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From Stained Glass to Virtual Reality Glasses

Posted on: December 26th, 2016 by Hayim Herring

The Past and Future of Congregations and Nonprofits

When the values of a congregation or nonprofit are out of sync with the values of their stakeholders, we have a recipe for frustration between individual and institution. Congregations and nonprofits live by two sets of values: their stated interpersonal values, and their embedded organizational values. Their interpersonal values, framed in Jewish values language, guide how community members are expected to relate to one. They are often explicitly codified in an approved organizational “values statement.”

Organizational values are expressed through leaders’ responses to policy changes, programs and initiatives. For example, how a congregation or nonprofit responds to trends like “fee for service” or “donor directed giving” provides insights into organizational values about customer service, experimentation and agility. But organizational values are so embedded that they are invisible to those who work in or regularly volunteer for them. They only become apparent when the values of congregations or nonprofits are misaligned with the values of their stakeholders. And until leaders and stakeholders realign their organizational values, it’s unsatisfying for both sides.

In Leading Congregations in a Connected World: Platform, People and Purpose, a book that I co-wrote with Dr. Terri Elton, Associate Professor Leadership at Luther Seminary, we trace a brief, three-stage history of faith-based organizations and their embedded organizational values. Being aware of these values can help or hinder deeper relationships between congregations or nonprofits and constituents. These three stages are:

Organization 1.0: the “benign parent” or hierarchical model, where decisions are made thoughtfully and caringly by a small leadership group at the top for a larger less “informed” group below.

Organization 2.0: a version of the above that creates a parallel presence of the organization on the web, but still is basically a one-way channel for broadcasting the congregation’s or nonprofit’s message with little meaningful room for engagement with members. Many established congregations and faith-based nonprofits are still organized as 2.0.

Organization 3.0: a blended model of hierarchy and networks that is present both in digital and physical space, characterized by dialogue, more shared-decision making and creation of content and meaning. It values are based on deep engagement between individuals and organizations. (Spoiler alert: on page 11 we even give the date on which Organization 3.0 first became possible—June 29, 2007.)

The fundamental difference between Congregation or Nonprofit 2.0 and 3.0 is an acknowledgement that that individuals do not need existing organizations to express and explore sacred meaning and purpose. They have the ability to bypass them and find or create new platforms to do so. But if congregations and nonprofits can make the pivot and become platforms for people to engage in purposeful work, they have a good chance of engaging new and existing audiences more deeply. Unlike startups, they have the advantage of doing so in physical and digital space.

To learn more about how emerging and established congregations and nonprofits in the Jewish and Protestant communities are becoming more “3.0,” we hope that you’ll purchase our book, which you can still do at a 40% time limited discount by using the code RL40LC16 when ordering. And connect with me (options for social media of your choice, top right) to explore trends like the implications of virtual reality for congregational and nonprofit communities. It looks like we’re quickly moving from gathering in “stained glass” spaces to meeting in virtual space, thanks to the affordability of virtual and augmented reality glasses. Time to start thinking about how congregations and nonprofits can shape that trend to help them increase their impact!

Fragile Communities

Posted on: December 16th, 2016 by Hayim Herring

More on: Leading Congregations in a Connected World: Platforms, People and Purpose

40% Hanukkah and Christmas Discount Still Available 

My colleague, Dr. Terri Elton, Associate Professor Leadership at Luther Seminary and I, have been highlighting key findings from our recent publication, Leading Congregations in a Connected World: Platform, People and Purpose. (In our last post, we explained the link between organizational structure and impact.) Our issue in this post: congregational and nonprofit communities are very fragile these days! Can congregations be places where people who hold diverse views continue to join together in prayer? Can nonprofits continue to mobilize volunteers around causes that are directly related to their missions? Or, has the toxic effect of social media seeped into physical spaces so that people who used to worship and work together can no longer do so when they meet face-to-face?

