January 4: Eleven Tables, dozens of questions, and a cake s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d to the limit

[This overview and summary is the last in a series of posts following up on the January 4 Town Halls. Earlier posts covered additional Q&A on Renewal Works and other comments, next steps in the Discernment process, and the Interim Rector and the Associate Rector during the transition.

Video and slides from the Town Hall are included at the end of this post.]

January 4, 1 pm: Baxter Hall was bursting with enthusiasm, and parishioners. Pre-registration had jumped from Friday’s total of 42 to 78 by the end of Saturday, and then more than one hundred parishioners walked through the door Sunday afternoon. With the help of David Durant of Green Maintenance rustling up additional chairs and of our kitchen team slicing up sandwiches in ever finer slices, and with everyone’s patience and good humor, it worked out wonderfully.

 

Renewal Works and the Vestry Report

Greg Gay presided over the introduction, then turned the proceedings over to Nadine Hathaway and Jim Ashley. They presented the results and interpretation of the Renewal Works Survey, as reported to the Vestry and the Parish in December.

Participants discussed the presentation at their tables, then sent notes listing questions and concerns to the theming table. Nancy Karpeles’ cake was served — a delicious way to buy time for us to review the notes carefully and identify common themes in the questions.  Fortified by the cake, Jim and Nadine offered their answers. (We did not have time to address every concern and questions, so we’ve posted a follow-up here.)

Sixty days of input

Susan Flanders followed, reviewing the schedule we’ve laid out for the remainder of the Discernment and Search process and the communications tools we’ll use to keep the Parish involved. She emphasized that the next two months comprise the critical period for parish input, as we develop the Parish Profile.

Ways to Keep In Touch

1. Read the Bulletin and listen to announcements during Sunday services,
2. Visit https://stmarksdsc.wordpress.com (this website),
3. Sign up for email blasts at: https://stmarksdsc.wordpress.com/email ,
4. Text stmarksdsc to 24587 to sign up for text/sms updates.

All updates, announcements, and event invitations will be published in each of these four ways.

We’re also standing by for all comments emailed to stmarksdsc@gmail.com

There was more time for table discussion, and then we asked a member of each table to “pop up” and voice the schedule questions and concerns that had been raised. Find the answers in a previous post.

And in 90 minutes, we were done.

Later, that same day …

That evening, after the 5pm worship, Jim Ashley convened a less formal discussion in Baxter Hall, with 20 parishioners.

Thanks

This was an all-hands effort by the DSC, with many other helping hands as noted above, plus:

• Loretta Veney as the videographer (see the videos below),
• Chuck Divine, for the event photos,
• Elin Whitney-Smith for deploying chairs and encouraging tables to take on additional comers, so all could join the conversation,
• Rick Weber, for handling Pub duties, and
• Jane Byrne, for allowing us to focus on the event by handling the clean-up.

Scroll on for video and slides

Here are the slides we used on January 4 and, below them, videos of the presentations and the Renewal Works Q&A below.

Renewal Works presentation

Download (PDF)

Timeline for the Discernment and Search Process

The presentations

Questions and Answers about Renewal Works and Other Comments Provided (January 4 Q&A follow-up)

[This is one in a series posted as follow-up to the January 4 Town Halls. This covers questions and concerns about the Renewal Works Survey and other comments provided at that time. More information about the January 4 Town Hall is provided in the overview and summary.]

Analysis and Interpretation of Results

How were the results from Renewal Works analyzed and how was this analysis “customized” for St Mark’s?

The Renewal Works results given to us came in two formats. First we were given power point presentations that included analyses conducted by Renewal Works that compared parishioners within our parish and with other parishes. Second, we were given an appendix that included the tabulated results for each survey question. We used this appendix to cull through the results of each question to discern meaning from the results that were outside of the Renewal Works calculations. See appendix 1 of our report (PDF).

When responses indicate satisfaction with St Mark’s not doing something, how was that counted?

These questions asked respondents to indicate their satisfaction with how well St. Mark’s was supporting their needs in a certain area. Because there was no way to differentiate between respondents who indicated satisfaction that St. Mark’s was not doing from those who indicated satisfaction that St. Mark’s was doing something, these responses were all tabulated together. Based on our review of the comments received from parishioners, the DSC understood this was an issue and attempted to interpret the results in a way to identify broad themes.

How did you incorporate comments outside of the Renewal Works Survey?

Prior to seeing the results of the Renewal Works survey, we conducted a content analysis of all comments received from parishioners. We identified important themes and discussed the variation in the comments received so that all DSC members had an understanding of the nature and diversity of the comments. After receiving the survey results and customizing the analysis, we began our discernment of the results by discussing the comments. Additionally, where appropriate, we included specific comments in our discussion of the possible meaning of the survey results. See appendix 2 of our report.

Are different or more detailed breakouts available for the survey results?

The full report and appendices are available on this web site. We were limited in our ability analyze the Renewal Works data and to generate more breakouts because we were only given tabulated results for each question. To protect the anonymity of respondents, Renewal Works does not provide the raw data to the parish. The age breakouts provided came from Renewal Works. Further breakouts are not available.

Definitions of Renewal Works Terms

What are the definitions of “Exploring”, “Growing”, “Deepening”, “Centered”?

Exploring a Life with God: According to Renewal Works, the people in this group have a basic belief in God, but they’re unsure about God’s role in their lives.

Growing in a Life with God: According to Renewal Works, the people in this group have a personal relationship with God. They’ve made a commitment to trust God with their future in this life and the next, but they are just beginning to learn what it means to be in a relationship with God.

