WELCOME!

Administration as Leadership

renaissance program

Session 1: Welcome and Covenant

Please share * Name* Congregation or setting* Role or position in religious education* Number of years in Unitarian Universalism* Number of years in the field of religious education* Number of Renaissance Modules taken* RE Credentialing status (level completed or in progress)

renaissance program

Renaissance Program

AdministrationAdult Faith Development

Curriculum PlanningMinistry with Youth

Multicultural Religious EducationPhilosophy of Religious Education

Teacher DevelopmentUU Identity

UU History (online)Worship for All Ages

UU Theology (coming soon)

renaissance program

Orientation to Administration as Leadership Module

Online Evaluationhttp://www.uua.org/careers/re/renaissance/277437.shtml

renaissance program

Sharing our StoriesAppreciative Inquiry

What makes you effective in carrying out administrative responsibilities?

What specific personal qualities have contributed to your success in administering

a faith development program?

renaissance program

Sharing our StoriesMentors

Think about those individuals who have been mentors…

What was it that “passed over” from them into your life and has remained with you?

What impact did that gift have on you professionally?

renaissance program

Sharing our StoriesPath to Leadership

Think about and write the sequence of events that resulted in your current position.

Now, create a story by weaving together the responses from these three exercises.

renaissance program

The Professional, Politics and Power

ProfessionalAdministration

PoliticsPower

renaissance program

Handout 7… If You Are the DRE

•Why might these items be included in this list related to “Professionals, Politics, and Power?”•How are these items relevant to your particular

situation?•How might acting on these have the potential to

lead to increased professionalism?•Are there other items you would add to the list?

renaissance program

Official Documents

http://www.uua.org/sites/live-new.uua.org/files/documents/ellenwoodpat/

re_leadershipguide.pdf

renaissance program

Performance Evaluations

To whom does the DRE report in your congregation?Evaluation Process…

Does your congregation have a clear process in place?Is the process actually followed?

How many have had an individual evaluation (vs a program evaluation)?

How many are reviewed annually? Semi-annually? Never?

Was your most recent evaluation helpful in furthering your professional development?

renaissance program

Session 1 Reflection Questions

Do the official documents and the evaluative process in place for me reflect best practices?

What avenues are open to address the need for change in the process and the document?

What do I understand about how my degree of professionalism is informed by my new understanding of politics and power?

renaissance program

Session 2: The Religious Educator in the Congregation

The Congregational DanceWhat is the purpose of establishing a

governance structure in a congregation?

What type of governance does your congregation have?

What is the size of your congregation?

renaissance program

The Congregational Dance cont’dSmall group Discussion

What are the similarities and differences between what you saw from the balcony such as the informal lines of communication, and the more formal structures that

are in place in your congregation?

How does your congregation regard the role of the UUA staff and the UUA Board as it relates to congregational

polity?

What impact does their stance have on you as a staff person?

renaissance program

Covenants

How many of you have a religious education covenant with your congregation?

Is there anyone here who benefitted from the LREDA Grant program?

renaissance program

Healthy Communication

Are there any other practices you would like to add to the list?

renaissance program

Triangulation•Have you talked directly about this with the person?•If the answer is no, encourage the person to do that.•I feel uncomfortable talking about this with you but it seems important to you so I’d be happy to have the staff person in question get in touch with you. •If the person indicates a reluctance to speak directly to the person, encourage them to speak to someone from the Committee on Ministry•If the person is reluctant to do either of these things say something like: I can’t be helpful in solving the problem because our staff covenant prevents me from continuing the conversation. If you can find a way for you to convey your message so that the person in question can respond, it’s more likely that you can find a solution to the problem or address your concern.

renaissance program

Faith Development Portfolio

renaissance program

Session 2 Reflection Questions•What are the implications of where I am in the congregational dance from the vantage point of the balcony? •What are the implications of the governance model and congregational polity on me as the religious education professional?•As a result of this session, what new understanding do I have about my administrative role in the larger portfolio I hold and my place in the congregational dance?

renaissance program

Session 3: Partners in Faith Development

The Staff Team Activity

What insights, if any, did you have into how the dynamics of a staff team might be changed or improved if there were opportunities to share

around these kinds of issues?

renaissance program

Session 3 Reflection QuestionsWhat gifts do I bring that contribute to the effective

collaboration of the staff group? If there are impediments to creating a collegial environment, what steps seem reasonable in

addressing the issue?

To what extent is the Religious Education Committee responsible for the program? How does their level of ownership

affect my work? What strategies do I want to employ to increase their level of ownership if that is needed?

How useful was the problem solving strategy and are there ways it can be used with groups and committees in my congregation?

renaissance program

Session 4: Management Skills

Volunteer ManagementWhat are the ways that your

congregations publicly recognize and appreciate faith development

volunteers?

What are the more private ways to recognize and appreciate faith

development volunteers?

renaissance program

Conflict Management

“The Cash Register Story”

What is the relevance of this story to the topic of conflict?

What was it that seemed to cause any conflict that surfaced within your small

group?

renaissance program

Conflict Continuum

•What insights from the results of your responses on the Conflict Continuum might

be of value in being more effective in conflict situations in the future?

•What value do you think there would be in sharing this exercise with other staff? With

others in the congregation?

renaissance program

Session 4 Reflection Questions•What insights did I gain from the results of the conflict continuum exercise? •What changes would increase my overall effectiveness in normalizing and managing conflict? •How can I achieve a balance between being an empowering manager and one whose volunteers see the faith development program as being so ambitious that they feel over-burdened?

renaissance program

Session 5: Integration and Application

1.Create a to do list2.Establishing priorities3.Data4.Using Technology more effectively

renaissance program

Using Technology More EffectivelyHow many computers are available in your congregational office?

Are the computers networked?Is there a computer dedicated to use in the faith development office? Is

it up to date?Is there one central, integrated database, or do different programs

maintain their own databases? Who is responsible for managing Membership data? Financial records?

RE registration? Desktop publishing? What software programs are in use by staff?

Do you feel you were adequately trained in using those programs?Are you connected to the internet in your office?

What do you see as the advantages of the internet and email to our work?

Are you familiar with the resources on-line at the UUA for religious educators?

To which of the UUA-related list serves are you subscribed?

renaissance program

Delegation

*WHY we need to delegatePlease Brainstorm

Why, then, in spite of all those advantages do you think so many religious educators are reluctant to

delegate? What do you think might be some of the reasons for that?

renaissance program

DelegationContinued

Share examples of something you successfully delegated that included

Assignment Authority

Accountability

renaissance program

DelegationContinued

Brainstorm a list of items that should not be delegated.

renaissance program

Session 5 Reflection Questions

If I were to delegate tasks from each of my major areas of responsibility, what might be the effect on

the community and their commitment to faith development? What parts of my work do I absolutely

want to keep for myself?

What opportunities for being more creative in my administrative role are available at this time? What is

needed to prepare those with whom I work for a change in this area?

renaissance program

Closing Worship

renaissance program