When we asked congregational and nonprofit leaders profiled in our book about pressing challenges, they consistently responded with one word: “Community!” We could feel their anxieties around this issue and, from our perspective, for good reason. Congregations are at their best when they are inclusive. Diversity is not its own goal, but a value that enables people to engage with the “other” – a person from another generation, a different background, a spiritual orientation or political view. In that encounter with an “other,” both people have an opportunity to grow by experiencing difference. They grow more deeply in who they are because the encounter affirms a belief or value, or they grow because they modify a part of themselves.

We conducted our research a good year prior to the nastiness of the 2016 presidential campaign. But already then, the issue of community preoccupied the minds of clergy and chief executive officers. Think for a moment—aside from congregations, what other institution is designed to take people at all stages of life and grow with them over time? Congregations, and to a slightly lesser extent, faith-based nonprofits, are inherently lifelong centers for creating and sustaining communities with a wide mix of people.

Hayim Herring - BookWe see a significant role for congregations and nonprofits around the issue of community. But given how fragile and complex community is today, we believe that congregations will benefit by learning from one another. One opportunity for shared learning is in gaining greater understanding about the limits of digital space in engaging members and participants. What kinds of “conversations” are effective on digital platforms and which are best held in a physical space? What happens when a professional or volunteer publishes information about an issue that is unintentionally misleading or inaccurate—or simply false? One of clergy leader in our study framed the issue this way. He said that for now, he’ll take an old-fashioned town hall meeting about an important issue over a digital discussion because “there’s an accountability piece missing” online. When people don’t have to make eye contact with one another, they have to grapple with the impact of their words.

Meeting an “other” can be positively disorienting. Stereotypes that people carry inside of their heads often don’t resemble that “other” who stands beside them, engaged in sacred, mission-driven work. We invite you to share your suggestions about how congregations and nonprofits can continue to be places where diversity brings out the collective best in a community. So please connect with Hayim (options for social media of your choice, top right) or with Terri (telton@luthersem.edu, www.facebook.com/terri.elton, @TerriElton) and contribute your wisdom to these unprecedented questions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today’s Disruptors, Tomorrow’s Disrupted

Posted on: December 7th, 2016 by Hayim Herring

More on: Leading Congregations in a Connected World: Platforms, People and Purpose

In our last blog post, my colleague, Dr. Terri Elton, Associate Professor Leadership at Luther Seminary and I, described the launch of our new book, Leading Congregations in a Connected World: Platform, People and Purpose. (And remember to take advantage now of a time-limited 40% discount on your purchase.) Now for our motivation: we confess that we’re organizational geeks! We actually like to study how people in faith-based communities organize for collective purpose and impact for several reasons. Organizational structure can:

• Either inhibit or accelerate impact.
• Become invisible to those who work in organizations once they learn how to live within its parameters.
• Become so deeply embedded in organizations, that leaders need to make a conscious, intentional choice to think about alternatives.

Organization and structure matter, then, because they have a dramatic effect on mission, meaning and impact.

When one congregation is in distress, it provokes only self-examination. But many older, highly structured congregations and nonprofit organizations are adrift, and many emergent, socially networked ones restructuring for sustainable growth. We read that turbulence as a signal for a broader inquiry. That’s why Terri and I interviewed 34 clergy, professional and volunteers leaders from 15 Jewish and Protestant congregations and nonprofit organizations throughout the country. These leaders worked both in “established” and “emerging” congregations and nonprofits. We wanted to hear their stories of navigating disruptive times and integrate their stories with theory and practice.

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And what did we find: Disruption does not discriminate between “established” and “emerging” organizations. An example: in 2013, Evan Spiegel, one of the founders of the popular social media app, Snapchat, reportedly rebuffed an all cash offer from Facebook C.E.O.’s Mark Zuckerberg for over $3 billion. At the time, Spiegel was 23 years old and Zuckerberg was 29. Spiegel, a 23 year-old disruptor apparently didn’t believe that an “older” person like Zuckerberg could fully appreciate how revolutionary his platform was! Today’s disruptors can easily become tomorrow’s disrupted, whether in the for-profit or nonprofit sector.

