congregational relevance with hilary allen april 2017 · congregational relevance with hilary allen...

April 2017

New England Regional Assembly 2017

Congregational Relevance with Hilary Allen

There are a lot of things that make our jobs as Congregational Life staff in New England really fascinating. But something I come back to again and again is our vantage point. We get to work alongside all of you, supporting and coaching you through all the things you’re working at in your congregations. But then, because of our perspective we also get to combine all of those experiences together and start to glean patterns and meaning. So that’s what I’m going to be sharing with you today. Gleanings of patterns and gathered wisdom from our work with many of you.

April 2017



When Sean Neil-Barron, who was our Ministerial Intern for several years, and I started sharing this relevance framework with some of our leaders, we got some interesting reactions. One frequent one went something along the lines of this: “Well, I mean, Hilary, don’t we sort of already know all of this? Haven’t you just collected the best thinking we have about healthy, vital church from various sources and put it all together?” Then the person would pause and then they would say, “But could you send me the slides so I can share them with my Board?” Yes, much of what we are sharing is best practice wisdom about healthy and vital congregational life. So these folks were right, but I also understood their suspicious reactions to be based in a recognition of something that feels helpful and simple. But simple doesn’t mean easy. Most of the times, the reason we haven’t tried something is not because we haven’t heard the wisdom before. We know all of what religion teaches us. But do we live it? I’m sure you’ll be familiar with a lot of what is shared here today. But there’s something about hearing it again, in a way that feels approachable, that might help us make our work for better and more vital church more manageable. I also think people reacted the way they did - especially when they asked for us to share more materials so they could begin working with this relevance framework - is something about it rings true. It’s resonant. And I think a lot of that has to do with the way it feels like a response to where we are at. So, where are we at?

April 2017



You know the numbers...religious participation is dwindling as the numbers of religiously unaffiliated surge. You are also feeling the reality within your churches: you as leaders are often overextended in your work and personal lives, and you’re also holding a lot of leadership in the congregation, and many of you report starting to burn out. There’s less money and more need. You all consistently report needing more members or more pledge units to do what needs to be done. And the math just doesn’t add up generationally for the new guard to take over! You all are also all reporting an upsurge in attendance since the election so we are seeing more folks come in our doors than we’ve seen in a long time, so the stakes are high!

April 2017



This is where relevance comes in. The dictionary definition of relevance we’ll be using is: of importance or relating to the matter at hand. Throughout this workshop will be considering: how is our congregational life of importance to the matter at hand. And that matter is people’s lives and their spiritual growth and transformation. The matter at hand is living into a new political reality. The matter at hand is life and death and all the dimensions of our human existence. How does our congregational life serve or attend to those matters at hand? I want to be clear you hear me say, I am not talking today about cultural relevance meaning that we need to live tweet worship or have TED talk style sermons or use Venmo for the offering or all become sanctuary churches - though it might be a good idea for us to experiment with some of those modern approaches. I won’t be talking much about electric guitars over organs or smartphones over pew cards or projectors over stained glass.

April 2017



Trying to be culturally relevant would mean we try to blend in with dominant culture by doing what is popular but I believe church is more counter-cultural. Being culturally relevant would turn congregations - and congregants - into followers rather than leaders. We ought to be different from the surrounding culture, in part because that’s why people come to us in the first place. People come to our congregations for a lot of reasons but essentially, I believe, they come to find community and to be lifted out of the ordinary. They come to be reminded and with other people, remember their values, their best selves. They come seeking relevance for their lives, but not cultural relevance. This is Sunday Assembly, a non-religious gathering founded in England that has now spread across the world.

April 2017



Okay, so where did this relevance framework come from? Again, from listening deeply to and walking with all of you. And we heard that the “Congregations and Beyond” notion that became popular several years ago within our Association left some of you wondering about your place in the future of Unitarian Universalism. Here were these innovative start-ups, new emerging communities that had tapped people’s interests and curiosities. People were glimpsing a new future for UUism - and we in New England asked ourselves: what can we learn from this emergence?

April 2017



So we looked and through collective inquiry, had an important revelation about the true nature of “the Beyond.” You see, for the most part, Beyonds, like congregations, offer “Ancient Whats” - tried and tested methods of fellowship, worship, singing, prayer, education. However, what the Beyond employs are “Relevant Hows.” They offer new forms of the things we already know build healthy, vibrant communities. Many of the Beyonds we lift up are merely contemporary, modern expressions of ancient practices that have been used by practicing religious communities from all traditions throughout all time. They are activating a particular WHO in a particular place (WHERE) to meet particular needs (WHY).

