Resources for Building Bridges between “Green Eyeshades” and “Rose-Colored Glasses”
If you haven’t yet seen the Alban Weekly article from Dan Hotchkiss, “Green Eyeshades and Rose-Colored Glasses,” click on the title now and give it a read. Dan makes a distinction between the “Green Eyeshade” financial types in congregations who want to balance that budget (no matter what) and the “Rose-Colored Glasses” creative types who envision life-giving ministries but ignore “numerical reality.” The picture Dan paints should be familiar to many of you. Maybe you’ve been in one camp (or the other) yourself.
Dan also suggests a process for helping to close the inevitable divide between the “Greens” and the “Roses.” That process begins with a “Vision of Ministry” from a congregation’s governing board. Such a Vision provides a short list of ways the congregation “plans to transform lives over the next one to three years.” Along with clear budget policies, the Vision of Ministry forms the foundation for budget proposals and the theme for the annual fund drive.
In his recently published book, Governance and Ministry, Dan explains that a Vision of Ministry includes “enough detail to make it possible for the board to hold the staff accountable, but not so much that the board invades the realm of management.” An example might be “To promote deeper and more caring relationships in the congregation, we will support expanding Small Group Ministry to twenty groups.”
We in the Congregational Resource Guide (CRG) encourage you to check out resources in the “Mission and Vision” and “Strategic Planning” sections of the Guide for further helps on developing your Vision of Ministry. You might especially consider Holy Conversations by Gil Rendle and Alice Mann. While the full range of processes described in this book would not be necessary for a short Vision list, some processes could be adapted to the Vision of Ministry context.
We also encourage you to consider appreciative inquiry (AI) as an approach to developing a Vision of Ministry. AI can be applied to both long-range and short-range planning, and is especially helpful when differing groups (such as the “Greens” and the “Reds”) sit down to develop a budget. Check out our list of annotated Appreciative Inquiry resources in the Congregational Resource Guide.
What approaches and ideas do you suggest?
I love the distinction in approaches to the budget by personality types and this is a disntinction that rings true. One question: shouldn’t good budgeting begin with the existing mission statement (assuming that it is current)? In other words, why create a Vision of Ministry statement during the budgeting process and what is the difference in purpose between that and the congregational mission statement, which ideally should be refreshed on an ongoing basis?
I have seen these two opposing forces in most congregations with which I have been associated. Both groups are necessary in a healthy congregational budgeting process. There needs to be a balance between dreaming and accounting. Although I agree with the basic strategy outlined, I see two pitfalls in the plan as it is presented.
First, a successful vision statement cannot be developed and adopted by the vote of a board. It needs to be developed by concensus building rather than parlementary legislative process. A vision has to be shared by the whole congregation in order to be useful and successful. If the entire congregation has not had voice in the visioning process then the vision will not be fully embraced and any appeal to support the vision financially will also fall short. The visioning process needs to be accomplished by a process that very intentionally includes every sector of the congregation, being representative of the entire body by age, economics, ministry concerns etc. Search Institute has developed one good process to follow in developing a shared vision.
Secondly an effort to raise financial support for a budget or a project should never be referred to as a “drive”. (“Campaign” is also a bad term.) Drives occur in football or military battles. Campaigns happen in politics and wars. In both cases there is an opponent. Who is our opponent in our fund raising, the one’s holding the checkbooks and wallets? Fund raising efforts should not be framed with adversarial language. Rather they should be presented as an “appeal” to give financially toward fulfilling the vision that is shared by the congregation.
I started to read it, then lost interest. TOO LONG. “Now, brevity is the key to effective communication.” This includes analogies, parables, etc.
Wonder if the author, Dan Hotchkiss, has ever heard of a thing called…recession???
thank you for the “Eyeshades & Glasses” article. One question, if I may. What are examples of the “Budget Policies” mentioned. I have never served a church where there were “Budget Guidelines” or “Budget Policies” in place. Suggestions or samples would be helpful, at least to me. THANKS. Best wishes.
First, I am printing this blog entry to share with my board and finance committee. All those who consider themselves leaders here at LM are working towards a vision that reflects, captures and shapes our identity and our life together as a community of faith. Although I believe it will take us a few years to be able to budget in a visionary manner, I also believe that the time to begin this process is now.
Second, there will be those who don’t get it. What else is new? We celebrate the gifts they bring to ministry and help them invest in a vision for ministry where they can contribute.
Thanks for the post.
Excellent article. However, for most congregations, being small, the minimum costs for a building and clergy leave but very little room for other budget priorities. The vision of ministry for them becomes not how to spend money, already committed, but rather how to use the building and direct the clergy to live out the vision.
At last, a writer has put into words what I’ve experienced for years now: that battle between the reds and the greens, and best of all, this same writers offers an excellent proposal for winning the battle and relieving the anxiety by vestries and boards setting priorities, articulating values, and developing budgets that fully fund God’s call to individual congregations. Thanks for the ideas, which I’m going to pass along to my vestry members and budget committee. God willing, this will be the year that the budget reflects that wonderful Godly hue of reds and greens, combined.
In Christ,
The Rev. Kenneth L. Chumbley
Rector, Christ Episcopal Church
Springfield, Mo.
Thanks for the interesting article. As senior warden of our local vestry I am actively engaged in the work of the church. You suggest a better way of doing our annual “appeal” (which we call the every member canvass) and I will suggest this to the finance committee.(Greens!) Framing the budget and giving in terms of mission and ministry also applies to parish development of buildings and grounds; we are trying to envision ministry first and let development flow from that. It is making for a slower process than people think they want, but I believe it will be best in the long run. When you develop from any other basis you run the risk of creating something that looks good on paper, and maybe answers congregational needs, but ultimately ends up distracting from ministry. That’s what I’ve learned thus far.
Cheryl
As a church council member, and in charge of our stewardship committe I found the approach to be a reasonable way to deal with not only the money issue, but actually putting mission first over finances. That in itself would be a huge accomplishment.
I agree with Michael Nelson (May 25th, 2009)that visioning and developing a strategic plan is significantly more invovled than a few council members making suggestions for a shortterm goal. I plan to sue the article with my leadership, but in place of visioning I will substitute “ministry programming”. This seems more appropriate to the task.
It seems strange that so much effort is placed on trying to get people to give proportionately but few come up with a number from this to set a budget. Neither the Greens nor Eyeshades see that it should be the congregation’s responsibility and pleasure to determine the budget. If the number is too low the Pastor(s) can see where their efforts should be directed the next year. The big push now seems to be to forget where the people’s hearts are but find ways to begin arm twisting. If you get enough special projects going you can touch everyone and get more money. God doesn’t need our money, He wants our hearts.