Core Values 3
8/27/03

I think core values describe how a congregation lives out its vision in the world.  So when First United Church began its process of defining core values I really pushed hard at the point of identifying behaviors that showed that something was truly core to our life and vision.  For instance, some people wanted our care for children to be at the top of the list.  At the same time we were still reeling from the exodus of families with children who complained that they did not feel their children were valued in this congregation.  Part of our conversation then became how we needed to change the behavior of the congregation if we really believed that this was core to our mission, identity, and vision.  It was not an easy conversation, but it proved helpful.  We reached a consensus that this was indeed core to us, but also with some action plans to show that this was so.
 
            I personally believe that core values are over-rated in relation to motivation, but at the same time they are helpful markers for quality control.  If people can internalize them, they can use them to evaluate how the congregation is working on its essential ministries, and how much time is focused on that which is not core.  Our congregation had an annual fund-raising dinner that was a huge event, but really didn=t make enough money to justify the time and effort people were putting into it.  It also distracted from everything else the congregation did in the weeks leading up to the event, and almost every year lost us a member or two whose feelings were hurt in the process.  Evaluating the dinner from the perspective of vision and core values helped the congregation reach the consensus that this was not core to our ministry and should not be continued.  But rather than opinions about its worth, we judged it on the core values asking if it valued children, ecumenical relations, our welcoming inclusivity, or biblical Christianity.  In any kind of program evaluation it is important to know what behaviors are expected from an organization, and how it is focusing on its core purpose.
           
            The process of identifying core values needs to include elements of the ideal and actual.  If we allowed an outside observer to identify the core values of our congregations from the behaviors they saw exhibited, we would probably not be pleased.  At the same time, we know that our congregation=s in self-evaluation tend to generate too much fluff and not enough substance.  I think it takes a lot of prayer, a lot of conversation, and a lot of evidence for the average congregation to take the 28 things that people are going to say are core, and the handful that are truly core.  In the core value process I think congregations need to also keep in mind that even then, God may be calling them to be something new to their communities.
 
            - Loren Olson - First United Church, Little Falls, MN