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| Miscellaneous Tidbits |
Update On Line Listings -- OrthodoxyinAmerica.org et al Many of you are familiar with the fine website Orthodoxy in America.org which provides an online directory of North American Orthodox Churches. Often we forget the importance of occasionally checking that listing to be sure that it is current and accurate. A recent informal review found many Midwest diocese parishes with inaccurate listings or listing without priest name, phone number e-address or web address. We similarly recommend you occasionally check your listing on the Diocesan site (www.domoca.org/parishdirectory.html) and the parish listings on OCA.org/parishes
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An all too familiar site.
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AAC Parish Revitalization Workshop Slides
Fr. Jonathan Ivanoff, Director of the Diocese of NY/NJ's office of Evangelism collaborated with Midwest Diocese Parish Development Ministry leader Joe Kormos to deliver a workshop titled Creating Vibrant Orthodox Parishes - A Framework for Renewal at the recent Seattle AAC. If you missed the session, offered via the OCA Dept of Evangelism, you weren't alone -- the presentation theater was well hidden! Nonetheless slides can be found here. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Chicago Choral Opportunity We've been contacted by Mr Timothy Woods (815-806-0066) leader of a Chicago area choir known as Ecclesia. The choir is made up of volunteer Orthodox and Catholics and exists to sing the great music of botknown as "Ecclesia" asking us to announce that they are looking of both traditions. Auditions are required. More info can found at lincolnchamberproductions.org ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 
The Way The Cambridge (England) Institute for Orthodox Christian Studies has released a twelve session educational program adaptable to seekers, inquirers, catechumens and persons who are already Orthodox. At least two parishes in our Diocese have put the course to use with encouraging results. More info can be found here. The presentation kit can be ordered from Conciliar Press and other outlets for $49.95.. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++Pilot Version of Online Parish Health Inventory Check out the online survey version of the Parish Health Inventory described in the last edition of Parish Pulse. Here
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| Recent Webinars: A Review | |
We recently completed two webinars dealing with important parish development topics. They were well "attended" (in a cyber sense) but for those who were unable to tune in live or who've not reviewed the slides or archive recordings we offer a brief summary of each below.
Improving Your Parish Website
In late September Parish Development Ministry Leader Joseph Kormos offered opinions on the importance of websites for internal and external parish communication.
Fundamental Premise
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Group photos are often attractive to parish internal audiences but external audiences will react better to photos showing the parish alive as a church.
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The fundamental premise of the session was that parishes need to pay close attention to what they are communicating and the ways they communicate it. In this age of rapidly proliferating communication technologies, this task of evaluation is even more urgent.
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A potential layout and outline for a comprehensive parish website is provided in webinar materials. It attempts to focus on the interests of specific audiences.
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Some Key Points
The following are a few key points from the session: Understand Your Audience
Good communication starts with understanding your audience. Who are your website audiences?
Avoid Jargon
Don't assume readers know your jargon or care about your parish history. When you use terms unfamiliar to external audiences you may be unwittingly acting as if they are not welcome. We are good at talking exclusively to ourselves. What Can I Do Here? Communicate opportunities for new people to become involved by expressing the ongoing life of the parish. Express Parish Identity  | Orthodoxy has its share of accurate and inaccurate stereotypes. Parish websites should work hard to overcome unflattering stereotypes through good writing and photos.
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Your website is communicating your parish identity, (like it or not) and in so doing it could (internally) shape your parish's understanding of itself. This can be a very good thing. Photos... GOOD Photos Use compelling action photos to tell your parish story. Don't hide them on the photo page (only). Consider Stereotypes Audiences often have accurate and inaccurate stereotypes of churches, Orthodoxy and your parish. Use the website to adjust or at least address these perceptions. Basic and Preference Generating Questions One key section of the session pointed out the importance of understanding the needs of different website users (parish veterans & newcomers, parents, youth, possible in-bound transfers, dormant Orthodox, non-Orthodox inquirers, visitors to events, neighbors) and to organize the site to easily answer their most likely questions.
Answers to these basic questions should be available on the home page: - Location/ How do I get there?
- Parking?
- Service times -- general and specific (AND ACCURATE!)
- How to contact church/priest? During what hours?
- What kind of church is it? What kind of Orthodox Church is it?
