Who's in Charge? Who's Responsible? Issues in Church Governance

a sermon by Reverend Lynn Thomas Strauss and Terrie McNulty, Board Chair

Unitarian Universalist Church of Rockville, May 21, 2006

PART I- Brief History of the Free Church, by Lynn Strauss

Our topic this morning is church organization…which is integrally connected to church mission and covenant. Good church organization should lay the foundation for the basic question – “Why are we Here?” As a congregation “why are we here , what are we called to become?”

Our grounding principles and values- our vision- should be evident in the ways in which we organize ourselves as a congregation, the ways in which we are in relationship with one another, the ways we share authority, responsibility and accountability…the ways we make decisions.

A key word in these considerations is freedom.

You have heard Unitarian Universalism described as the Free Church. This morning I want to explain what that means. In light of our very successful, recently completed canvass drive and our current work on next years’ budget, it certainly doesn’t mean that membership or regular participation at UUCR is free.

The Free Church is an historical concept. It references how and why religious groups came to America from England in the 16th and 17th centuries.

The institutional history of Unitarianism in America begins around 1630. People came by the boat loads to New England in search of freedom of religion. Seeking the right to believe their own theological truths. The Unitarians were one among other Free Churches.

Being a Free Church in those earlier centuries meant being free of the Church of England, being free of the King. It meant being free to disagree with the King on matters of religion.

It meant the freedom to meet and discuss religious topics. It meant the freedom to organize one’s church by the vote of its members. It meant the freedom to choose one’s leaders, both lay and clergy. It meant the freedom to reject creedalism in favor of covenant.

Even today, the struggle for free religion continues in America. Even today, there are some who imagine that all Americans should believe alike. As inheritors of Free Faith, we carry a legacy and a responsibility to continue the practices of the Free Church…today, we call it the freedom to question, the freedom of the right of conscience, the freedom of choice…and the most basic freedom of all; freedom of thought.

This basic principle of the Free church means that we must spend time in dialogue and debate of issues, that we must provide means for conversation and feedback, that we must listen well to one another and allow time for meaningful process. The forms of decision making we use, are determined, in part, by our commitment to freedom of thought and its expression. Finding unity in diversity is a high standard.

This is the strong point made by Rev. Fred Muir of the Annapolis Church at our Installation service, he advised that we do not try to reach consensus, but that we always make a space for deep conversation on the important issues that affect our church.

Another key concept in consideration of the Free Church is Lay member or Laity.

My colleague and UU historian, Alice Blair Wesley, defines lay church members in this way; “The lay members of the local church are the people who, from the time they join, intend and do attend services together, teach the children together, plan and work together and socialize together, often and continuously over many years of their lives.”

In a Free Church, in UU churches, authority is delegated. It may be delegated to elected board members, to the nominating committee, to the comprehensive planning committee, to the worship committee, to the minister and other staff…but the authority to make the most crucial decisions of the church rests with the laity.

This is congregational polity. We have no pope, no bishop, no superintendent, no outside ejudicatory body that tells the local congregation what we can and can’t do. It is up to you. What becomes of this church is up to you.

That’s why it is so important to understand and affirm how the church is organized. That’s why it is so important to teach one another how to lead well. That’s why it is so important to make leadership fun and appreciated and a spiritual growth experience. That’s why it is so important that you all know what our covenant is…and where we want to go as a congregation.

Because the Free Church belongs to you…and it’s vitality depends on you, on how you live your covenant, how you delegate, how you teach the next generation of leaders, how you understand your mission…all this is of crucial importance.

Participation in worship is an important first step in church. Learning to articulate your faith comes next.

And believe me, the UU Church of Rockville has a faith, has a message, we do stand for something. And that something is what we must all learn to articulate. We want to turn outward this year…we want to invite our friends and neighbors and co-workers to church. We want to reach out to the all the people in this area who need, who wish they had a place of free exploration, a place where they can help to set the vision, a community where their children can grow in spirit and in free thought, a community that will care for them when they are in need, and a congregation committed to working toward the common good, where they can share their gifts and talents…where freedom of thought is honored and practiced.

There are people in houses and apartments all around us that seek what we have already found.

So we need to get better at telling them who we are and what we stand for. We need to tell them about our free faith, about our Beloved Community.

