The final practice of Spiritual Leadership in congregations is faithful risking. Spiritual Leadership calls us to risk stretching beyond where we are comfortable, beyond what we think we are capable of in the name of Love and Justice. This kind of stretch is how our congregations reinvent themselves, adapt to new realities, and renew our historic covenant.
By Faithful Risking, we mean choosing to take action even though the outcome is uncertain and things may not go as we intend or plan -- and we might lose something we value.
Sometimes we have to choose to move, to take a risk, to stretch out beyond comfort. Sometimes we are flung into motion; risks come whether we welcome them or not. This was the case at the beginning of the covid-19 pandemic, which required sudden, radical changes to almost every aspect of congregational life.
In all of these situations, we can, individually and collectively, meet them faithfully or not. That is a choice that is always before us — to what extent we will live aligned with our values and Principles. And what we will risk for that alignment.
"Faithful Risking" Posts From Our Practice Makes Possible Blog
Displaying 1 - 10 of 15.
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By Meck Groot, Joe Sullivan |In our experience, most Unitarian Universalist congregations are not culturally predisposed to using discernment as a way to determine direction, focus or action. Our congregations generally use "the democratic process" in which group decisions are made by majority vote....Filed in: Faithful Risking -
By Erica Baron, Meck Groot, Joe Sullivan |In 2020 General Assembly delegates voted to begin a review of Article II of the UUA Bylaws. Article II is the covenant between and among UU congregations. It currently contains our seven Principles and six Sources. It also has language about inclusion and freedom of belief....Filed in: Faithful Risking, Tending to Tradition -
By Meck Groot, Joe Sullivan |The point of a community of practice is for people who want to get better at something to learn from each other through regular interaction. Even people new to a field can help the group learn. Their observations and questions can identify unrecognized practices and raise awareness of which...Filed in: , Covenanting, Doing Our Inner Work, Faithful Risking, Tending to Tradition -
By Wren Bellavance-Grace |“How are you?” I asked my DRE colleague on our recent phone call. Her response was not exactly typical, but becoming more familiar. She’d had a bout of Covid about six or eight months before. Although she’d been quite sick, it could have been much worse, and she was grateful for the vaccines...Filed in: Doing Our Inner Work, Faithful Risking -
By Meck Groot |Last year, at their request, I met with Follen Responds to Racism (FRR), an anti-racism team at the Follen Community Church in Lexington, MA. We had an animated conversation. They told me about their work and the many ways they are addressing racism within and beyond their congregation. I was...Filed in: , Covenanting, Doing Our Inner Work, Faithful Risking, Tending to Tradition -
By Wren Bellavance-Grace |“Hello, who are you?” “I don’t know; I’ve never met me before!” This dialogue is from a comedy skit a friend and I wrote for an elementary school talent show. My comedy career never took off, but this dialogue resonates with me these days, as we collectively emerge from two years of...Filed in: , Covenanting, Doing Our Inner Work, Faithful Risking, Tending to Tradition -
At the beginning of 2020, we didn’t know what was coming. At the beginning of 2021, we had hope on the horizon. Now, at the beginning of 2022, our hope is tempered by a healthy respect for how quickly things can change, and some trust in our ability - and flexibility - to faithfully respond....Filed in: , Covenanting, Doing Our Inner Work, Faithful Risking, Tending to Tradition -
By Meck Groot |According to Movement Strategy Center (1), community transformation depends on: power analysis: understanding who has access to resources; who influences and participates in decision-making; and whose standards, stories and worldviews are valued; community organizing: working together across our...Filed in: , Covenanting, Doing Our Inner Work, Faithful Risking, Tending to Tradition -
By Hilary Allen |Here I was thinking everything had already been said. That there were no other words to say (again) what we all already know: here we are, still in pandemic life. And yet, a shift has arrived and there are ideas being shared that can bring comfort, illumination, and insight. So, I wanted to share...Filed in: Tending to Tradition, , Covenanting, Doing Our Inner Work, Faithful Risking -
By Wren Bellavance-Grace |September is County Fair season in much of New England. In our UU congregations, September is also Ingathering time; water communion time; returning-to-church-time after far-flung summers laden with small jars of water from our travels and foot-long zucchinis from overflowing gardens....Filed in: Tending to Tradition, , Covenanting, Doing Our Inner Work, Faithful Risking