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If you want to attract young families to your parish, help site visitors to see that you actually have some young families.
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Information dealing with "preference generating questions" requires thorough thought to help tell the parish story. Surprisingly websites can do a good job of providing at least initial answers to many of these implicit questions: - Give me a feel for the personality of the priest and the parish.
- Are there people in this parish like me? Will I feel at home? Can I find friendships?
- What can I do here? What is here for me?
- What do they offer for my children?
- How seriously do they take their faith?
- What's the music like?
- How do I become a member?
- Why this parish? What's the unique story here - the one that makes this the place right for me?
- Does this parish have a future? is it going somewhere? Or treading water? Or sinking?
In the Orthodox Church in America we have a message of salvation that is important to America(ns). In some sense that message can't be heard elsewhere -in secular materials , from other Christians, even in some ways from other Orthodox jurisdictions. It is our duty to share that message well through our parish websites --and our parish and personal lives. |
| Reducing the Risk of Sexual Misconduct
In mid-October, we broadcast an abridged version of the training session offered by Michael Herzak at the 2010 Diocesan Assembly.
Key Points Key points made by Mr. Herzak were:
Reasonable and Prudent
In dealing with allegations of misconduct courts use a standard of "reasonable and prudent" to determine if an organization, such as a parish, put practices into place that could reduce the risk of inappropriate conduct. The interpretation of what is reasonable of course belongs to the court --not the parish.
Duty to Report
Clergy are required to report the abuse of a child.
 | | The Roman Catholic Diocese of Kansas City was recently indicted for failure to report an abuse accusation in a timely manner. |
Failure to act becomes a crime in itself. Shortly after the webinar we noticed front page news associated with a Roman Catholic Bishop in Kansas City charged with failing to report alleged abuse. (see graphic at right.)
Of course since this webinar America has been reminded daily of the requirement to report as the Penn State scandal unfolds in the media. Perhaps this awareness is a semi-positive outcome from this sordid tale.
Risk Level
"As risk increases, supervision should also increase,"said one expert quoted in the session. Risk increases: as isolation increases, when frequency of contact increases; when accountability decreases; when power and control increase. Special activities provide additional risk opportunities.
Duty of Care Parish Councils have a duty of care to oversee parish efforts to maintain a safe environment for everyone.
National Background Check
By this point most parishes understand the need for background checks for persons involved with youth and children. The webinar emphasized the importance of national background checks, which are more thorough, since an analysis of past checks reveals that more than half of the records found were from outside the applicant's state of residence.
You Need a Plan -- Use This Webinar as Training Session
An additional insight is the importance of each parish having a written manual defining practices to be implemented in this area. The day after the webinar we received numerous contacts from parishes who had immediately begun to do just that. If you want to get started you may want to look at this Parish Risk Manual created by a parish some years ago.
As part of the plan we suggest that every member of the Parish Council and Church School and Youth Ministry view the webinar.
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Reaching Out to Neighbors
Our Actions Build Our Identity as Orthodox Christians | Returning briefly to the topic of stereotypes and identity initiated in a previous article, we are reminded of a story told to us recently by an Orthodox priest from another Diocese.
 The Roman Catholic parish in town had for years run a charitable outreach project providing food to needy local families. Each year the Catholic parish invited other local churches to participate as they would be able --a ministry of time on a Saturday to help with meals as well as donations to defray costs.
Upon receipt of the invitation letter the Orthodox priest felt this seemed to be a worthy endeavor. Being relatively new to the parish he asked parishioners at the end of liturgy about participating. He was happy to receive a warm response from the parish. They would provide monthly monetary contributions and also work at the soup kitchen.
On the assigned day a substantial group of Orthodox and a few non-Orthodox friends arrived to assist. They were warmly greeted by the Director of Catholic Charities who said, "Each year we expect help from certain churches in town. However, It is wonderful to receive assistance from communities (i.e. the Orthodox parish) where we don't expect participation."