Having a place for leaders of “established” and “emerging” congregations and nonprofits to discuss how they are learning to lead through the challenges of disruption would be very fruitful! So please connect with Hayim (options for social media of your choice, top right) or with Terri (telton@luthersem.edu, www.facebook.com/terri.elton, @TerriElton) and contribute your wisdom to these unprecedented questions.

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Evelyn M. Rusli and Douglas MacMillian, “Snapchat Spurned $3 Billion Acquisition Offer from Facebook,” The Wall Street Journal Blog, November 2013, accessed June 1, 2016.

New Book Launch

Posted on: November 30th, 2016 by Hayim Herring

Launching Leading Congregations in a Connected World: Platforms, People and Purpose

 

My colleague, Dr. Terri Elton, Associate Professor Leadership at Luther Seminary and I, are thrilled to announce that Leading Congregations in a Connected World: Platform, People and Purpose, is now available. (Save 40% on all purchases for a limited time by using the code RL40LC16 when you order!) Are you curious about:

• How congregations and nonprofits are seeking to maintain community when it’s so fragile today?
• How spiritual and nonprofit communities can make decisions rapidly, thoughtfully and inclusively?
• How professional and volunteer leaders are navigating the tensions of being faithful stewards of their organizations’ traditions, and responsive leaders to the disruptive pace of innovation?

We were, too, so we researched fifteen Jewish and Lutheran congregations and nonprofit organizations throughout the United States (eleven congregations, four nonprofits). Some were established congregations and nonprofits that were becoming less hierarchical and more innovative. Others were start-ups that emerged at the dawn of social networks, are now adding more structure as they have grown, but don’t want to lose their entrepreneurial D.N.A. Whether old or new, they are navigating a paradigm shift in minimizing more cumbersome, hierarchical ways of working and fostering more fluid and creative networks to advance their missions.

We provide practical guidance to professional and volunteer leaders who view their organizations as platforms where people can find greater personal meaning by engaging with others who care about the same mission. We believe our book is unique as it:

• Bridges faith communities.
• Blends theory with tools, texts and hands-on resources.
• Combines research with lived stories of congregations and organizations.
• Addresses the desire of both established and newer organizations to deepen engagement with individuals, and transform their communities by redesigning how they are organized.

 

Several of our colleagues graciously shared their reactions to our book:

Allison Fine, co-author of, The Networked Nonprofit, and renowned expert on social networks and organizations noted, “One of the most pressing issues facing our society is the disruption of traditional organizations dedicated to our communal well-being; congregations and nonprofits. Herring and Elton have written a very important and practical book on a critical topic; how to restructure our most important institutions to match the urgency of working in a networked world.”

Peggy Hahn, Executive Director of LEAD, a national organization dedicated to growing Christian leaders, said that, “This book dares to link congregations and non-profit organizations in strategic conversations essential for thriving in a fast-changing world. This is a way forward.”

Rabbi Elie Kaunfer, co-founder, executive director of Mechon Hadar, and author of Empowered Judaism added that, “This book artfully breaks down the barriers that often exist between new and old non-profits. By taking a critical eye to both, the authors present findings untold in other books on congregational change, facilitating a powerful experience for the reader looking to reflect on organizational success.” (You can click here for additional reviews.)

Two years ago, we didn’t know one another. But we took leaps of faith (one Protestant, one Jewish) to collaborate on a significant project. The value of learning from a member of the same human family, but a different spiritual tribe, has been immeasurable. We hope that you’ll take a leap of faith, too, and not only purchase Leading Congregations in a Connected World: Platforms, People and Purpose, but try some discussion and innovation with someone from a different faith background in your own community! The dynamics of disruption and leadership responses are similar in Jewish and Protestant communities, so stay tuned for more news about how you can participate in a network of leaders interested in these issues. You can do so by connecting with Hayim (options for social media of your choice, top right) or connecting with Terri (telton@luthersem.edu, www.facebook.com/terri.elton, @TerriElton).

