tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1748991130484013814.post5878944122979437440..comments2023-06-20T07:55:50.913-07:00Comments on A Good and Joyful Thing: The Budget is Out, and It's Not PrettySusan Brown Snookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18082261006216548874noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1748991130484013814.post-50535620793241164662012-04-24T10:59:56.836-07:002012-04-24T10:59:56.836-07:00A thought for revrj....I note that the canons on d...A thought for revrj....I note that the canons on discipline ought to have been in place and enforced years ago and we wouldn't be incurring the legal expenses we now have. True?<br /><br />Second, we might want to hold off on the doom and gloom - indeed, if we are so concerned about Our Lord's Death and Resurrection and being faithful to it, perhaps we should see TEC in the same way? <br /><br />Third, I continue to see the regular faces each Sunday in my parish and more than a few new ones of all ages...perhaps you need to go visit another parish this Sunday?<br /><br />Finally, perhaps its time to deprofessionalize the Church and return to a community of vocations for all members - I suspect this would go far in changing the emphasis on administration and governance to one of mission...<br /><br />ThoughtsSmall Farmer in The Cityhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14271910054588466598noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1748991130484013814.post-73619775383528222112012-04-24T10:47:56.731-07:002012-04-24T10:47:56.731-07:00Too bad the Presiding Bishop is no longer really s...Too bad the Presiding Bishop is no longer really simply the President of the House of Bishops, but has taken on the trappings of a Supreme Pontiff. If we believed the polity that we claim to have, our Administration and Governance expenses would be fairly low. However, now that we have to enforce the new canons on discipline, force bishops to litigate property disputes rather than negotiate out of court when possible, and put out Easter Messages that do not even mention THE resurrection or the name of Jesus, you know, the one who was resurrected if anyone believes in that sort of thing at 815, we have to make sure that our actual polity is well funded. <br /><br />On the other hand, given the current economic situation of the Episcopal Church, along with its demographics, and growht trends this may well be the last triennial budget passed at a General Convention of the Episcopal Church. Why not pass this budget that will ensure that we continue on this glorious procession to extinction.revrjhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05257828308075802659noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1748991130484013814.post-78368298704045031552012-03-25T15:58:08.761-07:002012-03-25T15:58:08.761-07:00Linda, thank you for that very helpful comment. I...Linda, thank you for that very helpful comment. I won't respond in detail here, because I am working on a new post that will take feedback I have received from you and several other people, and create a new set of suggestions. I hope to get that done in a day or so.<br /><br />Blessings, SusanSusan Brown Snookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18082261006216548874noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1748991130484013814.post-91649280537925956582012-03-25T15:33:18.302-07:002012-03-25T15:33:18.302-07:00Thanks for your hard work Susan. I think your anal...Thanks for your hard work Susan. I think your analysis is very helpful. I do encourage you to re-vision the "solution." You talked about doing adaptive vs. technical change....but the process you outline is a technical change. I used to work at 815 (many years ago) and we at least thought we were doing essentially what you outlined. What I've learned over my 30+ years of watching the system as well as being in it is that almost any change you make will quickly become part of the system. In other words, changing the budget making process, the people in it, etc. does not change the system. All of those technical changes simply mean we produce the same thing -- maybe just a little faster, better, cheaper. But the end result is the same.<br /><br />If you want at different outcome, you need a different system. Zero-based budgeting is one way to start getting at that, but I believe you'd have to radically change how money is collected and allocated. For example, DON'T have the committees, staff, networks, etc. involved -- thats what we now try to do and they all have self-perpetuation (maintaining the existing system) in their DNA. Instead, do three things: <br />1) decide what we need as the core functions of a central administrative function -- e.g., finance office, communications, the PB's and General Convention offices. <br />2) decide what is working well, is not being done elsewhere and would not be something easily done elsewhere -- e.g., ERD, Migration Ministries, etc.<br />3) put the rest (most) of the money into a pot and administer it as grants to dioceses, congregations, organizations, even individuals who will do specific work we need done, have a plan and are publicly accountable (post monthly expenditures, activity, results, etc. on a website). Right now, I'd allocate the majority of that money to reinvigorating, reimagining, reinventing the church. That would accomplish what I think you are looking for -- which is a fresh start, so to speak, but would move it outside of the existing system so a new system could (and would) emerge. Some of those grants might well go to existing staff offices and committees -- but only if their proposals were better than the ones from other groups. While administering this would certainly be a challenge, the reason for doing it would be to open the door to new life and to watch what is emerging from the future instead of, as you say, building