The Orthodox parish without really knowing it, had carved a clear identity in the town. They were insular, apart from others. They were the people always willing to sell you something but unwilling to give. The people who didn't "work and play well with others" as grammar school report cards used to say. Their effort that day helped to begin changing an unwanted Orthodox stereotype in ways no website (alone) could ever achieve. The difficulty with stereotypes however is that they are slow to change and hard to outgrow. And other parishes contribute to your parish' stereotype. How well is your parish building up the identity of sister Orthodox parishes? |
Parish Ministries Fair
Urban Conference Provides Suburban Parish Impetus for Expanded Outreach | Parishes become aware of the importance of establishing ministries that are outward looking in a variety of ways. For the parish in the above article it came from a direct request. Another "awareness mechanism" is via structured interactions with other parishes -- exchange visits and conferences. For example one of the many fine outcomes of last summer's Urban Ministry Conference was a new spirit of outreach to the community for many attending parishes -- even those in suburban locations.
For urban parishes, identifying a needful ministry to help others can often be fairly clear --though not easy or simple to undertake. However a common point of discussion we hear deals with how suburban parishes --often in attractive, affluent neighborhoods -- can help parishioners to engage in outward ministries. Some simply adopt a ministry and commit to it.
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Parishioners will be encouraged to become involved with one of 19 Local and International Ministries. Each ministry is introduced through a handsome poster and a parishioner already committed to that ministry..
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Others look deeply into the needs of their seemingly prosperous suburban town to find people with a clear need.
A different approach is being pursued by St. Mark's parish in Rochester Hills MI. After participating with other suburban parishes in a breakout session to "design a ministry" at the aforementioned Urban Conference, St. Mark pastor Fr. Andrew Yavornitzky and the parish council searched for ways to engage "the other" though their suburban location. "As Christians we hear gospels exhorting us to action on behalf of others," said Fr. Andrew. "But few of us take action alone. Its important that we as a community provide encouragement and structure for this to happen. We're making a communal effort to put a variety of ministry opportunities in front of our parishioners."
This Sunday December 4 St. Mark's will offer its first "Ministries Fair". Parish leaders have identified 19 on going and seasonal, local and international ministries ranging from Homeless Shelters to Christmas Food Baskets to Hospice Volunteering which are already actively supported with personal effort by St Mark's parishioners. Each minstry will be represented by one or more committed parishioners along with a poster describing the ministry, its mission, and how other parishioners can participate. Each parishioner will be encouraged to find a way to respond personally to the words of the Gospel --and to do so in community with others from the parish.
We wish the parishioners of St Mark's well in this effort where, being members of one another, the parish becomes an environment where the Gospel is being animated with the Life of Christ. We will keep you informed of the outcome.
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Happiness Related to Church Attendance...
...And Fellowship | |
We recently read an article about a study which concluded that regular attendance at religious services is strongly associated with a more optimistic outlook and a lesser inclination to be depressed, compared to those who do not attend services at all. The study's findings support previous research that religious participation can promote psychological and physical health - and reduce mortality risks - possibly by calming people in stressful times, creating meaningful social interactions and helping curtail bad habits.
Souls in Transition
This reminded us of a review we published some months ago in Parish Pulse of the book Souls in Transition summarizing the National Study of Youth and Religion (NSYR). Chock full of insightful info, an important conclusion was that religion is itself one significant cause helping to produce positive life outcomes among youth including:
- Probability of volunteering & performing community service, and helping homeless and needy
- Being healthier and happier with their bodies, less depression greater sense of gratitude
- Greater probability of completing some college.
- Less promiscuous.
- Less likely to break moral rules 'if you can get away with it'.
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Young adults are strengthened in their faith from the parish community.
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The study also found that religiously centered parents, the faith of other adults, the church community itself and somewhat surprisingly college, had a major impact on faith formation of youth.
Gross National Happiness: Looking for Happiness: Finding Faith
Recently an alert reader sent us a a CD of a lecture titled "Looking for Happiness: Finding Faith". It offered insights into the question of social happiness explored in a book ("Gross National Happiness") by a noted economist, Arthur Brooks. Some key points based on his extensive research and data:
- "Religious people" (those who actually attend church NOT those who merely claim affiliation) are 2x more likely to say they are happy than non-religious. They are more likely to be positive about
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One study indicates that over half of social interactions of church going persons result from religion.
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the future and have better mental health. And, says the author, there is no evidencethat religious persons inflate their answers.
- One of the largest drivers of happiness in American society is association with friends -- and half of social interactions result from religion.
- Charity -- a "giving life style" - makes us happy.
- Married people are happier. (At this point we are trying hard to resist the opportunity for humor!)