Thank you,

Hayim Herring and Terri Martinson Elton

While You’re Eating Turkey, Also Think Hoagies

Posted on: November 23rd, 2016 by Hayim Herring

Old age is not new, but the number of people living to 85 years and beyond is increasing dramatically. And with likely medical breakthroughs on longevity on the horizon, many children born today will be able to celebrate their 100th birthday. For the first time in history, we already have four generations of human beings alive in large numbers. As a quick fact check, think about how many families you know with at least one great grandparent—which qualifies them as a four generational family! This is not a reality to gloss over, but a powerful signal to astounding changes that are quietly taking place. Are we are ready for these changes as a society? I believe not, but faith-based communities can potentially lead much needed discussions for the implications of having so many generations alive today.

 

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A new reality needs a new name, and I’d like to suggest the Hoagie Generation™ as a replacement for the “sandwich generation,” a phrase that Dorothy Miller coined in 1981. Miller introduced it to describe the challenges of those in their 30’s and 40’s (and it was primarily women then), sandwiched between raising children and caring for parents, while also pursuing careers outside of the home. Without dismissing the challenges back then, their duration was briefer, more digestible—like a small sandwich that didn’t take long to eat. Children reached independence sooner and parents didn’t live as long.

But today, definitions and expectations of middle age have expanded (“50 is the new 40,” “60 is the new 50”), and while in 1900 only 100,000 people lived to age 85 or older, that number today is 5.5 million and growing. For a variety of reasons, children reach independence at a later age. (My definition of adulthood is when children get off of “the family phone plan.”) So families look more like hoagies than sandwiches: less vertical and much more horizontal.

Being Jewish, I can’t let go of the food metaphor and that’s one reason that I like the Hoagie Generation™. The standard size sandwich bread is approximately a four-inch square, and sandwiches are vertical. In contrast, hoagies are about a foot long and horizontal. The longer loaf of a hoagie roll better captures the new challenges and opportunities that are present for families and communities with an increased number of generations.

The hoagie metaphor also suggests mutuality. It isn’t only those who are middle-aged who feel the squeeze in supporting family members of other generations. Young adult children may also have that experience: raising their own children, watching their parents navigate big issues (health, relationships, employment), and trying to advance economically in an unpredictable economy. And 80-something year olds ponder what life holds in store for their children, grandchildren and often today, great grandchildren.

Unlike a sandwich, in which the middle is more prominent, each part of a hoagie is equal, also suggesting mutually nourishing possibilities. Young bring joy to the old, and old bring wisdom to the young. The young can be the tech department for those who are older, while elders can share experience—something that a Google search can’t offer. Those at each of end of the life spectrum and those in middle all have something to offer one another.

As a community, we have a range of issues on the horizon that don’t discriminate by generation. A few examples:

• How do we restore practices of patiently listening to one another without interruption and empathy to our relationships?
• What are some possible outcomes of changes in social attitudes toward issues like the legalization of marijuana and physician assisted suicide?
• What happens to our capacity for curiosity when our connected devices “suggest” more and more choices for us, instead of our thinking more intentionally about them, or stumbling upon new possibilities serendipitously?
• What does it mean economically and emotionally to live in a disruptive economy? If you think that disruption only affects those who are middle-aged, think about how the “older” (then 29) Mark Zuckerberg, C.E.O. of Facebook, must have felt when his multibillion dollar offer to purchase Snapchat, which he feared would disrupt Facebook, was rebuffed by Evan Spiegel (then 23 years old)?

Congregations are structured to be multi-generational, even though they often program more by demographic age and stage, and, if you “follow the money,” their budgets favor families with children. Can they turn their multi-generational potential into living communities?

So while you’re enjoying a Thanksgiving turkey, please think about the Hoagie Generation™ and let me know if:

• you can think of another place besides congregations that can become platforms for sustained, meaningful, multi-generational interaction.
• beyond one-off events (like Mitzvah Days or social action events), do you know of congregations of any religion that have already made ongoing multi-generational engagement a priority?

