Living Your Purpose Workshop Series Living your Purpose

Living Your Purpose Workshop Series Living your Purpose I: Core Values and Mission Thursday, June 26, 2014 10: 15 – 11: 30 Living Your Purpose II: Aspirational Values and Vision Thursday, June 26, 2014 2: 15 – 3: 30 Living Your Purpose III: Making It Stick Friday, June 27, 2014 10: 15 – 11: 30

Living Your Purpose I Core Values & Mission Workshop #210 Joe Sullivan, UUA New England Regional Staff, jsullivan@uua. org Rev. Dr. Frances Sink, Developmental Minister, UU Congregation in Stamford, CT Addie Deacon, Lay Leader, UU Congregation of Binghamton, NY Jo Ann Freer, Lay Leader, UU Congregation of Binghamton, NY

Living Your Purpose Core Values & Mission “With humility and courage born of our history, we are called as Unitarian Universalists to build the beloved community, where all souls are welcomed as blessings, and the human family lives whole and reconciled. ” • UUA Leadership Council, 2008

Living Your Purpose Core Values & Mission Sharing in pairs (2 minutes each): • Why are you here for this workshop? • Do you feel your congregation knows or has known its core values & mission? How can you tell?

Living Your Purpose Core Values & Mission About this workshop: • Naming assumptions • A brief experience of the process – “Experience of the Holy” • A case example – The UU Congregation of Binghamton, NY experience – choice points and lessons learned • Q&A

Living Your Purpose Core Values & Mission Why are we, the presenters, here? Naming Assumptions Framing Powerful Questions

Living Your Purpose Core Values & Mission We assume meaning & connection Ends Mission Values • Mission: As we work to embody our values, what overarching purpose calls to us? What overarching difference are we here to make in the world and for whom? • Core Values: What timeless, transcendent qualities of our religious community will we carry forward to guide our future? © Unity Consulting

Living Your Purpose Core Values & Mission We assume accountability for this work Whose work is this? Religious leadership Central role of trusteeship

Living Your Purpose Core Values & Mission We assume readiness for this work When are we ready for this work? Congregation conditions or circumstances: • When need for clarity of direction • Not when in conflict • Not at the initiation of a ministerial transition Leadership awareness & preparation: • When prepared for shared discernment (expect to renew this work every 5 to 7 years)

Living Your Purpose Core Values & Mission Readiness Case Study: UU Congregation of Binghamton, NY UUCB conditions or circumstances before this work: • Membership stagnant • Stuck in Pastoral to Program transition: – Unclear leadership roles – Program Council without clear purpose – Programs/committees operating in silos • Existing old mission offered no guidance

Living Your Purpose Core Values & Mission Readiness Case Study: UU Congregation of Binghamton, NY UUCB Leadership awareness & preparation: • Recognized difficult pastoral to program size transition • Significant lay leadership development • Strong program staff & lay leadership relationships • Broadened the circle of leadership awareness & preparation • Worked closely with UUA/Regional staff: – Gained “balcony” view of our condition & circumstances – Helped establish growth plan

Living Your Purpose Core Values & Mission We assume grounding of this work Where do we ground this work? What informs & guides it? Our UU theology & faith tradition Personal experience Our contexts of place & time

Living Your Purpose Core Values & Mission We assume intentional connection of process to product How can the process inform the product? The process as an embodiment of the product: • • Spiritual practices of leadership Stories – past & future The art of listening & speaking from the heart Reflects & helps define a congregation’s DNA

Living Your Purpose Core Values & Mission We assume certain overarching purposes for UU congregations What is unique and what is shared among UU congregational missions? Unique: – Personal experiences & gifts – Local context Common: – Teach the faith – Change lives through living Unitarian Universalism

Living Your Purpose Core Values & Mission Naming our Assumptions We assume meaning & connection We assume accountability for this work We assume readiness for this work We assume grounding of this work We assume intentional connection of process to product We assume certain overarching purposes for UU congregations

Living Your Purpose Core Values & Mission Experience of the Holy Revealing core values through intentional spiritual conversation • Reflection • Speaking from the heart • Deep listening

Living Your Purpose Core Values & Mission Experience of the Holy 2 minutes Reflection on your experience of the holy 2 minutes Tell your partner your experience 2 minutes Listen to your partner’s experience 5 minutes Consider & list values Pick 3 you both want to bring forward 5 minutes Join another pair & share chosen values Choose 3 values all four of you want to bring forward

Experience of the Holy Handout http: //tinyurl. com/p 6 zval 3

Living Your Purpose Core Values & Mission From Core Values to Mission Ends Mission Values Core Values: What timeless, transcendent qualities of our religious community will we carry forward to guide our future? Mission: As we work to embody our values, what overarching purpose calls to us? What overarching difference are we here to make in the world and for whom? © Unity Consulting

Living Your Purpose Core Values & Mission From Core Values to Mission How does Experience of the Holy inform and help us prepare for Mission work? • Through experiencing the intentional process • Through clarifying the transcendent qualities to guide our Mission

Living Your Purpose Core Values & Mission discernment Given we have UU identity to live into and teach Given we embody the values we have named Given our particular context of time, location, size, strengths, etc. Ask: What is different because we are here? What differences in lives are we here to make and for whom?

Living Your Purpose Core Values & Mission Case study: UU Congregation of Binghamton, NY UUCB process steps: (year(s) & total duration in months) 1. Board met with UUA District staff about process 2. Board led Experience of the Holy (Eo. H) with committees/small groups 3. Congregational event to distill results of Eo. H to 3 Core Values 4. Small group of “poets” craft a Mission statement from 3 Values 5. Mission statement revealed as “final” at town hall meetings 6. At Annual Meeting statement not approved. Board charged to rewrite using same 3 Core Values. Dissenters invited to participate. 7. Revised Mission statement approved at congregational meeting

Living Your Purpose Core Values & Mission Case study: UU Congregation of Binghamton, NY UUCB process – Lessons Learned: + + Intentional Experience of Holy process was profound Adjusted process when we met resistance Mission drafting process closed and opaque Presented the “poets” statement as final rather than seeking feedback Full congregation discernment stopped at 3 values rather than continuing through the creation and acceptance of mission statement Could have included a process asking, “How do we and how should we live these values to change lives? ”

Living Your Purpose Core Values & Mission Case study: UU Congregation of Binghamton, NY Core Values & Mission discernment process – Choice Points: • What if we encounter resistance? • After discerning Core Values, what next in terms of Mission discernment process? • How could we involve others beyond members in the process?