- Living a life under control is related to happiness. People feeling no moral constraints are less happy.
- "Living a life that creates (human) "value" is related to expressed happiness. When you believe that you are creating value you tend to be more happy.
Of course, there are many church attenders who are not happy. The study found, in general, that unhappy religious people are often those found to have a harsh and controlling view of God.
Probably you already knew this without the sociological studies.
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Stewardship Corner
Stewardship Section added to Parish Dev Section of Diocesan Website |  In response to numerous parish requests, more likely motivated by financial concerns than a search for happiness, we have added a Stewardship section to the Parish Development section of domoca.org (diocesan website). It includes a variety of (hopefully) helpful materials dealing with the topics of:
However a topic as rich as stewardship finds an abundance of useful content. The following are some other tidbits --not (yet) on the website.
Not Money Again!
When we react with the feeling that we hear too much about money in church it is good to remember that there are about 500 verses in the Bible about love and about 500 verses about faith. Money, on the other hand, is addressed in more than 2,000 Bible verses with thirty percent of Jesus' parables dealing with money.  Accountability for Our Blessings
Most of us, when confronted with a parish stewardship request begin building the case for why we just can't afford it. However it is worth remembering that a person earning $50,000 annually is in the top .02 percent of wealthy people in the world. That's two-tenths of one percent! Minimum wage earners in this country are among the top 11 percent of wealthy people in the world. If you live in the USA you are blessed by default. And each of us is accountable to God for the blessings He has entrusted us with. Many Charitable Options --So Make Your Case
Churches make up about one-quarter of all charitable organizations. (About 35% of charitable donations go to religious organizations.) This means donors have three viable, non-religious options for every church in existence. Parishioners are constantly besieged by (valid, worthwhile) requests for donations so your parish needs to clearly position itself to receive donations in the context of compelling requests from various alternatives.
People Give to Outcomes Made Believable Through Hopeful Budgets
Expressing parish needs such as care for an aging parish building, salaries, vestments etc. resonate with the highly committed, but most experts remind us (see article "Finding Your Fund Raising Voice" ) that people, particularly those on the fringe, give to vision --made real through budgets and concrete plans. How much they give depends upon the size of the vision (and its implied outcomes) as expressed in the budget. Leaders need to connect one to the other. Tell stories about the church's work. Look ahead not behind.
"Churches need to step up to the realities of a competitive fundraising landscape. This means a strong competency to articulate a clear and distinctive vision - not as an occasional exercise, but as a central year-round task."
Understand Differing Motivations of Parish Sub- Groups
Many churches, perhaps even more so for us Orthodox, seem to view parishioners as a monolithic group with common motivations. Experts indicate that this is often inaccurate
The past several years have produced changes in the primary motivation for giving among age groups cites one recent article we reviewed. Boomers are still likely to give to the church out of their spiritual depth and long-term commitment to their faith. Younger generations often connect their giving to the effectiveness and focus of the organization.
For example, a recent study by Barna group
 | Example Parish Pledge Form
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found that younger Christians, those under the age of 40, give 50 percent more than older Christians to fight global poverty. Also, 45 percent of young Christians believe their churches should do more to help the poor, as opposed to just 23 percent of older Christians who believe the same.
Tailor Communication to Different Parish Groups
Age isn't the only difference maker when it comes to parish stewardship attitudes. Parishioners with differing time or levels of affiliation with your parish --veterans and newbies, non-member 'friends' -- will resonate with different giving messages.
A key point then is don't send the same letter to persons with different motivations.  Likewise don't have them be contacted by the same canvasser, or once contacted share the same stewardship story,. This can likely reinforce the sense that, at least where giving is concerned, you don't know them.
In her article "The 10 Reasons You're Not Getting Gifts" Katya Andersen notes that "listening is the first step to real rapport. Build an emotional connection with donors by making them feel seen and heard." Leaders Lead You've heard this before but...we remind you that in many ways a herd mentality is part of the dynamic of parish and all charitable giving. The single most powerful motivation for giving- as secular fundraisers know -is the desire to pull one's weight with a peer group. So let people know, subtly that many parishioners are making meaningful donations. Talking about the biblical basis of tithing is one thing. But being able to say, "Each of our parish leaders has made a generous meaningful pledge" can make an enormous difference to a parish's giving. |
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| Parish Council Issues Quick Poll |
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De- facto parish council?
