Resurrecting the Middle Judicatories

Last week I blogged Dick Hamm's essay written for The Columbia Partnership newsletter, entitled "The Death of the Middle Judicatory."  Since then I've spent part of Friday and most of Saturday at gathering of regional leadership.  Our region, which has a rather small number of churches, and which is spread out across the state of Michigan, finds itself in a difficult situation.  How do we provide effective leadership and support across this vast territory when the funds needed to sustain a traditional regional ministry are not present.   We are in a transitional moment, having called upon two of our own to serve as co-regional ministers for the interim, while we discern a way forward.  We know we need strong leadership for the region, but the question is -- what should this look like.  Before we call someone to this task, it's important that we understand not just the needs, but what the regional structures will look like.  Thus, we're looking at reducing board size (ours is an unwieldy number that includes reps from all congregations, as well as chairs of various commissions and constituency groups), a web site that will allow for better communication, and finding ways of effectively spreading around responsibility for various aspects of church life.  Too often in the region, as in many congregations, staff ends up doing all the work.  That's not healthy for regions or congregations, and its especially not healthy for staff.

As we know with the story of Jesus, even as there is death, so there is also resurrection.  In proclaiming the death of the middle judicatory, Dick Hamm was speaking of the old "hub and spoke" model, in which everything flowed through and was essentially accomplished by the regional minister or staff.  That worked well in the 50s and 60s when even small regions had sufficient staff.  That's no longer true.  So, if death has occurred, what does resurrection look like?

Dick Hamm suggests that in this new era, we define the middle judicatory in terms of a "matrix of relationships," rather than a "hub and spokes."  Thus, instead of everything going from regional office to congregation, a web of relationships is nurtured and developed, so that congregations assist congregations, pastors assist pastors, and community is encouraged. 

Dick names a number of interesting ways that this can happen.

One is the development of "Judicatory Spiritual Leaders."  Dick defines this group of individuals in this way:

They are trustworthy clergy and lay leaders who demonstrate spiritual and emotional maturity, and commitment to the whole church. These groups are created by the judicatory to engage in regular visitation of congregations and clergy.

We are just getting on board with this, commissioning Regional Elders at our last Regional Assembly.  These are men and women who have exactly the qualities that Dick has defined.  Some of them carry specific responsibilities -- such as relating to men's ministries or women's ministries -- as well as serving to represent the region with congregations assigned to their care. 

A second way that this matrix can be created and sustained is through Resource Teams.  Dick writes of these teams:

Every middle judicatory has some individuals who are gifted and/or experienced in certain areas—youth ministry, spiritual disciplines, stewardship campaigns, teaching, etc. These folks can be recruited and trained to serve as consultants or coaches with congregations on behalf of the judicatory. Of course, their local responsibilities must be honored in determining how much time they have for such work, but most folks who are good at particular things are more than happy to share their knowledge and experience with other leaders and congregations.

These can be people working with youth, missions, technology and the church and more.  Too often regional committees function as many congregational ones -- they provide oversight to the staff.  This no longer works -- our teams need to function in a way that carries out ministry, lifting the burden off of staff, which is likely a rather small group of people (if that). 

He also speaks of Communities of Learning (affinity), which develop from within the interests of the community.

If there is one individual or congregation of the judicatory that is interested in a particular subject, there are most like several others. As judicatory leaders hear of such interests, they can help to draw together “learning communities” of similarly interested people. These learning communities may last for several months or several years, dependent upon the subject and the ongoing interest of participants. Because ownership is important, these groups are most effective when they develop their own leadership, rather than depending upon judicatory staff to lead them. Communities of learning will sometimes lead to the development of new resource teams.

He also talks about annual planning events and the creation of communication networks.  While many of these will be digital, he reminds us that we must remain aware of those individuals and congregations that are not up to speed on the digital highway.  But the digital highway is going to be key -- and it includes web sites, which must be easily updated and maintained by staff, blogs, and more. 

Now, you might be wondering:  what's left for staff to do?  Well besides no longer having to work 100 hours a week and having a life outside the office, they can be more effective in nurturing and equipping those who are engaged in ministry across the region (or whatever your middle judicatory is called).  Dick has a response to this question as well:

The staff—especially the ordained staff—continues to have a sacramental role, being present at sacred moments in the lives of congregations and individuals, though not necessarily to the exclusion of volunteer judicatory representatives. The staff still plays a connectional role, keeping an eye open for interests and needs and thus linking them up to resource teams, affinity groups and so forth. No one else has the bird’s eye view that staff develop. The staff must still serve in those roles that require one individual to do ministry on behalf of the whole, such as dealing with misconduct cases and other extremely confidential situations.