Deepening in Life with God: According to Renewal Works, the people in this group depend on God but they see God as someone who assists them in the things that are important to their life on a daily basis; they turn to God for help and guidance for issues they face.

Life with God in the Center: According to Renewal Works, the people in this group would identify their relationship with God as the most important relationship in their entire lives. They see their lives as fully surrendered to God, subordinating everything to God’s will and desires.

Further Use of the Report at St. Mark’s, with Rector Candidates, or with the Diocese

How can we share the richness of the full report?

The full DSC report and appendices are available on the web site at https://stmarksdsc.wordpress.com/rws2014/ .

We were limited in our ability analyze the Renewal Works data and to generate more breakouts (e.g. by age) because we were only given tabulated results for each question. To protect the anonymity of respondents, Renewal Works does not provide the raw data to the parish. It is our hope that the richness of the results were appropriately captured in our report and that this will be carefully considered by our current and future leadership. We chose to publish our custom analysis and the listing of all the comments we received to present a complete picture of the data and the experience.

How will Renewal Works results (and the other comments and letter to the Vestry] affect the Profile and the Discernment and Search Process? Will candidates get the Renewal Works report?

The DSC learned a great deal from the Renewal Works experience and will carry with us as we go forward. The top candidates will get the Renewal Works report which includes a detailed description of the Renewal Works experience and the DSC take aways from the experience.

Will Diocese respond to our use of Renewal Works?

A copy of the report was sent to Joey Rick, who has not commented on it.

Further discussions of Renewal Works in the context of Discernment?

Don’t take more time on RW – Move on.

We view the Renewal Works as a starting point to our work and a great learning experience for us and our congregation. It is our hope that the and that the Renewal Works experience will be carefully considered by our current and future leadership and we have now moved on.

Questions about the Interim Rector and the Associate’s role (January 4 Q&A follow-up)

[This is one in a series posted as follow-up to the January 4 Town Halls. This covers questions and concerns about the Interim and our current Associate Rector. More information about the January 4 Town Hall is provided in the overview and summary.]

Who hires the interim rector? Where can we get a report on that?

Are we definitely hiring an interim rector? Is the timeline for the interim set?

Do we have the money and budget to support the interim for the period that is scheduled?

These questions should be directed to the Senior Warden.

Is Justi in charge till an interim comes? if more is expected of the Associate, will she be compensated for the extra work?

These questions should be referred to the Senior Warden

Next steps in the Discernment and Search Process (January 4 Q&A follow-up)

[This is one in a series posted as follow-up to the January 4 Town Halls. This covers questions and concerns about next steps in the Discernment and Search process. More information about the January 4 Town Hall is provided in the overview and summary.]

The Second Survey

What is the purpose of the next survey and how will its design be affected by our experience with Renewal Works?

We view the Renewal Works as a starting point to our work and a great learning experience for us and our congregation.

There were questions about the validity of the Renewal Works survey. However, regardless of these issues, the survey was not designed to provide us all of the information that we needed for the search process. As a result, we decided that we need to conduct another survey to gather this information and provide our parishioners with an opportunity for direct and relevant input.

How do we deal with responses to a survey vs. the realities of our needs and longings?

The next survey is only one of several inputs we will use to understand the realities of St. Mark’s. The DSC will incorporate all the information learned from our gatherings, reports, interviews, survey and Town Hall meetings to understand our needs and longings.

Candidates

How many candidates are out there?

We expect the position to be officially posted in May and remain open for 6 to 8 weeks. We do not know how many candidates will apply.

It would be useful to know what are the characteristics we are looking for, e.g. humor, ability to listen, to self-disclose, teach the bible stories, preach? Rector should be humble and open to wide range of ideas.

Agreed. We will be offering several opportunities in the near future for our congregation to explore these questions and define what characteristics are important. The opportunities will begin in late January through a series of home gatherings (sign up here ) and will continue into early March with several all parish town hall meetings (look for future announcements).

Can we get sample sermons from the top 3 candidates?

No. The identities of all candidates will remain confidential until a Rector is called.

Is there going to be a profile about us given to the candidates saying who we are?

Yes, we are preparing a Parish Profile and a complete package of recruitment materials that will be shared with potential candidates. Find more details about the process of searching for a Rector in our Frequently Asked Questions.

Other Aspects of the Search Process

What kind of input are you getting from the pillars? What if there is no current pillar head/staffer (e.g. Youth /Family Ministry)?

We are asking for the most up to date information about programs, priorities, hopes, dreams, and participation from the pillars. We are speaking with the lay volunteers in youth and family ministry.

What is the budget to support the search process?

The DSC has submitted a budget request for 2015 that will support the search process. The overall St. Mark’s 2015 budget is currently being developed by the finance committee and we expect that more information will be shared from that committee in the near future.

What are we learning from other parishes looking for rectors, e.g. .St Columba, St Paul’s K St, Christ Church – Georgetown?

We have collected parish profiles from several other churches. The DSC has not been in direct contact with any of the search committees for these parishes.

Home Gathering sign-ups begin January 11

January 31 through February 22, parishioners will host home gatherings all over Greater Washington, DC, in a variety of formats: dinner, cocktail/wine and cheese, brunch, or coffee/tea with dessert.

Share a dish and your vision and ideas.

Sign-ups in Baxter Hall and online starting Sunday, January 11.

Questions? Please contact please contact Cecilia Monahan at cdcmonahan@gmail.com.

Sign up for our email blast to stay up to date on the Discernment and Search process

Once or twice a month, we’ll send out email updates with news of upcoming events and what St Mark’s has accomplished so far in the process of discernment for our twelfth Rector.

If you’d like to receive these messages, please contact Christoph Berendes, berendes@netalyst.com .