Showing posts with label Performance evaluation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Performance evaluation. Show all posts

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

How proud are you to be a Unitarian Universalist?

I have been thinking about how we might evaluate Unitarian Univeralist performance to date as a church.

There are many indicators we could choose to measure to determine our level of performance. One category of indicators might be named "Distinctive Impact" which I got from Jim Collins monograph "Good To Great and the Social Sectors." What impact does the organization have on its members, its community, the society at large. One indicator of impact would be the degree of individual, family, and civic pride that people have in the organization.

So, if we asked people, How proud are you of being a member of your Unitarian Universalist church?

How would you rate your thoughts and feelings about this question?"I am proud that people know that I am a member of the Unitarian Universalist Church."

0 = embarrassed. I wouldn't want anyone to know.

1 = I don't bring it up and really don't like to talk about it if asked.

2 = I acknowledge that I am a member.

3 = I am pleased to say that I am a member and am willing to tell people about the church.

4= I look forward to opportunities to tell people about the church and would invite them to come to church with me.
5 = I bring it up with people when appropriate and if they are interested I encourage them to learn more, come and visit our activities, and get involved.

Once we collect the information from a first survey that data would become the "baseline".

Then, we can ask, how can we improve on this baseline score? What it would it take for members and the community to feel prouder about the existence and work of the Unitarian Universalist church?

Now, we have a gap of where we are now and where we want to be. It then, stimulates us to think of what we can do to close the gap from here, now, to there, then.

Membership in Unitarian Universalism has stagnated over the last few years and actually dropped in 2009 - 2010. People don't drop out of churches they are proud of. Also people don't join churches that they wouldn't be proud to be a member of.

What is this concept of pride?

I think it has to do with what the person or organization stands for. What are it's positions on issues of importance. How are these stands and positions regarded?

Pride is not the same thing as popularity or likability. It has more to do with respect and honor. Is Unitarian Universalism an honorable church worthy of respect?
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