The staff, particularly the senior executive, are still among the only ones who have the authority (formal and informal) to deal with the most vexing and sensitive situations. Sometimes it takes the senior executive to be able to tell a group of trouble making members or a minister, “You! Out of the pool

This last responsibility is key.  Congregations and clergy need to know and respect the presence of someone who can hold them accountable.  There are too many clergy who abuse congregations, and congregations that abuse their pastors.  There are congregations that seek to go around the regional leadership in searching for pastors, and more often than not this ends badly.  There needs to be someone with the respect and authority from outside to come in help them work things out -- this is that crisis management/conflict resolution responsibility that is so important.

Middle Judicatories, as we discovered last week play an essential role in maintaining healthy congregations, but the old ways no longer work.  So, we must begin finding new ways of encouraging and developing health congregations.

By the way, Dick Hamm is the former General Minister and President of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and now a consultant for The Columbia Partnership. 

The Death of Middle Judicatories and why that's not a good thing!

Since moving to Michigan I've become ever more deeply involved in the regional manifestation of my denomination.  I've long been active in local clergy and interfaith groups, leading and founding some of them.  But, by and large I've stayed out of the "bureaucracy," leaving that to others.  Part of this previous avoidance can be explained by my physical distance from the center of things.  I did, however, maintain a strong relationship with my regional minister, which proved helpful in difficult times.  But I can no longer avoid my responsibilities.  I may live no closer to the regional office than before, but in a smaller region, and as pastor of one of the regions stronger congregations (even though we're not that large) -- one which contributes an out-sized amount of funding and persons to the regional denominational life -- I now have responsibilities I previously avoided!  (I am now chair of the Ecumenism Commission -- a one person committee at this time -- and a member of Church Growth and Revitalization Commission.  Oh, and one half of the Transitional Regional Minister team is a member of my congregation.

I give you this information so as to set a context for introducing an important article entitled "The Death of the Middle Judicatory," by Dick Hamm.  Dick is the former General Minister and President of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and a consultant with The Columbia Partnership.    Before becoming the GMP (how do you like that acronym) of the CC (DOC), Dick served as Regional Minister of the Tennessee Region.  Dick has been there and done that, and has learned a few things along the way about the role of the "middle judicatory" (an unfortunate term in my mind) for healthy congregations.  There was a day, not that long ago, maybe 25 years ago, when regions (the DOC term) had healthy budgets and healthy staffs.  I remember when I was ordained in 1985, the Christian Church in the Pacific Southwest had a regional minister and two full-time associates, plus support staff.  We had fully staffed committees and districts that met regularly.  That is no longer true there, and many regions, mine included struggle for survival.  Indeed, that's why many of them, mine included, are in a "transitional" mode.  We are looking at what can be done to save the regions, if they are meant to survive.  And that's the big question.  Many church folk, clergy and laity alike don't see the necessity (until they're in a crisis).  They don't see the relevancy (until they're at each other's throats).

That brings me to Dick's article.  He begins by pointing out the precipice that we're sitting on, and reminding us that healthy regions can be helpful to healthy congregations.  Unfortunately, staffs and resources have diminished so that regional staff spend much of their time putting out one fire after another (even in a small region).  There is little or no time for creative response or work, because you're spending 80 hours a week just bailing water.  And that's unfortunate, because like government, regions and denominations have important roles to play in the life of the local units.  Indeed, Dick provides a wonderful analogy:

Middle judicatories provide the connective tissue between congregations and their wider church family or denomination. Or, to use another biological image, middle judicatories are like the arteries and veins of denominations. When the flow in one of these vessels is partially blocked or cut-off, bad things happen both to the local and to the whole.

  The problem is that many middle judicatories are functioning as if this were still the 1950s or 1960s, using a hub and spokes model of relationship with congregations, with the Regional Minister/Bishop being the Hub.  Things are just too complex today, and there is much greater diversity than ever before, and so the old model is failing -- but are we ready to try a new model?  That is the question. 

Dick talks about three kinds of Middle Judicatories -- Heroes (the ones who devote 80 hours a week trying to make this thing work), Slaves (do whatever must be done), and Change Agents.  What we need are change agents, but too many judicatories (don't you hate that word/) are stuck in the other two modes of being (probably true of pastors as well).  

So, here is his definition of a change agent -- are we ready to embrace this kind of leadership?

  

The change agents are the ones who recognize that 1960 is gone and never coming back and who, in the midst of doing the necessary each day (though not everything that presents itself as urgent), are also working at bringing transformational change to the middle judicatory so that it can become an effective servant of the church once again. This is hard work, it takes time, and it demands some of the best leaders (just as the transformation of congregations demands some of the best leaders). As the old saying goes, when you are up to your hips in alligators, it is hard to remember that the original objective was to drain the swamp! To do so requires spiritual as well as emotional and professional discipline, it requires frequently getting up on the balcony to see the bigger picture.

We must pray that such leaders will come to the fore, not just to save the middle judicatory, but so that our congregations can live healthy, productive, missional lives!

To read the entire article, click here.