A Systematic Look at Systems

This past Sunday, we had a board retreat at Sue Crane’s house in Owls Head.

We spent time deepening relationships and widening our perspectives. We looked at First Universalist as an open, dynamic system and spent time mapping out that system.

Some lessons from systems theory:

Any system, from an atom to a Galaxy, is a whole; it is not reducible to its component parts. That is to say that the whole is more than the sum of its parts. We can’t understand the whole or the parts except in relationship to each other.

The church is a system; and so the basic unit of the church is not the individual but the church as a whole

Each part of the church is a whole in and of itself and also an integral part of the larger being. (Gives whole new meaning to the body of Christ doesn’t it?). So the church exists as a nested set of wholes within wholes: People, committees, ministries and church.

Neither the whole nor the parts can be understood unless the relationships of the parts are understood.

Systems always seek balance in a process that is called flux-equilibrium. There is a constant shifting within the system to keep status quo. Another way of saying this is that systems act like people, they resist change and self-regulate to compensate for changing conditions.

I know this sounds pretty scientific and if you are still with me, I’m grateful. Basically, what we need to know is that the church acts like an organic being. The members and friends and committees and staff that make up this system are all interrelated and everything we do and every person who walks in the door sends out little ripples which effect the system if only just a little.

At the board retreat, we began a process of discovery, learning about the relationships between the different parts that compose our church. The board asked itself, “How can we communicate and work more efficiently?” We asked, “ how can we manifest the mission of our church in all our actions, all our worship, all our teaching and all our interactions?” This ongoing discernment will bear fruit in the health and vitality of First Universalist as we offer a compelling experience of religious community on the mid-coast

Creative energy flowed as deep connections were revisited and formed. It was an excellent beginning for our work this year. The board began a process of covenanting and committed to:

♦ Marking board meeting time as sacred with chalice, check-in & check-out
♦ Exploring leadership development modules during board meetings
♦ Starting and ending meetings on time and coming prepared to work
♦ Becoming more intentional about communications between cluster groups
♦ Inviting more people into leadership roles in the congregation
♦ To remind ourselves of and revisit the covenant regularly

Ultimately, we are trying to create a warm loving creative atmosphere where our initial reaction to an idea is “Yes.” Part of my role as your minister is to help us stay focused on our mission and on our goals. The question you will hear from me throughout this year is:
How can I help you become who you want to be?

Many Blessings

Mark

A Different Kind of Startup

Hello Friends:

In an effort to communicate effectively and connect with members and friends of the church regularly. I am going to experiment with a blog.

I see it as an opportunity to reflect on the life of our congregation from a minister's perspective. I expect to post newsletter articles, worship pieces, and insights into life at First Universalist. There will be much to talk about as we shape and take these first steps in our shared mnistry, and blogs are wonderful tools for ongoing conversation.

Blogs can be genuinely interactive. At the bottom of each post from me will be a link marked "comment." If you want to respond to me or join a conversation on the topic of the post, just click on the link and you'll be able to add your ideas. I hope this will be one way to connect with each other and with some of the broader topics that concern us.

Of course, as with any form of conversation, we need to respect each other. The conversation we have here will affect our relationship to each other. Because of that, I ask that you abide by the following commenting guidelines that I am borrowing from another blog:

1. Take your time. Be thoughtful and creative in your response. It's easy to fire off a quick reply that doesn't really say what you meant to say. Pause before you post and make sure you are representing yourself and your views well.

2. Opinions are good, but they are only opinions. Remember to respect differences of opinions by stating your own views rather than tearing down the views of another. Most people listen longer to someone who is thinking through their own views than to someone who is attacking another.

3. Short and sweet comments are often the most effective.

4. Remember that this blog is a part of our congregation. As a congregation, we are committed to living by the Principles and Purposes of Unitarian Universalism. Please remember this commitment when you post. Blatantly inappropriate comments will be deleted.

Being mindful of these theese basic guidelines, we are ready to begin this adventure together. Welcome to Rockland UU Ministry

Mark


By your stumbling, the world is perfected.
Sri Aurobindo