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Growing Vital Religious Communities In Canada
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| Transitions
Individually and collectively we move through changes. When
a congregation makes changes--minister; size; building;
staffing, worship format and times, to name only a few--each
individual also has a transition to ford in the process of
becoming fully engaged with the "new" congregation. CUC
staff recommend the Transitions work of William Bridges as a
good framework for understanding Change and Transition (see
Links below). |
photo by Tony Smith |
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Ministerial and Congregational Transition
– The Canadian Unitarian Council, consults and
facilitates congregational process when:
A new Settled Ministry begins
A Minister leaves
A Minister is preparing for Sabbatical
A Minister is returning from Sabbatical
A congregation is contemplating a Minister
A Settled Minister has left and the Congregation
needs to consider the priorities of the next Ministry
A congregation is experiencing a significant size
transition.
There are changes in the professional staffing of
the congregation
Ministerial & Congregational Transition Service
Consultants
Service Consultants will provide workshops, training,
coaching and consultative services to congregations as
needed. They will work with the Congregational
Networkers, Directors of Regional Services and the
Director of Lifespan Learning to determine needs and
appropriate services. They will report to a Director of
Regional Services or to the Director of Lifespan
Learning. Building a positive working relationship with
congregational leaders will be an important part of the
work.
Assumptions regarding
Transition Work
It is the
assumption of the CUC staff and members of the Regional
Network Groups that ministry happens throughout the
congregation and that both the laity and the ordained
share responsibility for a congregation’s ministry. It
is common to assume that the Minister is responsible for
the success of the congregation and transitions in the
congregation. In fact, the Minister and the leaders and
members of congregations bear this responsibility
together. Therefore, we feel it most appropriate that
congregations work, during transitions, to explore the
assumptions about ‘who does what’, and to reach a common
understanding.
The work of service consultants in this area assumes
that:
- An understanding of roles, responsibilities and
relationships between minister and congregational
leadership (as well as the congregation) prepares
minister and leadership for successful teamwork and
enlarges the possibilities for a healthy congregation.
- Congregations who anticipate the departure of a
settled minister can profit from understanding how
they have worked with ministers before, and from
exploring models of congregational-ministerial
relationships.
- A clear leadership covenant lays the groundwork
for effective ministry.
- Transition is an opportunity for both the
congregation and the minister to assess and renew a
vision for the future.
- Past events and future developments are the
creation of all partners in the ministry transition
and
provide the
opportunity to learn from the past and positively
affect the future of ministry within the congregation.
Every person involved, both minister and laity,
wants the good health and successful continuance of
the congregation.
Congregations without professional ministry also
have significant needs for support during
congregational transitions.
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