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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WHAT IS THE ROLE OF DIOCESAN SOCIAL ACTION DIRECTOR IN CHURCH-BASED ORGANIZING?1. There is no church-based organization in your diocese, but your office strategy includes helping to create one.The emphasis here is on "your office strategy". Most social action offices are searching for ways to build constituencies for justice within local parishes. Some have turned to legislative networks. Others think it makes more sense to join or form an interfaith effort with others in the community, creating a church-based community organization. Whatever the decision, it should be part of an overall office strategy. Before proceeding too far, you will want to get at least the preliminary approval of the Ordinary. If he strongly opposes the idea, it is better to save your time and energy. Once the decision has been made to proceed, there are several recommended steps:Step 1. Build good strong relationships with the other religious denominations in your community. This group must be fairly representative of the whole community and be able to bring financial resources to the table for an exploration effort. Sometimes called a "sponsoring committee", this group works as a team to bring one of the national networks to your community. Step 2. Determine which, if any, national networks are already working in your city, state, or area. (Major networks are listed as an insert with this paper, with addresses and phone numbers.) If there is more than one network, your sponsoring committee must become familiar with and assess the work of each. Talk with network organizers, clergy, and other leaders from affiliated organizations in the area. Find out what they have done in other communities, what each would expect of you, what the costs would be, and determine whether they have an interest and willingness to come into your community. Currently, there are more communities that want church-based organizing than there are trained organizers to go around. Efforts to create more organizations could unwittingly weaken those now extant if demands for expansion depend on organizers without seasoned professional skills. Expect the familiarizing process to be a two-way street because the network will test your seriousness and commitment to building a new organization. They will want to know how much support you have from the various denominational heads, whether your group is representative of the whole community, whether you have the funds to contract for their services, and whether you have leaders ready to carry out local work. |
Step 3. Negotiate with the network that best suits the needs of your area. The initial contract will usually be limited in scope. For example, in Washington, D.C., a local sponsoring committee contracted with the Industrial Areas Foundation to have an organizer spend a certain number days per month for nearly two years "exploring" the development of a new organization. Your initial contract need not be exactly like any other agreement in the country; it should meet the needs of your own particular area. It would certainly be a good idea, though, to talk with others who have been through such a process to understand costs, services, and appropriate expectations.
Step 4. Decide to move ahead, raise funds, sign a long term contract with the network, and look at the organizer or organizers the network presents for your consideration. Usually the network will provide their top candidate for you to interview. Ask a number of persons to spend time with the prospective organizer. Remember, you are the ones who have raised the money, it is your community, and this decision is yours to make. Sometimes the organizer is presented as if you have absolutely no choice in the matter. There should be. Once you have made this decision, the organizing process moves into a new phase of development and the sponsoring committee is replaced by a core team made up of clergy and lay persons emerging from the actual organizing process. 2. Role of Social Action Director if there is already a church-based organizing effort working in the diocese.There will no doubt be situations in which a diocesan social action director or staff person is hired to work in a community where there is already an existing church-based organization. This situation can sometimes become awkward--even competitive and destructive--unless certain precautions are taken. There are some steps you can take which will be helpful in dealing with such a situation.You should become well acquainted with the effort. The first instinct should be one of openness and listening. Sit down with the Catholic clergy involved in the organization. Find out what is going on and how the organization is affecting their parishes, their leaders, and the broader community in which they live. What issues have they worked on? What are there successes and disappointments? Talk also to leaders from the parishes. Be supportive of their efforts and begin to determine whether there are ways you can or should be involved in the organizing efforts. Attend meetings of the core team to learn more about what is being worked on and assess the overall effectiveness of the organization. Find out what local congregations or parishes are doing, |
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