Congregational and Diocesan Development Issues

The purpose of this blog is to promote discussion of some ideas which I think will promote the development of first world churches, and through debate to improve those ideas. To follow the flow of my logic, read forward from the first entry; entries which form the cornerstones of my thought are flagged with "KEY--", and are listed below with a short summary of the key idea. Kindly share your suggestions and improvements with me, and I will adjust the contents accordingly. Thank you for your participation! (Direct email contact is also welcome.)

• KEY--Why are congregations weak?
  (Mostly due to defects in the culture of the judicatory: unclear mission/vision, ineffective structures, misaligned incentives, and lack of support, all of which lead to a low quality "product".)
• KEY--Correcting diocesan weaknesses
  (A summary explanation of what is involved in correcting those defects.)
• KEY--Correcting the weakness of congregations
  (How to move away from a "laisser faire" leadership style at the diocesan level in a way that has organisational legitimacy.)
• KEY--Setting Targets (Overview)
  (Dioceses now measure mostly finances and attendance, if they measure anything. Some suggestions on better measures which should have a cause and effect relationship towards wholistic growth, a Balanced Scorecard.)
• KEY--Sample Benefits from a Balanced Scorecard
  (Illustrating what wholistic growth would look like: much more than just more money or more people in church!)
• KEY--Cause and Effect for Laurentian Congregational Revitalisation
  (Shows the linkage between the different strategic activities in Laurentian churches, and growth in organisational, spiritual, financial and participatory health.)

The traditional targets, if any, which dioceses have set for themselves and their congregations are attendance numbers and financial results, both of which are supposed to go up. This is a very limited view, particularly since it doesn't provide any information on how to get to the desired goals.

A Balanced Scorecard, on the other hand, measures a broader basket of issues (normally Internal Organisational Functioning, Learning and Internal Growth in Capacity, Customers, and Finances). In our first draft version (click on the image for a detailed view), we have taken these four issues and adapted them to a congregational setting, using the following four categories of measures:

1. Internal Organisational Functioning (focuses on Managers (clergy) and "process owners", i.e. those who do the basic work of the Christian Community, i.e. the members)
2. Learning and Growth in Faith (combines measures of Adult Groups for faith-education or faith-sharing, visioning activities and ministry review, and stewardship education)
3. Worship and New Member Relationships (this is one of the prime settings in which congregations meet and convince new "customers")
4. Financial Results (without this, much of the rest is very difficult to produce)

Different rating scales are provided for each measure, including counts of people, hours of sessions provided, a scale with scores ranging from -2 to +2 and interpretive instructions, percentages, and dollar values. Progress is mapped on graphs, where applicable, but also with the use of three columns for the starting point (August, 2005), the current value, and the 5-year "Stretch Target".

None of this is of much value, however, unless the measures actually work together to guide the strategy behind the region's growth plan, which is exactly what the Balanced Scorecard is intended to do.