Thanks have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Spontaneous Kindness

Posted on: October 31st, 2016 by Hayim Herring

The national political atmosphere is toxic. Does it seem that people are a little more on edge, angrier and less generous? Or at least, when watching the news about the presidential election, aren’t you left with that feeling? That’s why I want to share two stories about unexpected kindness. Despite the way it may feel, I still generally believe that people are good and decent.

On Friday, I drove to my optician to pick up a new pair of glasses. Near the entrance to the office, there was an older gentleman in front of me and I raced ahead so that I could open the door for him. He refused to let me do so, explaining, “I decided that from now on, every day, I want to do something nice for a stranger.” I thanked him for his act of kindness and for taking the time to explain his motivation.

hayim-herring-spontaneous-kindness

 

A little while later, I left my office to meet with a friend of mine who was helping with some repairs. I promised that I would return with a cup of decaf coffee, as I didn’t have any at home. I learned that the cafeteria in my office building doesn’t sell decaf, so I made a quick detour to a nearby Panera Bread restaurant. As I reached for my wallet, the person working behind the counter said, “It’s free.” A number of family members and friends have suggested (not so subtly) that I should have my hearing tested. Thinking that I misheard her, I continued to reach for my wallet. She said again, “It’s free. It’s on the house today.” I asked her why, and she said, “Because I decided that it is.” I thanked her and then decided that after having been “kinded” spontaneously twice, it was a reminder to me that we have the power in our own hands, right now, to freely perform spontaneous acts of kindness, which are especially precious at this time in our history.

Never underestimate the value of an intentionally kind act, no matter how large or small. That is one Talmudic teaching that I learned in rabbinical school that I’ve tried to keep in mind throughout the years. “Our Rabbis taught: A person should always regard himself as if he or she were half guilty and half meritorious. If that person performs one mitzvah, how wonderful it is, for that individual has tipped the scale to the side of merit. But woe to the person who commits one transgression for tipping the scale to side of guilt…” By this logic, another rabbi continues, “Since the world is judged by its majority, and an individual is also judged by the majority of actions (good or bad) if that person performs one good deed, happy is that person for tilting the scale both personally and for the whole world on the side of merit” (Kiddushin 40b).

I’m making a pledge to perform one act of spontaneous kindness everyday to a stranger between now and the end of election season. Small acts of kindness can have large multiplier effects-something that the two individuals whom I encountered on Friday reminded me about. Will you join me in doing so?

What Are Your Mind-Stretching Plans This Summer?

Posted on: June 21st, 2016 by Hayim Herring

 

What’s your recommended reading list for the summer? Or, to update the question, what mind-stretching experiences are on your “to do list” or have you recently had? Here are some of mine and please share yours on my Facebook page.

 

• Recently read: Dr. Sherry Turkle’s book, Reclaiming Conversation: The Power of Talk in a Digital Age.
• Currently reading: Atul Gawande’s book, Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End.
• Midway through auditing a Coursera MOOC (massive online open course): Leading Innovation in Arts and Culture, developed by Professor David Owens at Vanderbilt University and customized for the cultural sector with Jim Rosenberg, Independent Consultant and Senior Advisor at National Arts Strategies.
• Next up: Rabbi Rachel Cowan and Dr. Linda Thal’s book, Wise Aging. Living With Joy, Resilience and Spirit.
• And-I’m committing to moving more rapidly through my study of Psalms, using Robert Alter’s commentary (growth for the heart and mind).

 

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I’m also developing presentations and workshops around my forthcoming book, co-researched and co-authored with Professor Terri Elton at Luther Seminary, in which we studied a number of Jewish and Lutheran congregations and nonprofit organizations in two categories: “established and adapting” to a more decentralized, co-creative, flatter, socially networked way of working; and, “emerging and maturing” startup congregations and nonprofit organizations that are navigating the challenges of maintaining their entrepreneurial character while scaling for sustainability. Stay tuned for publication information!

