Part 2: Encounters with "Dave" Seeds of a New Way Discussion Guide

Part of Seeds of a New Way: Nurturing Authentic and Diverse Religious Leadership

By Manish Mishra-Marzetti

Seeds Of A New Way Part 2 Manish Mishra Marzetti Remarks (PDF)

Questions for Discussion/Reflection

  1. Is diverse leadership (however defined and understood) desired within your Unitarian Universalist community? Why or why not?
  2. Who or what is “Dave,” as a concept? What does “Dave” represent?
  3. Have you encountered your own versions of “Dave,” whether in your congregation or out in the wider world? How so?
  4. What price might a diverse leader within our Unitarian Universalist communities pay for not meeting the implicit expectations of who and what a UU leader is supposed to be? 
    (Let’s return to question #2 in Part 1: Do we Unitarian Universalists expect our UU leaders (lay, ordained, or both) to present (i.e., show up) in a certain way? Think of the speech, tone, dress, style, demeanor, content, substantive approach, socio-economic class location, education-level, etc. that we might expect Unitarian Universalist leaders to embody. What are those expectations?)