Requests for "trying this out", or "not quite the best" practices
Posted September 4th, 2007 by JayneLittle
When I consider "best practices", I think of practices which are tried & true, only requiring minor adaptation. Generally, they may have had metrics or reporting results.
My sense is that the title "best practices" is a conversation killer, on a site which is designed to encourage dialogue, and sharing of ideas, works-in-progress.
So, I ask others, please, unless told otherwise, share those items, which aren't quite working, so that we can adapt them for our own groups, and together we can come up with and develop our own best practices.
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Comments
Thanks
Thanks Pinga,
You're absolutely right. It's as important for folks to share what didn't work as it is to share what does work. The idea for this section of the website is that it will become a collection of what people have tried (or would like to try) to help welcome others to the their congregations.
Good Idea Pinga!
Another section, called "Worst Practices" would be equally helpful - ha ha ha!
Anna S. Christie
www.evokingchange.com
Practices
Perhaps calling it "What we have learned" or even "What we are learning" would make it more welcoming.
Let us all spread the word to clergy and lay, that this is a good place to post your stories. If we can get a pool of stories, of success and failure, we together may be able to tease out the true best practices for our context as the United Church of Canada.
There are #### (I really have no idea) congregations out there and ##% (a big number) have tried something inovative in the last 20 years. What was it? I've only been a regular attender at about 12 congregations in my 33 years, which is too small a sample to speak with real authority (not that it stops me). If we can collect stories from 50-100 more I bet we can write the book (Wiki actually) on how to save the UC.
Help out everyone!
An unoriginal idea which does help a little
Hi. I tend to preach from a text, which keeps me from wandering way off topic and keeps me to a consistent time frame. Since I write it on my computer, I have taken to putting printed copies of the sermon on our information table, before the service starts. I have a several hard of hearing people who read along as I am preaching. Others take it home to read afterwards. One person takes a handful of sermons and bulletins to distribute around her senior's residence. The Sunday school teachers love them because they don't like to miss out on the message. People have passed them on to friends, families and co-workers. It gives them a tangible example of the approach our church takes on matters. Yes, a printed text is not the same as a sermon when it is preached, and I do go off my text regularly, but it does give people a picture of who we are. We print 15-20 copies each week, and some weeks we have to print extras.
I also post my sermon on our web page. Most people who visit us for the first time report having checked out the website first. They report the printed sermon gave them a feel for the character of the congregation. A parishioner reported that her daughter in Halifax read the sermon each week, and they discussed it every Sunday afternoon. About once a month I record the sermon, and upload it as a MP3. Lately I video'd the sermon a few times, and even the Sunday School Christmas pageant and post it to video.google.com , and then embed the video on our website. It gives people a window into what we do. video.google.com doesn't have the time limit that youtube.com does on the videos you upload. I use a free mp3 hosting site called switchpod.com and you can even have your sermons listed on itunes. I have heard of congregations who webcast their service using Skype, but haven't had the time to pursue that yet.
There is a handful of clergy who post their sermons onto wondercafe, which also gives a picture there of the character of the UCC. There are a few nay-sayers who don't like sermons who have objected to their presence there, but most people appreciate hearing different voices.
"The Secret"
I did a book discussion on "The Secret" last nite. We had 11 people attend, 4 from outside the church. We marketed it with posters in the community. We used video clips from the DVD, and gave a background of the New Thought movement. It's a hot book & DVD, being discussed in many places in society. It raised an interesting discussion on the power of prayer, and the question of providence- what DO we trust God to provide? And what do we as UCC folk think about it. It was a great way to invite people in.
Responding to best practices
Hi, one of my frustrations with emerging spirit last time, was a lack of responses to posts / queries.
I am not sure if that is due to
a) few people attending
b) difficulties with finding posts to respond to by category.
I know there are a bunch of church folks in wondercafe, who I would love their wisdom.
I also would love to post church-specific posts here rather than wondercafe...as to me, here is where they belong.
Any ideas why we have a lack of responses to posts, such as best practices. I would take accountability for it, due to the style of my posts; however, I do get responses on wondercafe.
Thoughts?
Responses!
Jayne,
At last, my kindred spirit has found me!
Your concern has been my passion since this site went up, and I am sorry to say I don't have an answer, despite having been looking for one for a long time.
Wait, I just read the thread above where Anna, or should I call her RevLoveJoy, outted you as Pinga. Your credibility as a committed community member just went up!
Back to the topic at hand.
The only reason people are going to participate is if they see a benefit. Wondercafe's benefit is intellectual debate on most threads, and a lot of silly fun (and mutual support) on the social thread. This has real value to the members
This site benefits people who are actually interested in, and participating in change. I could go totally cynical and say that obviously everyone is entrenched and this is a total waste of time (RussP?) but I have been saying THERE IS CAUSE FOR HOPE all summer.
So, as a web 2.0 site, what content are we as users called to create to bring value to the community? Well, as the thread starter (you!) said, we need best practices.
Writing these takes some guts, ego, whatever, to toot your own horn. You have to say "Yes we are successful in this area" and then be willing to share how great you think you are. I have absolutely no problem with this, but some virtuous church folks are plagued by modesty or humility. Luckily I have rid myself of that deadly sin (or did I mix up those lists....).
Then there is the time factor. Despite my immodestly, I have not published many articles about the great things our congregation is doing. I have also discovered a "sister" congregation to ours, through reading the material out the Emerging to where? event, that I want to write about, but haven’t yet. In emails with Keith Howard he tells me there are lots of stories out there. ES doesn't have a journalistic staff (it should IMHO) and we the laity (or staff) are not picking up the slack.
This I think is what needs to happen, but I don't know how to get the posting ball rolling. I am willing to enter a posting war with anyone on ES for most posts for which you were not paid. I think I hold that title now. Just try and knock me off!
As for forums, Wondercafe is a great place to have conversations, but is a lousy place to search for useful ideas. This site is much better set up for that, and if the Wiki ever got going (Aaron I know you're out their!) it would be even better. Since I have started trolling Wondercafe, out of total boredom and desperation for anyone to show up here, I have grabbed two Wondercafe threads that were best practice-esque and cross posted them here. I also wondermailed the original authors hoping they will follow the bait; an ego stroke goes a long way. If you could do the same it will help build this site.
My long standing tact of being as annoying as possible hasn't worked, so I welcome new ideas. And who knows, there might be a third person who will see this thread and have a suggestion.
hmm...post stories, or ask for advice
My thoughts are it is easier to write about the challenges one has, and ask for advice, then it is to write stories about successes.
Bassic, if you can list any specific areas of interest you might, have....i will see if any of them match mine, and then, we can appeal to others.
Maybe..just maybe..we can show how a question, can traverse through the spec, to some test cases, and onwards, to real success.
i am also willing to, once we have a couple of active threads, encourage active uccan's in wc to join us on the adventure