Multiple closing circles

Nicolai el.nicolai at web.de
Thu Apr 1 00:34:37 PST 2004


Hi,
I do not really feel able to give an advice. - ButI'd reflect about the
role, you want your pastor to perform (wil he be the shepherd, who leads
some lost sheeps, or do the members of the community rather look for
somebody, who is able to accompany, because they are not that lost? Or..?)
You reflected about the actual situacion, and you got an idea, how you want
it to be in some years. So it's like some operation, in which you know the
input - and the output. But the methods and the operations, likely as the
operator remain unmentioned. So I would intend to think more about the
process, which can lead to the desired results.
You captured, that in some way, the employed method can change the results
and even the order, in which you put just the same questions, can change a
lot...and it is also a great difference, whether you are talking in group of
known persons, including the pastor, or somebody knew is put on trial by a
longely grown group....

So, instead of fixing the procedure, first of all, I would ask the
candidates about their own ideas of how and by which procedure there could
be given a sense about who is who...have a look, what feels comfortable and
fits with your way...be open for surprises. It's for something, that you
call it pastor.
The other day, I heard about a similar situation, about a ring of 150
mediators, who had been searching for a leader. They found one, which was
simpatic. But he felt too much put under pression to produce some changes in
the system and tried to impose ideas. So know, half a year later, he is out,
and the group successfully leads itself..So called leader often think: "I
have to do better, than the former one" - Or: "Shurely, I will be compared
to the former one" Getting out that pressure and find out about passion
instead would be important for me.
So I'd start to find out about the capacity of performing processes
together, about capacity of communication about true expectations and about
the motivation in this way.
Passion is the best leader. And compassion the best follower...

Have a nice day
Nicolai von Ertzdorff




on 01.04.2004 5:18 Uhr, Douglas D. Germann, Sr. at 76066.515 at compuserve.com
wrote:

> Hi--
>
> Well it is sort of like multiple closing circles.
>
> About 3 weeks ago following a church dinner, about 50 members of our
> protestant church congregation met with the man we had called to be our
> next Pastor. In order to give him a sense of who we are, we did something
> that looked a whole lot like a closing talking stick circle in OST. We did
> two rounds with these questions:
>
> 1. What do you like about our church?
>
> 2. Where do you see us 5 years from now?
>
> Now here comes the rub: Two days ago this Pastor called to say he felt led
> to stay where he was and not accept our call.
>
> We have a couple other people to have the congregation meet. But, there are
> reservations on our committee about repeating that same process. I share
> those reservations: it was a bonding and emotional experience. Repeating
> that seems to me will risk boredom or degrading the quality of the
> experience.
>
> Has anyone here had any experience that would add wisdom to our decisions
> on what process we should use if we need to have visits from 1, 2 or 3 more
> "candidates?"
>
> For instance, should we repeat the process exactly the same way each time?
> Or should we repeat it but ask different questions? Or should we try an
> entirely different process each time? If so, what?
>
> I know I can expect great ideas and wisdom from you.
>
>                             :-Doug. Germann
>
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