11-22-2015
12:15 pm - 2:30 pm

12:15 Lunch
12:30 – 2:30 Conversation

What is this event?
“Turning Pain into Promise” is dealing with dynamics in ‘After Pastor’ congregations. ‘After Pastor’ refers to congregation’s who’ve had one or more issue(s) with ethical or sexual misconduct involving a previous minister – sometimes decades in the past. This happened at UUCB in the 1980s, and while it was long ago, it’s worth wondering whether it still saps our attention and energy.

Why is this important?
Why can’t we just move on? Those who have studied congregations who just ignored or refused to talk about misconduct have discovered they often go on to exhibit symptoms of conflict, mistrust, struggles with authority, low levels of commitment and difficulty attracting or keeping new members. These symptoms can also make it difficult to attract new ministers.

What will happen at the event?
Rev. Pope Lance will lead us through a discussion designed to illuminate troublesome dynamics in congregations similar to ours. We will have an opportunity to determine whether these symptoms are present here and, if so, what we can do.