 

In addition to focusing on these mind-stretching experiences, I am consciously avoiding mind- narrowing activities, which means ignoring most things related to the presidential campaign, where it often seems that speculation and gossip masquerade as analysis.

 

So are what are your mind-stretching ideas (and please share your creativity here)?

 

Rabbinic Search: Choosing Wisely, Transitioning Smoothly

Posted on: April 8th, 2016 by Hayim Herring

 

 

My colleague, Linda Rich, and I recently presented a webinar, titled, Selecting a rabbi is one of the most important decisions a synagogue makes. Based on new research, Rabbi Hayim Herring and Linda Rich, two national experts in congregational consulting, share current insights, best practices, and practical tools for enhancing your congregation’s rabbinic search and integration process. This webinar, recorded on March 30, 2016, was hosted by the Alliance for Continuing Rabbinical Education and sponsored through the generosity of UJA-Federation of New York.

 

Rabbinic Search Webinar - Hayim Herring

 

You can view the webinar and download the slides even if you didn’t participate in the webinar. We know how timely this topic is as greater numbers of Baby Boomer rabbis retire, and as congregational life becomes more complex. We hope that you’ll take advantage of these free resources, and share them with others who you think may be interested. And- please contact us; we’re happy to work with you on this most critical choice and on other issues that can enrich and revitalize congregational life

 

* We thank the Alliance for Continuing Rabbinic Education for hosting the webinar, which was sponsored through the generosity of UJA-Federation of New York.

 

2015: The Art of Selectively Remembering and Forgetting

Posted on: December 29th, 2015 by Hayim Herring

 

 

I didn’t blog very much in 2015. I’ve had plenty to say but little time or appetite for expression. As my mother recently said to me, “I’ve got the best of both worlds—I celebrate two new years, Rosh ha-Shanah and January 1!” I’ve been struggling with how much of this past year I wish to remember and how much I choose to forget. But her words gave me the push that I needed to write a personal, partial timeline of 2015, both by way of explanation for my digital silence and in an effort to loosen the emotional and spiritual restraints that have been holding me back from moving forward.

 

January 2015 (about a year ago): my wife and I had been thinking about downsizing to a smaller home, and the right opportunity appeared earlier than we had anticipated. Like many Boomers, we had too much house, for too few people, with more maintenance than we cared for at this stage of life. A recommendation for anyone planning to move: don’t prepare one house for the market and purchase and renovate another simultaneously, especially while editing a book (Keeping Faith in Rabbis: A Community Conversation in Rabbinical Education, which I co-edited with Ellie Roscher, was published in January 2015). Alternating between chipping away at paint and picking apart sentences is a sure way to intensify stress. Without my good friend and general contractor, I wouldn’t have made it. As I worked alongside of him, I understand why my inner handyman had remained in hiding all of these years, and decided that he should remain concealed. We sold our home toward the end of January.

 

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Forgiveness and Faith Fuel Entrepreneurship

Posted on: September 3rd, 2015 by Hayim Herring

 

 

How can forgiveness and faith fuel leaders to create a culture of entrepreneurship? In the mysterious way that we stumble upon questions to which we don’t automatically have answers, I fell into this one as I was spiritually prepping for Rosh ha-Shanah and Yom Kippur.

 

Here’s the relationship between forgiveness, faith and entrepreneurship that I’ve come to realize. The upcoming holidays focus us on repentance. The word “repentance” is shorthand for describing the efforts needed to break unproductive and often safe routines that lock us in place—even when it’s a place that we know we don’t want to be! Familiarity often breeds complacency and enables us to rationalize a status quo that we know is deficient—whether in ourselves or in our communities.

 

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If repentance alerts us to the dangers of routine, entrepreneurship evokes uncertainty. Being entrepreneurial requires embracing agility, variation and unfamiliarity; of learning what happens when we “change it up.” When you welcome uncertainty in, even with thoughtful planning, you’re never quite sure where it will lead. That’s precisely why entrepreneurial leaders must also invite forgiveness and faith into their communities as well. (more…)