A Sacred Trust: Effective Leadership Skills and Governance that Works II

1. PEARL: Providing Education and Resources for Leadership A Sacred Trust: Effective Leadership Skills and Governance that Works II Jewish Reconstructionist Federation Transformative Judaism for the 21st Century 101 Greenwood Avenue Beit Devora, Suite 430 Jenkintown, PA 19046 215.885.5601 / fax: 215.885.5603 www.jrf.org Rabbi Mordechai Liebling Rabbi David Teutsch March 28, 2011-12:00 p.m.-1:15 p.m.

2. Suggested blessing for any leadership activity Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheynu melech ha-olam, asher kideshanu b’mitzvotav, v’tzivanu, la’a’sok b’tzorchei tzibur. (Developed by Rabbi Jeremy Schwartz) Blessed are you God Creator of the Universe, Source of Holiness in our actions, when we engage in the needs of the community. (Interpretative translation, Rabbi Shawn Israel Zevit)

3. Rabbi Kalonymus Kalman Shapira (Warsaw Ghetto), from Conscious Community, translated by Andrea Cohen-Keiner Our association is not organized for the purpose of attaining power or intervening in the affairs of community or state, whether directly or indirectly. Quite the opposite: Our goal is to gradually rise above the noise and tumult of the world by steady, incremental steps. It is not consistent with our goals to hand out awards as to who is advanced and who lags behind. Holiness is our key and our primary value; honors and comparisons serve no useful purpose. It is vitally important that we do not create, God forbid, any boundaries that separate us from Jews who are not members of our group. The whole point of our association is to love each other as much as possible. Each one “saves” in the way he can, but {some with special skills} can be more effective. The techniques available to a group are qualitatively different from what an individual can hope to attain. It is important for us to be explicit and clear that our society accepts into its ranks only those individuals who share these concerns. If people know in their hearts that they are not similarly burdened with these concerns…we ask that they do not join our group… Their presence will serve as a distraction to the rest of the group, whose hearts and minds are sincerely focused on this work.

4. Congregational Systems and LeadershipThe Rabbinic-Congregation Relationship: A Vision for the 21st Century • Systems theory recognizes that what appears to be discrete and individual is, in fact, interconnected, dynamic, and determined by a multiplicity of factors that interact in complex ways. Nothing is static; everything is in process. For Reconstructionists, this may sound familiar: What contemporary organizational theorists call systems theory is similar to what Mordecai Kaplan called the principle of “organic reciprocity.” • A system needs to be seen within the larger system of which it is part; a specific congregation exists within the larger pattern of congregations, such as the Reconstructionist movement, and is influenced as well as having influence on the larger system. Subsystems, such as a congregational board, or the education, ritual, fund-raising or social action committees, are all microcosms of the system as a whole and will often duplicate its patterns (Dr. Nancy Post, Mishkan Shalom, PA)

5. A Vision for the 21st CenturyThe Rabbi-Congregational Relationship The relationship between rabbi and congregation is ideally understood as a sacred covenant in which the partners share in the nurturance, guidance, planning, and programming of the synagogue. As in any relationship, however, the best intentions, strongest commitments and agreement on shared values do not guarantee that the relationship will always run smoothly. As in any relationship, differences must be negotiated, compromises reached, and decisions made with which each partner may not always be in full agreement.

6. Making a Difference

7. Making a Difference

8. Governance in Faith Community: Who Does What? Membership • Helps determine mission and values of the community; • Helps to create long-range direction; • Approves major initiatives (building campaign, initial hiring of rabbi); • May approve annual budget; • Provides input to and participates in policy deliberations.

9. Governance in Faith Community: Who Does What? Executive Committee The executive committee of a congregation is usually comprised of the (co-)president(s), vice president(s), treasurer, secretary, rabbi, and sometimes the executive director. • Manages the functioning of board and committees; • Vets proposals to the board (checks to see if proper research has been done, that the proposals are presented in an appropriate manner, that relevant committees have been consulted); • Sets board agenda; • Supervises committee structure; • Makes urgent and necessary decisions between board meetings. • The executive committee does not make decisions for the board, but helps manages the inflow and outflow of information to and from the board.

10. Governance in Faith Community: Who Does What? Committees • Develop strategy to meet goals determined by board; • Plan programming/events/ meetings as appropriate; • Develop proposals for consideration by board; • Communicate with board via executive committee; • Recruit and integrate new members into leadership. Committees in congregational life are like staff persons in other non-profits. Once they have their mandates, they only go back to the board in their decision-making processes when they are asking for money, recommending a policy change, making interim reports, or seeking additional information. A committee has relative autonomy as long as it is following congregational policy and acting within its mandate.

11. Governance in Faith Community: Who Does What? Board • Sets yearly and long-range goals; • Sets annual budget and approves major spending initiatives; • Determines policy; • Establishes and empowers committees; • Approves rabbi’s contract; • Initiates programs and projects in keeping with community mission and vision; and • Initiates long-range planning process.

12. Further Resources • Resources On Congregational Leadership And Governance compiled by Rabbi Shawn Zevit http://jrf.org/showres&rid=167 Reconstructionist Publications on Leadership: • http://stores.jrfbookstore.org/-strse-61/Jewish-Communal-Leadership-and/Detail.bok , Zevit and Stutman • http://wsupress.wayne.edu/series/A-Guide-to-Jewish-Practice-Series , DAT • http://wsupress.wayne.edu/books/1154/Making-a-Difference , DAT Previous PEARL programs (www.jrf.org/pearl) • http://jrf.org/pearl/2008/boards-that-work-building-and-sustaining-an-effective-governance-structure • http://jrf.org/pearl/2009/cultivating-new-leaders-for-your-congregation • http://jrf.org/node/2567