Open Letter to the All Souls Church Congregation from Julia Washburn, Church Moderator

Dear Friends,

Bill and I joined All Souls in 1996, we raised our children in this wonderful spiritual community and have been active members with many roles over the years. We currently lead the Sunday Lunch Ministry.

As sitting Church Moderator, many congregation members are asking my opinion about the proposed bylaw changes that would eliminate the Church Council and the moderator position. Whether we choose to change the bylaws or adopt an amendment to the proposed changes, I believe we need a new process or structure for greater congregational engagement and a better platform for giving the congregation a stronger voice.

I recommend the Board and the Executive Team hold a series of listening sessions this fall to identify the specific outcomes we as a community are seeking. Then we must collaboratively work together to create a way of accomplishing those outcomes, whether it be the Council or something different.

I also believe the moderator position is under-utilized. It can stay or go, but if it stays, we need to reimagine the moderator’s role.

I have thought deeply about this for several years. In my opinion, the Church Council, as it is currently configured, has been challenged for the past 20ish years since the congregation grew above 350 members. In its current form, the Council has no authority and exists only to connect Church lay leaders and “advise” the Board and Executive Team. How or when to give this advice, and about what, is not specified. The current bylaws require the Council to meet only twice a year.

I ran for moderator three years ago enthusiastically accepting the challenge of revitalizing the Council. I have a background in organizational development and have been a professional meeting planner and facilitator. I was eager to lend my skills to the task. I even wrote the attached White Paper on the Council.

We held quarterly meetings, and provided training on collaborative, multicultural leadership, and discussions on how lay leaders can implement the 8^th Principle. I invited the Board and the Executive Team to meetings for reports and discussions and held a workshop to think constructively about the Church as a “community of communities.”

Unfortunately, these meetings were poorly attended. We have grown so large there are now over 60 lay leaders. I was lucky to get 10 or 15 people to participate at each meeting, and frequently they were not the same people. We could not establish continuity. COVID and Zoom fatigue played a role, however participation and Council engagement have been struggling since long before COVID.

Some may feel the Council might have been influential in stopping, or speaking out, regarding recent staff departures. However, the Executive Team is responsible for staff and the Council cannot intervene in personnel matters, which by law must be kept private.

A lot of folks, including me, are grieving, and some are angry and frustrated over losing our beloved staff members, and how we perceive these situations were handled. This has raised an issue that in my opinion has been brewing for some time. Some congregants long for more of a voice and seek a platform for healthy engagement with each other, the Board, and the Executive Team. As a Church community we have learned and grown together and made positive changes over the years. We can work this out if we lovingly listen to each other and are open to change.

To sum up, I believe we should think about our desired outcomes, and seek the best structure or organizational solution to support them.

I’m looking forward to a spirited, yet kind and thoughtful debate on June 4^th. Please contact me if you would like to chat on this topic or have questions.

In Peace and Love,

Julia

240-460-3694, julialwashburn@gmail.com