What Now?

Steven Mead

Steven provides Program Ministry services to UU Santa Fe―learning, small group ministry, connecting, and justice-making support. He has served congregations large and small in the East, Midwest, and now here at UU Santa Fe.

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sharing Susan Beaumont's 10 Questions

​Susan Beaumont is a consultant, coach and spiritual director. Susan is a practical contemplative. She works at the intersection of organizational health and spiritual guidance. Specializing in the unique dynamics of large congregations, Susan’s work focuses on staff team dynamics, board development and leadership in times of transition. Rev. Beaumont is the author of How to Lead When You Don’t Know Where You’re Going and Inside the Large Congregation. She is co-author of When Moses Meets Aaron.

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As we reshape our community to accommodate the new realities that the COVID-19 pandemic thrust upon all of us, let me introduce you to one of the best church-thinkers I know, Susan Beaumont.  I am excerpting 10 questions from her recent article that I recommend that you all read in its entirety—it's neither long nor difficult.

Your Board of Trustees will be engaging in some skillful initiatives this year to discern who we are and what we aspire to as a community. Ponder these 10 questions to get a head start in how you feel about this. What are your own questions? Jot down your thoughts and bring them into our future discussions.

What Have We Lost?

1. What were we on the verge of discovering or accomplishing before the onset of the pandemic? What needs to move forward in different ways now?
2. What was possible before that may not be possible for some time—if ever?
3. What seemed important before that feels superfluous now?

What did we assume?

1. What was undervalued before that may hold greater value now?
2. What mattered about geography before that no longer matters?
3. What margin or lack of margin was built into our old model of doing church? What new abundance are we experiencing now? Where are we experiencing scarcity now that was not evident before?

What wants to emerge?

1. What is our greatest asset now?
2. What relationships will we need to build on or strengthen in the months ahead?
3. What unique role might our congregation play in local, national, and even global recovery?
4. What long term changes in the bigger picture would we like to be part of bringing to fruition?

“Dreams are what guide us, art is what defines us, math is what makes it all possible, and love is what lights our way.”―Mike Norton