C h u r c h - b a s e d O r g a n i z i n g
A guide for diocesan social action offices
Prepared by
THE ROUNDTABLE
National association of diocesan social action directors
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Third, the organizing committee holds another large gathering, perhaps a prayer meeting, bringing together representatives from all the institutions considering joining. Here people meet each other and begin to glimpse the powerful possibilities of working together for a common purpose. The organizers invite bishops, other judicatory leaders, and prominent representatives of nonaligned local congregations whose presence legitimizes and empowers local efforts.
3. Internal parish organization. Once a parish decides to participate and pays its dues, the organizer meets with the clergy, staff and leaders to determine how they would like to proceed locally. Obviously, what emerges differs with each congregation, depending upon needs and leaders, but there are some common steps. Train parish leaders to make one-to-one visits with others in the congregation. The pastor can "send" or "commission" them to go into the community to listen for concerns and to identify others who will join the effort. Invite those who have been visited to discuss together the issues that have been raised. This group will later decide which issues take priority as they begin their work together. These tend to be both internal parish issues (program for elderly, better liturgies, youth outreach) and external community issues (schools, traffic, housing, and crime. Using research, find out whether an issue is winnable, what strategies can be used, what funds are available, and who is responsible. Such questions must be answered before moving ahead. Also, develop relationships between leaders within the local organization and decision makers in the city, county, or state. Find allies, identify responsible political leaders, and note possible sources of funding. Invite large numbers of people to the parish hall for what might be called a "parish assembly meeting", setting the agenda for the next year or two. Those who attend are usually encouraged by the process to become personally involved in one of the selected issues; they may even see such meetings as turning points for their own involvement in parish life. During these "assemblies" the parish may vote to work as well on broader issues of concern to the larger organization. Internal development depends very much on the local pastor's support. When clergy are not supportive, it is almost impossible to proceed. When they are passively supportive, organizing is possible, but the results will be mixed. When the local clergy see organizing as a helpful strategy to "build the church", these internal steps can be extremely positive. Internal development must not end, however, with the big meeting. |
Without continued work and follow-through, such efforts could lead to even worse cynicism and frustration. The organizer's ongoing support at this stage is, therefore, crucial.
4. Extension to the broader community. The campaign around a common issue may actually take place while a number of participating institutions are still at step three. It will almost always take place before every parish has completed its internal organizing process. Why? Because an ongoing tension exists between a parish's internal organizing efforts and its external push to establish a new housing program or an improvement of the public school system. At some point the group must be a focus on the larger issues facing the community. The steps leading to broad-based community actions are no different from those listed earlier: listening first to common concerns coming out of the various congregations; identifying specific issues to be addressed; researching; building relationships; setting specific goals; and bringing together large numbers of people to encourage local officials to act. Gatherings are held to celebrate what has developed in the process of working on issues together. They may involve bishops and other church leaders, include singing and prayer, and remind participants of the common values and teachings that bring them together. If the meeting is a good one, individual members will go home spiritually lifted and moved toward further involvement and participation. A final step involves careful evaluation of all events and actions. Leaders gather after each event to determine what went right and what went wrong. Individual leaders are encouraged to look carefully at their own performances and to use the evaluation to help them improve in the future. The evaluation may lead to discussions of next steps and further work assignments, new one-on-one visits, and further research. DETERMINING THE QUALITY OF ORGANIZING EFFORTSSocial action directors question how to determine whether the church-based organizing being done in the parishes is quality work. Such an assessment might involve the following measures:1. Is the organization developing both primary and secondary leadership at the parish level?One of the criticisms sometimes raised about church-based organizing is that an organizer comes into a parish, works for a while to identify enough good leaders to produce numbers for the big actions, and then moves on to another parish or congregation. |
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