Well, we have another new year starting – new President and Executive Board, and new Board Members – and the President’s first Newsletter should list their goals and ‘vision’ for the Fellowship, and what they wish to accomplish this year. OK, I’ll tell you what I want to accomplish, but our Fellowship already has stated it’s goals and vision, so what I want to accomplish is to help the Fellowship strive for those – not to set my own vision or path. My job is what many of our previous President’s have done, which is to assist and coordinate the path and vision set by the members.
Our Fellowship has grown from a small group of friends and neighbors into one of the larger UU communities in the MidSouth District. Once, we were focused on just keeping the doors open (yes, we still are battling the Budget Crisis) but we now strive to build a safe place for each of us to grow spiritually, and to build a community that not only supports each other but our larger community. I know, I’ve overused the word ‘community’, but I think that is a word we need to overuse. We are a Community and need to keep that in mind, especially those of us that have taken on specific leadership rolls. One of our main tools is the exercise of the democratic process. This means our committees, boards and individual leaders need to focus on working for the common good, not our own personal wishes and views. But each Fellowship member needs to keep in mind that we have given our committees and boards responsibilities. We don’t tell a committee, ‘you have responsibility over this unless you make a decision I disagree with’. We need to insure a proper process is followed, not that the committee or board comes to the right, i.e. my, decision.
We are transitioning from a small individual-action Fellowship into a Process Fellowship. Before, individuals would see what they believe needed to be done and go do it. We’d appreciate their work and their commitment. But now, we are working through committees and processes that reflect the overall democratic process and what is best for the Fellowship in meeting its goals and vision.
I’ve held many positions in the Fellowship over the 20+ years I’ve been a member, serving on the Board and on most of the committees, but never President. Why? Because I saw my ‘leadership’ approach to be in conflict with what our Fellowship needed. Being a military person, the democratic process wasn’t the proper model – you researched an issue, discussed options, prioritized them, presented them to either the person or committee in charge which then made the choice. And the decision was then executed. Process was important and this works well in committees and for certain Board actions, but not for the overall Fellowship leadership. Working here, I slowly learned the importance of ‘consensus’ and working the democratic process.
So, hopefully, I won’t let my personal views and goals interfere with what is best for the Fellowship, and I hope each of us see our Fellowship as a place to become involved, at the level we are comfortable with, and join in.
In Fellowship,
Denny Lauer