Christ?
- Adopting updated administrative and organizational practices for our parish? Written admin policies; meeting practices; delegation of responsibility and authority? When was the last time we reviewed the work and structure of our council and assessed its impact on building up the parish?
- How well do we manage our meeting time? Is our council too large to be effective? (Experts recommend eight.)
- Are we trying to protectively remain the same –do what we’ve always done – or are we seriously adapting to new needs and situations?
- Are we asking the right questions?
- What should be expected of us as Parish council members? Does our behavior build up our parish – or leave us in a rut?
The future of your parish is being built now. Are you building a parish for 1980 or 2030? Are you trying to build a future parish based on a leadership structure that needs a tune-up?
Parish Councils bear the responsibility and the opportunity to move the mission and parish life into the future.
No parish can fix all of the above in one gulp. Pick two or three of the above items. Make an honest effort. A development initiative can provide urgency and motivation to act.
The upcoming training and development efforts will help.