Unitarian Universalism has always been a covenantal church, rather than a doctrinal church. In 1638 the Pilgrims under the leadership of William Bradford created the Cambridge Platform…the first religious covenant in America…it called for organization of the Free churches around a covenant…words of this covenant have been passed down…and still exist in the affirmation we often speak here….”love is the spirit of this church, and service is its. Law…this is our great covenant to dwell together in peace…to seek the truth in love and to help one another.”

The foundation of our free faith is a spirit of love…That is what we stand for…that is what we teach, that is what animates our decisions and our delegation of authority…this is what another of our speakers at the Installation told us to remember, that church work is always the work of loving relationships. Love is the spirit of this church.

Love is what motivates our covenantal relationships…and our work in the world.

PART II - What We Do Well, by Terrie McNulty

I had a really hard time writing this piece for this morning. Don’t get me wrong: We do a lot of things right here at UUCR. The biggest problem was challenge of talking about church governance. I couldn't get started. "The church governance model used by UUCR comprises…" ZZZZZZZZZZZZ Not exactly a topic I could build passion for.

So bear with me while I get through the structure and then we can get on to the good part. Think of it as that dreadful 101 class you had to pass to move on to the cool hands-on lab.

Recent years have brought tremendous changes to UUCR. While many of us participated in the processes of calling a new minister and creating a new building, others of us were working on less visible changes in structure, the governing structure. We have started the move from small church processes to a mid-size church model. We divided the decision making responsibilities by forming a Church Council, comprised of the Committee Chairs. It’s the Council’s mission to work on implementation and conserving resources – people and money – by building synergy and removing duplication of efforts. This frees some of the Board's time allowing it to concentrate on policy, church priorities and fiscal responsibility.

That's the decision making infrastructure, and it sounds about as exciting as telephone lines and asphalt. I'm sure the Building Committee can tell you how important telephone lines and asphalt are to everything we want to do here.

So what are doing right besides dividing into groups and holding more meetings?

We have adopted a fresh, collaborative mission and vision. These are being used as the guardrails for the Board and Council, to make sure that our energies and monies stay on focus.

We take care of one another, whether through the Caring Committee or Small Group Ministries or Quilters or Crafters. We get to know each other and help each other, celebrate and console one another.

We have wonderful Worship opportunities, whether it's with Rev. Lynn on the pulpit or a guest speaker, whether your spiritual inspiration is the music or the view or the coffee – sometimes called the UU Sunday sacrament – or whether it's for 90 minutes on Sunday or 10 minutes at Wonderful Wednesdays vespers.

We have fine Leadership and participatory deceision making that result in relevant programs and creative, fun activities.

Look at this beautiful new sanctuary. It took a lot of work and generosity to bring this about. But more, it took commitment and faith in the congregation to bring us here.

Which brings me to what I believe is our biggest strength: We are a strongly committed community, committed to each other, committed to this church. This commitment is reflected in our governance. From my very first Board meeting, I’ve been impressed that our leaders look at the whole health of the church – not personal agendas or pet projects – and they strive to enrich those practices that we do so well and cultivate new and creative ways to help better ourselves, our congregation and our extended communities.

PART III - Beloved Community, by Terrie McNulty

In the mid-fifties, a small group of Unitarians had a vision for their church. They didn’t have a building or a minister or a Capital Campaign Fund. What they did have was the beginnings of a community, and a vision to call it the Unitarian Church of Rockville.

In November of 1964 they held the dedication their church building declaring “It is a house of thought and action, of listening and speaking, of sharing and receiving. It is a place of worship, reaching for the center of our lives in times of sorrow or joy. It is for singing. Here let no one be a stranger.” They had a house for their community. (From some of the stories I’ve heard, they also had a venue for some rockin’ parties, a part of our heritage that we might want to reclaim.)

In the Fall, as we close our fifth decade, we will dedicate our fifth building. That half of a century has brought many changes but the grounding vision has always been Community.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. talked about a Beloved Community, where disputes will be resolved by peaceful conflict-resolution and reconciliation, where love and trust will triumph over fear and hatred. He described a community based the kind of love that holds “understanding, redeeming goodwill for all,” an “overflowing love which is purely spontaneous, unmotivated, groundless and creative”…”the love of God operating in the human heart.” He said that “[This love] does not begin by discriminating between worthy and unworthy people…It begins by loving others for their sakes” It is “love seeking to preserve and create community.”

That love, that spirit, has always been – and I hope always will be – UUCR’s grounding vision.