April 2017



So, since this revelation, our strategy in New England has been to highlight relevance. To not distract from the ancient, well-tested dimensions of congregational life - the ancient whats - but instead, to focus on relevant hows. To focus on inspiring, equipping, and promoting congregational relevance. And sure enough, once we began to focus on relevance we saw it everywhere, and we really started to see it focused into these three hallmark commitments. Congregations living into relevance are: paying attention to and in relationship with their context, aware of and adapting to the contemporary times we live in, and have clarity of themselves as homes for spiritual community and transformation.

April 2017



Your congregation is not an island. The phrase that you might have heard - “lower your walls” really applies here. Be in the world. - Who is in your midst - can you describe the community around you? - Understand what you are being called to in that place

This was the first expression of relevance that really took off and it is known as “missional church” Purpose of your church is to bring the love and grace of Unitarian Universalism into the world Your reason for existence as distinct from another church in another town

- Partners beyond walls to demonstrate mission examples: One of our small fellowships in Vermont has many congregants who are part of the ski industry. So they worship in the evening on Sundays in the winter because of that. That’s contextual relevance. Our congregation in Cambridge, MA, located directly in Harvard Square was noticing more and more homeless young adults lingering on its doorstep. So, what did they do - created an overnight shelter for them. Another New England congregation was seeing an increase in Haitian immigrants. So, they invited their neighbors to come and join a book group, with an interpreter, to study together the UUA Common Read, “Behind the Kitchen Door.”

April 2017



All Souls – New London, CT Over ten years ago moved into a former car dealership and opened up space in its old church building for a day shelter Now have bought a house next door to the church and just welcome a Syrian refugee family into living there.

April 2017



This is their minister Carolyn Patierno touring the space that is now a home thanks to a collaborative effort of eight different faith communities.

April 2017



Where to begin? There’s a Minister here today who two summers ago set up a lemonade stand every Monday for her office hours. She got to see what happens in the neighborhood during the week. Congregation here in New England that had a parent’s group renting space from them. Trying to get young families to join the church, but hadn’t yet made the connection. Offer meals, childcare, and host the meetings - for free, as a ministry

April 2017



Decline of available volunteer labor and pledging - where are the church ladies? Motivate engagement in non-traditional ways (short term assignments Letting committees with vacancies die - or just be committees of one If you don’t have children in your area, maybe you won’t have an RE program A huge hallmark of this is adapting to the culture of busy

You can decide you can’t do everything well, but you can do one thing really well, maybe better than any other congregation. You are probably already known for something Focus can be your friend - and liberating

April 2017



Harmony UU in Landen, Ohio Noticed the closest churches were 30 minutes away, so seven families started meeting in homes. Created by busy families, for busy families - no time for committee mtgs Is entirely volunteer led Each service is repeated two weeks in a row. Allows everyone to attend the service while limiting demands on volunteers. Two Sundays a month to go to church, two Sundays for family time, or to visit other churches

April 2017



Simple Church, Grafton, Mass A united Methodist Dinner Church. Doesn’t have a building, meets in borrowed space from a Congregational church Created through the sale of the Methodist church building. Allocated funds from the sale to plant a new church Knew they couldn’t afford to employ their pastor full-time so he is bi-vocational

April 2017



Working on a farm two days a week to grow the food served at the dinner church Also runs an artisan bakery that employees at risk youth

April 2017



Sells bread at local farmers markets Primary place of recruitment for new people

April 2017



April 2017



Rev. Peter Boullata: “We offer a non-dogmatic approach and context to religious inquiry without equipping members of our communities for the search. Discerning your spiritual path is difficult without tools, without support…Faith formation is not simply adult religious education – run a couple of classes on building your own theology and spiritual practice and then you’re done. Formation involves worship and preaching, mission work and governance. It’s the work of the entire enterprise of being church together. It takes place collectively, mutually as well as individually… It is telling, I think, that the 1961 principles of the newly formed Unitarian Universalist Association speak of a “free and disciplined search for truth and meaning” and the statement’s revised 1980s version is, “a free and responsible search.” I also find it telling how Unitarian Universalists like to speak, when they do at all, of “spiritual practices,” but almost never “spiritual disciplines.” Being together in community takes discipline and effort. - from “The Liberal Church Finding its Mission: It’s Not about You” Encourage participants to deepen their spiritual selves Create opportunities for relationship or programming that meets people where they are at and brings them deeper into their faith Acknowledge that spiritual formation is not easy and transformation is hard

April 2017



Unity Unitarian Church in St. Paul, MN Developed a tool (Spirit Map) to find spiritual strengths and grow spiritual maturity

April 2017



April 2017



congregational relevance with hilary allen april 2017 · congregational relevance with hilary allen...

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