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CONGREGATIONS
Adapted from a presentation at the
American Ethical Union’s Lay
Leadership Summer School, 2004
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FOUR ELEMENTS OF A
CONGREGATION
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LIFE CYCLE OF A
CONGREGATION
Prime: EPAI Maturity: ePAI
E = Energy P = Programs
A = Admin I = Inclusion
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BIRTH: Epai
4
INFANCY: EpaI
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ADOLESCENCE: EPaI
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PRIME: EPAI
• Balance and optimize people concerns and
program concerns
• Internal conflicts used for learning
• Mission/purpose kept at center
• Managerial capacity strong
• Generous contributions including outward and
to association
• Leader more “rancher” than “shepherd”
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MATURITY: ePAI
• Somewhat like “prime” but more “settled”
• Emphasize retaining members over gaining
new
• Resistance is growing to change/new ideas: not
received well
• Tradition and set patterns are emphasized
• “Good old days” nostalgia
• Founding members withdrawing
• May not adapt to changing demographics
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ARISTOCRACY: epAI
• Staleness setting in: busy, but more tired than
enthusiastic
• Newcomers expected to fit in with old values
• More groups are closed
• Closed, exclusive relationships
• Maintenance more important than
mission/purpose
• Budget problems
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BUREAUCRACY: epAi
• Further decline
• Defend the past
• Survival attitude
• Scarcer resources
• Blame, distrust, protecting turf
• Resist creative solutions
• Poor communication among leadership
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DEATH: a
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STAGES IN A
CONGREGATION’S LIFE
CYCLE
Prime: EPAI Maturity: ePAI
E = Energy P = Programs
A = Admin I = Inclusion
13
PLANNING FOR STAGES
• Organizations are self-preserving, often at expense of
members
• If we work to support tasks more than relationship,
volunteers become hard to find, burn out
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PLANNING FOR STAGES
(CONT.)
• At any phase, relationship and fueling passions need to be at
forefront
• Tasks/programs may need to evolve or change as
membership changes
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ROLE OF LEADERSHIP
• Job of leadership is to encourage people to discover and
share passions, and support translating those passions into
Ethical practices
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PROGRAM PLANNING
• Tasks/programs are Ethical practices if they:
• Teach and use relationship-enhancing processes
• Nurture and support ethical activists
• Encourage and create diverse community
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