Interview Story - Overcame Challenge

When I was newly Rector of St. Mark’s in Plainfield, IN, well-known in the diocese and in the broader church for its outreach ministry, a number of problems with our homeless shelter ministry immediately became apparent. First, it was being run by one person (a man) when church policy specifically called for “two-deep ministry.” Second, it was co-ed, with love triangles and arguments waiting for me to referee when I arrived at my office door many mornings. Thirdly, there was no clarity about the mission of the shelter. Was it an emergency shelter? Short-term shelter? Some of the “residents,” as they were called, had been living in the shelter, which was above part of the nave, for several months. The Jr. Warden, who “ran” the shelter, used the residents for labor (cutting the grass, cleaning the church, etc.). There seemed to be no guidance or encouragement given to our “residents” for moving them out of our shelter and into permanent housing. In short, the shelter ministry was in quiet chaos.

I had to turn the situation around using my abilities to think analytically and strategically; to consider the big picture; to share my opinions and ideas freely; to act from a place of integrity, and to value community and manage relationships.

First, I had to let the Sr. Warden and the Deacon know what was going on (and wonder why the deacon was not involved and supervising this ministry). The Vestry did not fully grasp the problems with the Shelter or with the Jr. Warden (though they knew him to be a problem personality). Together we agreed that we needed to prioritize encouraging the current shelter guests to find other accommodations as soon as possible so that we could temporarily close the shelter while we could discern its mission and staff it appropriately and in accordance with church guidelines.

Meanwhile, the Sr. Warden and I would meet with the Jr. Warden to outline our concerns, to get him on board with our intentions, and to insist that, between then and the temporary closing of the shelter, he use the “two-deep” model. I also needed to do some research. Had the shelter always been run this way? What was the emotional attachment to the shelter among parishioners? What kind of ownership did they have of the ministry?

And what about the Jr. Warden—he seemed the resistant type – was he? Why was he involved in the leadership of this ministry? How was he likely to react to our insistence that things had to be done differently?

I then met with the deacon to understand the situation and history of the shelter ministry from his perspective and to try and learn why his involvement with the outreach ministries of the parish in general, and of the shelter in particular, was so hands-off.

The time between the Vestry meeting in which we temporarily closed the shelter and the re-opening of the shelter was more than a year. The process required careful communication with the congregation in multiple forms. In an unrelated move, the Bishop re-assigned our Deacon and we received a newly ordained deacon who was eager to be involved with the outreach ministry. Together, we established a Shelter Committee which, with Vestry’s guidance and eventual approval, defined the mission of the Shelter and provided a set of rules and guidelines for both shelter guests and volunteers.

The Jr. Warden proved difficult throughout, no matter how gentle or kind we were. He showed no respect for our rules (breaking the “two-deep rule” again while I was on maternity leave). I held firm and encouraged others to remind him of this rule. (There were always some who were worried that he would leave the church, which he eventually did after Gene Robinson was elected bishop.)

As a result, when the shelter reopened, we had a much more functional shelter, with clearly established rules and boundaries and guidelines, and which involved more than one member of the church. The shelter was more resilient. When it came to changes in leadership or personnel, the guidelines and structure made it an easier transition. The congregation took pride in the updated shelter and engaged in higher rates of volunteerism and donations, as well. I think we had a healthier congregational system in end.