Friday, August 4, 2017

How many will take Ownership of the new, New 2017 ERC Strategic Plan?

At this point, I think that that's a critical question.

Who's going to be willing to die on the hill that will be the new New ERC Strategic Plan?

How is ownership of the new New Strategic Plan being passed on from Kevin to his Committee and then to the ERC parish priests and finally to the people of the ERC?

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Because I'm a geezer, I was around when the first ERC Strategic Plan was launched in the early 2000s.

Ed and his team created a first-class brochure in color on high quality, shiny paper and scheduled meetings at a number of locations across the Conference.

EVERYONE who was part of an ERC congregation was encouraged to attend and was welcomed.

At that time I was still a trusting member of the CGGC Shepherd Mafia. Back then, I believed in things like strategic plans and parish priesthood and a churchly hierarchy.

Six of us from Faith eagerly attended the meeting on a Thursday night at the Mt. Joy Church of God.

And, the five, uh, members of the Faith laity were absolutely dazzled. Inspired. Excited by the future that they could see for our church when the plan was implemented in our ministry.

On that night, they bought in.

They bought metaphorical stock in the Strategic Plan and they were perfectly willing to sacrifice to see it become reality in the ministry of Faith Community Church of God.

What happened in the future regarding the implementation of the plan is another story to be told, perhaps, on another day. That, too, is an important story.

I lunched yesterday with a friend who is a CGGC pastor and I asked him questions, because he is a member of the ERC Eldership, about how ownership of the new New Strategic Plan was being passed on.

What I didn't do, was put him on the spot as far as his own ownership of the plan is concerned.

And, I told him, in some detail, my story of that decently large crowd from Faith attending Ed's informational meeting and of the ownership of the leadership's vision it created.

Here's what I'm thinking:

Current leadership is blowing it.

I'm not excited about what I'm hearing as far as the content of the plan is concerned.

But, I'm stunned, so far at least, at the HORRIBLE job ERC leaders are doing in promoting the plan.

I asked my pastor friend how many non parish priests attended the informational meeting he participated in.

He explained that only parish priests were invited and that only parish priests attended.

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And, I'll say this: Back in the day, it was the others from Faith who were pressuring ME, asking ME when and how what we learned in that meeting would be put into practice.

Now, I'll acknowledge that the meeting my friend attended was so that Kevin could gain input for the creation of the new New Strategic Plan and there will be opportunity for ERC leaders to promote the plan among the people of ERC congregations later on.

But,...

...how much good will could Kevin have created by encouraging anyone and everyone in the Conference to give input into the plan?

And,...

...can anyone but me see the lost opportunity in Kevin's YAY GOD videos?

He's essentially telling us all that things are going so well in the ERC that the difficult process of change is one we don't need to endure.

What's up with that?!

If anything, Kevin is encouraging ERC parish priests and the consumers of their religious products and services not to buy into the very change he hopes to lead.

Who's going to buy in to this thing?

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