Where Do We Stand, Where Are We Going

This is an adapted version of the report I gave to the Annual Meeting for the Unitarian Universalist District of Metropolitan New York on May 1.

I’m your new District Trustee on the UUA Board. The Rev. Rosemary Bray McNatt has resigned because there were some things in her life that required more time, and I have been appointed by your District Board to complete her term, which runs through June 2011. I’ve been on the job for about three weeks now, which included a Board meeting in Boston about two weeks ago.

When I was asked to consider this job, I went to the UUA website and looked at the page for the Board. I saw the group picture there, immediately spotted Rosemary, looked at the other Board members, and said “Uh oh. This looks like kind of a vanilla group, and I’m not going to be helping that situation.” And in fact, that was a concern for the District Board, for the UUA Board, and for me, as I’m sure it is for you. But the fact is, that there are not enough people of color in our District to fill all of the leadership positions where we would like to have them, and those we do have, well, we wear them out. We need a deeper bench for leadership positions in our congregations, in our District, and in the UUA; and that’s not just true for historically marginalized people, it’s generally true for leadership at all levels of our Association. I’ll just do the best I can, and hope that I can bring to this work a passion for inclusion and communication – not replacing Rosemary, but bringing my own strengths to bear as best I can.

So I’ve jumped right in, and have been working over the last few weeks to build a picture of where we stand, what we are working on, and where we are going. Having tried valiantly to take a break for the last year, with limited success, I come to this with fairly fresh eyes.

As I join the UUA Board, we are less than a year into our implementation of Policy Governance®, although the Board has been working toward that for 6-8 years. I have four years of experience with Policy Governance on the Metro District Board, and I hope that having worked through the implementation at the District level will help as the UUA Board goes through the same process. Right now there are some growing pains as the Board and staff work to achieve our ends – our vision for the future – while using the machinery of Policy Governance monitoring to ensure compliance with policy. There are also ongoing conversations about what work belongs to the Board and what work should properly be delegated to UUA staff. This is a learning process, but we are making progress.

Of course, the economic environment is extremely challenging. This year the shortfall in income is greater than last year: for congregations, for the District, and for the UUA. We find ourselves forced to do more with less, to look seriously at how we can streamline our governance and our operations to be more focused and productive, and to use fewer resources even as we create more effective and visionary transformation for our Association and our world.

It strikes me now, as it did when I began doing District work, that the challenges we face at this level are very much the same challenges that face congregations: leadership development, inclusion, growth, excellence in ministry, and healthy congregations. The perspective is a little different, but the challenges are much the same. And thankfully, wherever I go, I find Unitarian Universalists fully engaged in the process. So serving the UUA is, I find, much like being part of a congregation. The people are wonderful and inspiring.

Some truly amazing things are in the works now. How many of you are familiar with the work of the Fifth Principle Task Force? As you know, our Fifth Principle affirms “The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large.” The Fifth Principle Task Force, chaired by our own Denny Davidoff, examined UUA governance starting in January 2008, and made recommendations to the Board this past December. The Board in turn committed to pursing transformation of our governance for the UUA Board, for Districts, and for our General Assembly. Of course, this does not affect congregational polity, how our congregations use the democratic process to govern themselves. But it does affect the way we organize and represent congregations in our Association. We need to ensure that our congregations are truly represented by the democratic processes in our Association; that the voices at the national level are not self selected and self funded; that youth, young adults, and historically marginalized people are represented; and that we make wise use of our resources.

This affects the UUA Board, which currently has 24 members and is far too big and cumbersome. It affects our Districts, which constitute a level of governance between our national Association and our congregations. And it affects the decisions made about our Association at General Assembly. There are some pretty specific proposals on the table; but this is an ongoing conversation. Large bylaws changes are required, and that process is going to take shape and reach fruition over the course of the next two to three years.

There is already a movement underway to provide greater regional staffing and specialized services, rather than relying on all-purpose District resources. This will enable Districts to make deep expertise and knowledge available to all congregations across a region, and optimizes the use of staff time and skills. The Board will be having a whole day conversation about services and governance with District Presidents before this year’s General Assembly, and that is part of that process. There will also be discussions of governance issues in general GA sessions. And the Board is reaching out to connect with congregations throughout our Association and deepen our appreciation of congregational values and concerns, as part of our responsibility to link with our sources of authority and accountability.

We are reviewing the ministerial fellowship process and the credentialing process for religious educators and lay leadership, and working to promote excellence in ministry, which goes hand in hand with healthy congregations. And we are committed to inclusion that empowers and enhances the participation of all, regardless of identities, ages, abilities, and histories.

Of course, not everything is planned. The immigration law passed in Arizona recently has raised serious questions about our plans to hold our 2012 General Assembly in Phoenix. The Board is holding a special meeting this week to consider this issue in depth, to make sure that we have all the information needed to make an informed decision, and to decide whether this is an issue that should be decided by the Board or by a resolution at this year’s GA. Our decision will be guided by the values we all share, and by your input. (I'll be reporting on this meeting soon.)

As I say, this is a conversation. I look forward to continuing that conversation with you over the next year. You can find my blog at the District website, email me at jhawkins @ uua.org, and talk to me by phone or in person.

I’d also like to encourage all of you to attend General Assembly in Minneapolis in a few weeks. I’d love to connect with you there too.

Thank you!
John Hawkins

®Policy Governance is the registered service mark of John Carver; the authoritative website for the Policy Governance model can be found at www.carvergovernance.com.