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In recent issues of Parish Pulse we have concentrated on topics associated with Charitable Outreach, Parish Vision, Websites and Stewardship. Important topics all.
We hope to incorporate a broader range of topics in future issues. We have a reasonable amount of material saved up dealing with hospitality and new member assimilation. New perspective on other topics dealing with parish administration -- ministry planning, parish councils and more are also needed.
In preparing for the Parish Council topic we'd like to  hear from you about important issues in strengthening your parish council. To do so please take this simple one question poll. Your answers are anonymous.
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Past Study of Parish Practices Still Yields Useful Insight
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Surprise: Growing Parishes Consistently Display Good Practices!
We recently reviewed the results of a survey on Parish Practices conducted by the OCA in advance of the 13th All American Council in Orlando. The Council had as its theme "The Parish Community: Our Life in Christ."
 The most interesting outcome from the data seems to be the consistent correlation between generally accepted good parish practices and self reported parish growth. These factors all showed a positive relationship with self reported OCA parish growth:
- Adult education attendance
- Infrequent change of pastors (65% of growing parishes had only one pastor in the previous ten years.)
- Presence of converts
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Frequency of weekly worship, attendance at services including vespers, frequency of communion, frequent confession - Focus of parish council time on growth and ministry
- Pledge forms, stewardship committees and all member canvas
- Offering a variety of program options
- Presence of other miscellaneous good practices were all shown to be more consistently present in growing parishes.
Of interest also are the open ended answers to questions about the key challenges being faced by the parish. You can read other answers by going to the survey summary here, but these are a few of the more interesting contributions:
"Acquiring a vision of life as a vibrant Orthodox Parish rather than a recycle of previous experiences or an amalgamation of the various backgrounds represented; Getting out of the old paradigm. Overcoming old attitudes about why ethey exist. Getting them into forward thinking vision"
"Instead of being a 'fire department' which responds to parish needs, [the parish council needs to learn] how to become the leadership team which both envisions the parish and helps incarnate that vision; to move from an "ad hoc" approach to a more strategic approach to administration of the parish"
"Merging new members into the mindset of an older community."
The above comments echo issues we continue to observe as we visit and conduct workshops at parishes. Progress is evident --but slow.
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Recent All American Council
The Impact of Process Rules on Outcomes |
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Pro/ Con debate orderly -- but truly effective?
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As an observer at the recent All American Council we had an interesting opportunity to... well... observe what was unfolding before the Council body. In particular we were fascinated to consider how the management of the meeting -specifically the strict (some would say ultra-strict) adherence to "Roberts Rules" -- may have affected the outcome.
We speak here primarily as it relates to the financial/assessment resolution proposed, amended and ultimately adopted by the body.
We will admit up front to having been disappointed with an outcome that seemed to us to have significantly modified the funding mechanisms for theOrthodox Church in America without any apparent cogent implementation plan.  So it would not be surprising that we wondered just "how we got here". Obviously, as is often the case, the outcome was a complex amalgam of factors mostly outside the meeting itself. But what of the meeting process? In what ways did it lead to a good outcome. What can we learn from this as we pursue important decisions in parishes?
Here are some questions we continue to ponder:
 Can we refer to a process leading to an outcome with clear winners and losers via an up or down vote "successful" in the context of Christian dialogue? ("...that with one accord we may confess.")
- Did the strict obedience to parliamentary procedure, which is designed to encourage and enable debate, assist or inhibit real interchange, reflection and increased understanding among delegates?
- Does a strict pro/con debate actually hinder understanding of a proposal - or of the appreciation of views and values of the two "sides"?
- What would it have taken to get to "the center". What made sense for a much larger % --say 80% -- of the body.
- How, in retrospect, could a Church committed to Christian dialogue have handled this differently?
- What skills are necessary to build a capacity for finding the center - finding what is right for the body.
- Could we have referred this issue to a "common mind" committee and found a more attractive (greater sense of consensus) solution? (3 people for; 3 against; 3 neutral)
- If the meeting had been assisted by a professional facilitator -- instead of a professional parliamentarian consultant -- would we have landed in a different place? Would that have been a better place --or just different? Would we have ever landed? If we had landed in the same place could everybody have felt better about the journey?
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