on the past or just doing the same thing over and over while expecting a different result. <br /><br />I think the postmodern age moves us from machine (linear, rational, atomistic, mechanistic "fixes", etc.) to the network (organic, circular, connectivity/relationships, etc.). Trying to fix a broken machine (modern age solution) will just get us a 1950's machine running a bit better. I believe we are called to be brave enough to step out and allow a new way of being church emerge. Can't do that, though, without letting go of much of the old ways of doing things. If we don't stop what we are doing now we will not have the time, money or energy to discern, much less follow, God's leading into the future. <br /><br />(The Rev. Linda L. Grenz)Linda L. Grenzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08253899411597306433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1748991130484013814.post-43712301842423374072012-03-20T19:12:40.174-07:002012-03-20T19:12:40.174-07:00Thanks, Rob. I hope all the folks you name are li...Thanks, Rob. I hope all the folks you name are listening to the many voices that are speaking on this subject. SusanSusan Brown Snookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18082261006216548874noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1748991130484013814.post-42772648547875314032012-03-20T18:02:14.273-07:002012-03-20T18:02:14.273-07:00Susan,
Appreciate the work and energy necessary to...Susan,<br />Appreciate the work and energy necessary to put this post together. In my estimation this is a good, solid shot across the bow. No need to adjust it, edit it, revise it, polish it, civilize it, no matter who comes along and sits on it. You have spoken truth to power. <br /><br />And for current comments and ones to come: let's not quibble with defining "who's" budget this is. Everybody from "815" is in on this, everybody from GC bodies is in on this, and quite a few voices from EC are in on this. Susan's shot, and of others also blogging, is across the WHOLE bow of the flagship: no one gets unexcused.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1748991130484013814.post-6109565204208746722012-03-18T15:40:06.190-07:002012-03-18T15:40:06.190-07:00Thanks for the feedback...may I offer a few additi...Thanks for the feedback...may I offer a few additional comments?<br /><br />First, I'd like to point folks who are interested in youth formation to a website, http://www.infed.org - The Online Encyclopedia of Informal Education. There are many ways of educating folks of all ages and I'd offer the thought we've only just begun to explore the options here in the Episcopal Church. <br /><br />Second, I'd offer the thought that perhaps a Monastery of the Heart type local community based on The Rule of St Benedict or Explorefaith.org might be more helpful than usual Sunday School for folks who aren't attracted to the usual mission approach to involvement....this doesn't require huge expenditures of money but does require laity involvement at the local level....<br /><br />Third, the Episcopal Church continues to rely on its clergy often to the exclusion of laity in pursuing the five Marks, yet as a community we are highly educated, well trained, and quite capable of both teaching AND leading...<br /><br />Fruther thoughts?Small Farmer in The Cityhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14271910054588466598noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1748991130484013814.post-73658267979740608242012-03-17T19:01:10.518-07:002012-03-17T19:01:10.518-07:00Small Farmer, you bring up some great points. You...Small Farmer, you bring up some great points. You are right that I focused on youth formation, but lifelong formation is essential in forming committed disciples. I am not sure it requires quite the same funding level, however, since there are enough adults in local parishes who are able to gather together for education, and there are many resources out there. Youth is where we have slim populations in most of our parishes, so it becomes even more important to be able to gather them in groups at higher levels in the organizational structure - diocesan, provincial, churchwide. I also think it is very helpful to have these larger structures take on the mission of leadership training for youth mission.<br /><br />Regarding budgeting, you are advocating a zero-based budgeting approach, which I agree with. Every triennium, decide on the vital missions to be accomplished, then decide on what support structures are necessary. Don't assume that support structures will carry over from one year to another. (In a practical sense, this would have to be balanced against the reality that we are talking about people's jobs, and you normally don't hire people for one-to-two-year terms.) <br /><br />And there are certain areas that don't fall into the 5 Marks that are necessary for the churchwide structure to perform, such as ecumenical relations and governance. I do think governance is important, else we will fall apart into a loose network of independent congregations, which is not what The Episcopal Church is. One thing that is distinctive about us is that we are connected through our bishops, but our governance structures involve all orders of ministry. I think this structure is an essential component of our witness to the world. <br /><br />But what you are saying is very important: without careful attention to mission in every single budgeting process, administration grows and takes over and becomes the thing of primary importance. I am with you - start with the mission and then add only what is necessary.Susan Brown Snookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18082261006216548874noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1748991130484013814.post-32969839827353219002012-03-17T15:54:40.034-07:002012-03-17T15:54:40.034-07:00A few thoughts, Mthr. Susan.....
