Clergy Blog: "The Promise of a Relevant, Growing and Engaging Church" by the Rev. Brian Coleman

I had the good fortune, the year I was ordained, to come into contact with a community organizer who asked to have a meeting with me in my office at the church. I was a newly minted priest working as a Curate in a downtown parish in Los Angeles. In truth I was floundering a bit, not sure what I was supposed to be doing, or what ministry I was supposed to be engaged in, so I welcomed her visit, and jumped at the chance to get involved in the living wage campaign and workers’ rights issues she was organizing communities around on behalf of hotel workers in Santa Monica and baggage handlers at LAX International Airport. 

Thus began my long and fruitful involvement in community organizing, not just in Los Angeles, but during my ministry in the Church of England and now as I serve as Rector of St. Thomas Church in Battle Creek. Throughout, I have found the tools of relationship building, power analysis, strategic planning, even organizing actions and demonstrations around particular social justice issues to be indispensable for the success of my ministry in the wider communities in which I serve.

It has also been highly conducive to the parochial work that makes up the lion’s share of my efforts and energy.

Recently I was elected the president of JONAH, a faith-based community organizing affiliate of the national Gamaliel Foundation. One of Gamaliel’s claims to fame is that it was the incubator in which President Barak Obama was formed politically and where he learned his skills in leadership and community organizing as he worked with Roman Catholic Churches on the South-side of Chicago, early in his career. JONAH has been working in Battle Creek for the past six years to develop a network of congregations who will be able to speak with one voice and effect change in our city for the good of its residents, especially those who are on the margins due to social, economic and racial disenfranchisement.

The point of such organizing is unapologetically clear: it is to ensure that the faith and values of member churches and organizations have influence in the public arena, and so that as decisions are made by the powers that be, we have a voice and a place at the table. Simply put we organize so that we may have power, and we want power so that the decisions that are made reflect the priorities of our faith and values.

A crucial element of community organizing is training leaders and equipping them with tools in order that they might be better able to effect change and wield power in their spheres of influence. Recently JONAH embarked on a renewed campaign to train the leadership in our member churches in these tools or organizing. One such tool is called the “one-to-one”. This is an intentional, but uncommon conversation wherein the participants seek to uncover each others’ self-interest – what drives them, what makes them tick – in order to better serve the common good and develop networks of shared interest. It is about building relationships and building power. To Christians this may sound very utilitarian, until you understand that these encounters can be Sacred Conversations where we seek to discern not only one another’s self-interest, but more deeply God’s will for our lives. In a culture that isolates individuals from community, and which increasingly alienates us from one another and our selves, what more holy occupation could there be than to oppose these forces and bind ourselves together in relationships that are based in mutual discernment, and concern for the common good? 

I charged my Vestry, three months ago to engage in these Sacred Conversations, and they have been busy undertaking their mission with every active member of the congregation. By the time the process is complete we will have engaged in over 156 Sacred Conversations. We are beginning to see patterns and commonalities in the lives of those with whom we worship, we are gaining clarity about who we are called to be and what we are called to do, we have a deeper understanding of the challenges individuals face, and how we might respond to these challenges in faith and hope.

I fully expect this to transform the culture of St. Thomas Church. In fact, according to findings from the Congregational Development Research Study * engaging in such community organizing can strongly benefit a variety of congregations. As reported by participating lay leaders and clergy in interviews, potential benefits include the following: 

1.  More relationships among congregants and with members of other faith traditions
2. Transfer of leadership skills learned by lay leaders and clergy at trainings that are applicable to many different arenas, e.g. congregational, organizational, professional, and personal 
3. An increased number of leaders who participate in the congregation’s programs and work 
4. Heightened visibility and influence of the congregation within the community
   5. A deeper understanding of the faith tradition’s call for mission
   6. An increase in congregational membership

Now, I ask you, who wouldn’t want these benefits for their church? Have I piqued your interest? I hope so. You can learn more about faith-based community organizing and get hands-on experience at the upcoming Diocesan Leadership Days to be held on February 9th, 2013– St. Luke’s, Kalamazoo February 23, 2013 – St. Marks, Grand Rapids March 2, 2013 – Grace, Traverse City Mark your calendars, register as soon as you can, and I’ll see you there!

*Renewing Congregations The Contribution of Faith Based Community Organizing, Flahtery and Wood, Interfaith Funders, 2002/3

The Rev. Brian Coleman, rector of St. Thomas Episcopal Church, can be reached via email by clicking here.