Imagine that your Vestry
has been doing some planning and they have come to the decision that for
further development, they need to hire a new staff member. Maybe this is a full-time youth pastor, a
paid Christian Education person, or an assistant clergy person. They set out to communicate this to the
parish especially during the stewardship program and set a target for how much additional
income they will need. Of the say
$65,000 increase, you receive around $55,000.
The options seem to be (1) postpone the hiring until next year, (2) seek
additional funding, or (3) borrow the money need (or borrow off the endowment
or some other fund.) What is the “right”
decision?
Or imagine that the Vestry
has launched a capital fund to remodel the Parish Hall and Christian Education
wing of the Church. Of the $400,000
needed, you receive pledges for $365,000.
Do you (1) ask for additional funding, (2) hold a fund raising event,
(3) borrow the remaining dollars you need, (4) postpone the remodel until economic
conditions are more favorable, or (5) build what $365,000 will give you and
leave the frills and finishing for a later time? What is the “right” decision?
Recently, the Parish I
attend developed a plan to finish off the interior of the Sanctuary. In the late 90s with steady growth, the
leaders hired an architect and came up with a plan to extend the old
Sanctuary. They only received about 85%
of what they needed for the project, but they badly needed the additional
seating. The solution they chose was to
extend the Sanctuary out but to avoid the costly relocation of the HAC system,
they keep the lower ceiling. The result
was a classic A frame church with another half of the building with a lower
ceiling and different lighting from that of the front section. They got the extra pews, but the result
looked unfinished at best and odd at worst.
With a new Rector well in place and a renewed growth of the congregation,
the present vestry hired an architect.
They came up with a beautiful design that enhanced the whole worship
space, extended and improved the A frame to the back doors, put in a whole new
lighting and sound system, and more space for the growing choir.
The Vestry had some
capital reserves, some operating reserves, commitments from a few key families
of matching gifts, so they proceeded and started a limited capital campaign for
the matching gifts. They told the
congregation that the more they raised then the less they would have to borrow from
the reserves.
By the time the campaign
was over, two things happened. First
they received more than their goal. Second, the bids from the contractors were about
$75,000 more than originally expected.
They ended up short by about $45,000.
They had told the congregation that if there was a short fall, they
would remove some of the “enhancements” of the design.
This week, the Senior Warden
wrote the congregation and gave both the good news and the bad news. Then
he announced the right decision. The
Vestry had voted to continue with the entire project and borrow both from the
reserve capital fund and if no further funding comes in to borrow from the
operating reserve. The Warden noted that
there was such interest in the beautiful enhancements and excitement about the
project that they just believed this needed to go forward now. I will be
sending in an extra check and I know others will too!
I wasn’t at the vestry
mini retreat where this decision was made so I don’t know how this happened.
Perhaps the present excitement in the parish combined with good and future
directed leadership made it the right decision.
Or perhaps it is simply that the current leadership knows the price of
having to live with a bad decision made a two decades ago.
What I do know is how I
have assisted other congregations in the midst of a major decision such as I asked
you to imagine or ones similar to Grace Church in Georgetown where I volunteer
to move courageously to the future.
I ask them to imagine that
their children have grown up and several now are in the leadership of the
Parish joined by people who have come to the church over time. Then I ask them what are their options? Then I ask which choice will leave those
children thanking God for their decision?
Which one will have them saying “thank God that we had visionary and
wise leaders back then?” Which one will
leave them sighing “what were they thinking” or excusing them because “it was
the best they could do.”
I have found that seeing
things from the view of their children often pushes people to see the big
picture, sacrifice more, and make a courageous decision even in the face of
those who say “we can’t afford it, or we can’t afford it now!”
My suggestion
is find a way to help your leaders face the consequences of short sighted and
limited decision making from the point of view of those who will inherit and have
to live with it.
Once last word, wouldn’t
it be great if the current leaders of our Nation faced with growing demands on
our budget, increased deficits, and conflicting priorities would make their
decisions from the point of view of their children and grandchildren. Maybe if they did, some current 10 year old
who becomes a future President will declare them “the greatest generation!” My vote right now is that the future President
will say “what were they thinking back then and how could they have been so
short-sighted about the future?”
But we can hope.