I see our church as a place where respect and value, worth and dignity, come first. A place where conflicts and disagreements are worked through and resolved because the bond of community is more important than any issue. In that respect, this community models a good family. [It’s like how you dread with the way Uncle Harry will go on and on about his hunting dogs but you’re really glad he came for Thanksgiving dinner.]

Where do we take the vision from here? UUCR’s vision statement calls for us to take our Beloved Community beyond our threshold, beyond our courtyard. Ye, I say to you take community out of our parking lot!

I’m not suggesting we wave a flag but that we raise a beacon. It’s not prideful to tell people what we’ve found here, what this community stands for. Let’s take the bushel off our light. Let’s reach out to embrace a diversity of people and ideas, by working with other dominations on social issues and education, like we do with Community Ministries and AIM. Let’s truly welcome young adults by engaging in their interests, not just inviting them to share ours. Let’s laugh together and learn together. Let’s strengthen the Wonderful Wednesday tradition of sponsoring more speakers on issues relevant to the whole community, so that this church becomes known as a center for intellectual, spiritual, and creative exploration.

Let’s invite others – through our words, acts, and invitations – to gather with us in peace and hope, in compassion and celebration. That’s the UUCR vision in our Golden Year – an expanding Beloved Community. May each of us enjoy this continuing journey.

PART IV- Our Potential, by Lynn Strauss

We are at an exciting point in our ministry here at UUCR. We are asking, where do we go from here? What is our mission in the world at this moment in time, at this place here on Welsh Park Dr. What is our potential? What unique gift do we have to offer as a congregation.

After our Installation Service, the Joseph Priestly district Executive; Richard Speck, observed that we are poised to grow into a large church. A church of over 500 members is considered a large church in the UUA.

I don’t hold that as a goal…but I certainly consider 500 members well within our potential. But how do we discern our mission…how do we know what we are called to be as a congregation? What is our task?

I drew inspiration for these questions from a surprising source this week; from a book by evangelical Christian; Rick Warren…”The Purpose Driven Church”. Yes, the author of “A Purpose Driven Life”. Warren is founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California….one of America’s largest congregations. A congregation of 10,000 worshipers. A congregation that has seeded over 26 new congregations.

I agree with Rick Warren when he says, “the issue is church health, not church growth!. If your church is healthy, growth will occur naturally.”

One factor in church growth is a long ministry and the deep trust that builds over time. So I think we’re well on our way to a healthier church here at UUCR.

He also says that the purpose-driven church shifts the focus away form church building programs to emphasizing a people-building process. The way he puts it is…”If you will concentrate on building people, God will build the church”.

I wouldn’t put it quite that way….but now that we have built our building…with God’s help in the form of Sue and Dan and all of you…now we can shift to building people.

That’s why I want your help and participation in building up our small group ministry program. Why I want to train pastoral care teams. Why we want to develop an expanded lay ministry program with lay ministers for worship and youth and music and social justice and membership and pastoral care….and more. We want to replace committees with more ministries…We want church participation to lead us to spiritual growth…to being better, more engaged, more loving, more generous, more trusting, people.

It’s why we want to focus on leadership training…and more recognition of leaders.

If we continue to offer exciting spiritual growth opportunities, meaningful social justice opportunities and quality experiences for our children and teens….more fabulous music, more variety of worship, More participation in Inter-faith experiences in the community… More arts and lectures- if we host more community events…

People will come. We can give people a community of love And justice…a community of many generations, a community of the arts, a community that plays, a community that acts for peace, and for the environment, and for equality, a community that creates more good in our world.

I believe we must begin with a yearly focus. Spreading ourselves too thin, trying to be all things, all at once…will only wear us out.

I recommend that you rest this summer. I hope I will too. It’s been a big, busy year.

Come to summer services to see friends and worship together, return in July to participate in scheduled Town Hall Meetings…we are getting our structures of organization in place….so we can move forward with other things….clarity is the answer in church organization. And we are on our way to clarity!

Then together, we will figure out how to live in the coming year…as the Beloved Community . That is a symbol, full of meaning. That is what I think UUCR already is…part of the Beloved Community….it is us and more than us.

It is the community of love and justice that Dr. Martin Luther King imagined. It is the community of the good heart. How do we live as the community of the free mind and the good heart?

That is our legacy, our challenge and our potential.

It will be a wonderful journey.
We are comrades on the way.

SO MAY IT BE/AMEN