If the Five Mark...A few thoughts, Mthr. Susan.....<br /><br />If the Five Marks of Mission (drawn from the five wounds of Christ?) are intended to be the principle functions we as a Church are called to, we ought to take every dollar out of administration and governance initially and figure out how we shall live into those Marks at parish, diocese, province and national level and THEN allocate administration and governance dollars accordingly....note the bottom up approach, not top down. <br /><br />My particular areas of interest are in formation and evangelization...these marks should be seen as linked and funded together, and while funding for youth needs enhancing, we forget to continue outreach and ongoing formation for folks 40+ and above - these are folks whose attention to their mortality makes them thoughtful about matters spiritual and whose relative fiscal well-being gives them the ability to act on their faith for the benefit of the Church and those not in the Church. <br /><br />Thoughts?Small Farmer in The Cityhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14271910054588466598noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1748991130484013814.post-17536594010672857862012-03-16T18:30:28.626-07:002012-03-16T18:30:28.626-07:00Thanks for your comments. Shannon, you're rig...Thanks for your comments. Shannon, you're right that the program offices didn't have input into this budget, which seems odd to me (when we do budgets at the parish level, for instance, we ask ministry leaders for their needs and their dreams, which is what we base our budget on). The staff that had input are people with finance and leadership positions. Executive Council wouldn't have the human resource power to do this kind of accounting on their own, and they certainly receive recommendations from the top officers. However, I have clarified that language in my blog, because you are right that this is Executive Council's budget, not 815's. <br /><br />Nurya, thanks for pointing me to that roundup of comments on the budget. I had read your blog post a couple of days ago, because someone else had posted it on Facebook or something. Good post! You are right that the Strategic Plan from 2010 seems to have been shoved in a drawer and forgotten. I considered adding that to my blog too, but my post was getting too long as it was. The Strategic Plan (which Executive Council adopted and supported, then shelved) did highlight developing the next generation as a top priority of the church. What happened to that idea? It's a mystery to me.Susan Brown Snookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18082261006216548874noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1748991130484013814.post-19440465954885462582012-03-16T07:25:37.926-07:002012-03-16T07:25:37.926-07:00Thank you for spending this much time and attentio...Thank you for spending this much time and attention on the budget. I did some reflecting myself so I have a vague sense of how much time this took... more than I spent. I have shared this in a couple places. Did you know that there's a roundup of posts on the budget at http://gracerector.wordpress.com/2012/03/07/the-conversation-on-the-churchs-budget/#comment-632Nurya Love Parishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08902601731595441072noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1748991130484013814.post-41264744107080513672012-03-16T07:07:06.769-07:002012-03-16T07:07:06.769-07:00Susan,
I agree with you and I thank you for your a...Susan,<br />I agree with you and I thank you for your analysis. <br /><br />When you say, "Has anyone at the Church Center (other than that very useful Research office) looked recently at Episcopal Church trends?" Speaking from experience, I will say that yes, the Formation and Vocation office (and possibly others) know this deeply. It needs to be clear that the "Church Center" did not come up with this budget. A few people from the denominational office had some input into this budget. The rest came from Executive Council and the survey they say they based the budget upon. But can a survey speak for all of us? No.<br /><br />Again, thank you for speaking out and doing the work that you did to post this blog. I will be sharing.<br /><br />Peace,<br />ShannonThe Rev. Shannon Kellyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01923660076174620197noreply@blogger.com