Last week I shared four of the eight ‘differences’ in George Bullard’s article “Abandon Committees, Skip Teams, and Embrace Communities” (www.bullardjournal.org).
Remember, the unspoken premise is that culture, relationships and systems of organizing have changed drastically in the last few decades. These affect the way ‘church’ is ‘done,’ and our exploring the differences may help us minister more effectively to the world around us. Here are the last of the eight differences…
Difference Five—Recruitment: Committees look for people of position who can bring to the committee influence to get the work of the committee respected by people of power in the congregation. Teams look for people of expertise who have the gifts, skills and preferences to complete a certain task or set of tasks. Communities look for people of passion who want to have fun helping to bring exciting experiences to congregational participants, and a spiritual strategic journey to the congregation.
Difference Six—Benefits: Committees benefit congregations by building ownership and loyalty for the mission of the congregation. Teams benefit congregations by providing more effective action more quickly than committees. Communities benefit congregations by providing more enthusiasm and meaningful relationships within congregations.
Difference Seven—Style of Work: Committees focus on making decisions that are lasting and manage the resources of the congregation efficiently at the best price. Teams focus on debating the strengths and weaknesses of the various choices to complete a task, and typically end up with the highest quality product or outcome. Communities dialogue, engage in discernment activities, and arrive at the best solutions for a particular opportunity or challenge.
Difference Eight—Organizational Model: Committees work best in centralized organizations. Teams work best in decentralized organizations. Communities work best in distributed organizations. Distributed organizations are those with no true center, but a network that empowers the grassroots and diversity.
Blessings,
JON
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This may be an internet first, but I'm linking a previous post of this blog to a future post-- http://drinkrain.blogspot.com/2007/03/report-from-future.html
Yes, there is a freedom and inspiration requisite to communities that you may not find in committees and teams. But a prerequisite to any of the above is the attitude "If we don't try, we won't make it."
For instance, the social networking community at umc.org uses the latest technologies, but participants must enter with a pre-determined mission and a good attitude or it will flounder. (God knows my health club knows this :]
Hope this helps,
David
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