"Permission Giving"

Boys in the Bands reads my suggestion (of a independent funding center for church growth) as suggesting that what is retarding enterprising new ministries among the Unitarian Universalists is simply a lack of funds.  He suggests that the problem is more attitude than money.

Being a big fan of transformed world views, I won't argue with a call for better attitudes.  Money can not substitute for the vision of the church planter (or community minister) but funds can enable the minister-entrepreneur's work.  In my day as a community organizer, and earlier as in plant union organizer,  we weren't dependent on the funders to pay our own rent or buy our groceries.  But we did need some money to rent a hall, install the phones,  and run the presses.  Unions like churches looked forward to future dues to realize a return on their investment, but union staffs unlike the UUA staff were accountable to a delegate body that had a vital interest in organizing.  I observe that the average delegate to the UUA General Assembly is about as interested in saving the whales as they are in starting new churches.  They like both  ideas, and they'll vote for a resolution to express that they want somebody to do something about both good ideas. Neither whales or new congregations is what we call a lived priority to most of the leaders of our present congregations.

But what if money wasn't involved?  What if everybody God called into the Unitarian Universalist ministry was living off trust funds conveniently gathered by plundering ancestors and handed down for a good purpose. Well there is a matter of permission giving.  We still believe that ministers even minister-entreprenuers should be in relation to Unitarian Universalism.  The new starters I know seek to gain some kind of permission, some recognition that their work is legitimate, and recognized.  Our association of congregations provides recognition in two ways; there is lateral relationship, that is when a local congregation (or cluster) gives recognition that this is indeed a real ministry and it should be honored.  the other is when the the UUA through its staff, its Board or one of its committees gives such recognition (vertical relationship.)  For our entrepreneur-ministers the former is hit and miss, and the latter is limited to those who satisfy some priority.

LT writing in Lively Tradition suggests that perhaps the "Institute for Progressive Enterpreneurial Ministry" could be about information gathering, and training.  Even such a small step would constitute enabling, permission giving and recognition that would empower all of our minister-enterprenuers even those who are independently wealthy or who married well, or whose tent making day job pays big bucks.

Sometimes projects do need a grant to make them fly.  Christine Robinson writing over at iMinister has an exciting, well thought out project that needs funding.  The Albuquerque proposal will remind those who have followed UU extension efforts of the A.Powell Davis project to create spin off by proving worship over the radio and setting up Sunday Schools in localities.  The Davis effort led to several strong churches.  The present Albuquerque proposal rethinks that experiment for the present technological possibilities and the local extension potential.  This proposal involves both minister and lay people in an outreach effort, but alas it isn't one of the approved growth strategies.