2008

Strategic Planning for Smaller Congregations: Mission, Vision, and Values

Mar 25 2008 - 10:00am
Mar 25 2008 - 11:30am
Session Facilitator: 
Rabbi Shawn Zevit
Session Presenters: 
Dr. Carl Sheingold, Rabbi Mordechai Liebling, Aura Ahuvia

Embarking on Strategic Planning for Smaller Congregations: Mission, Vision, and Values

It’s hard to know where you are going if you don’t first know where you are. Strategic planning cannot take place without first undertaking strategic thinking: what are the mission, vision, and values of our community? Explore ways to think about these key issues, models for creating cohesive statements that respond to them, and challenges and opportunities of doing this work in a smaller congregation.

Presenter Bio(s): 

Carl A. Sheingold began serving in September 2004 as the executive vice president of JRF. Previously he was management professor in the Hornstein Program in Jewish Communal Service and director of the Fisher Bernstein Institute for Leadership Development in Jewish Philanthropy at Brandeis University. He served as part of the senior management of the Council of Jewish Federations and as executive director of the National Havurah Committee. Carl earned his doctorate in sociology from Harvard University and before beginning his work in the Jewish community held faculty positions at Cornell and Brown universities. His career has spanned many settings — academic and organizational, mainstream and cutting edge, community organization, religious/cultural, and in community relations.

Rabbi Mordechai Liebling served as executive director of the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation for 12 years and is the Executive Vice President of the Jewish Funds for Justice. He is a consultant to JRF, a consultant on Money and Values issues for the Shefa Fund of Philadelphia, and a member of Reconstructionist Minyan Dorshei Derekh in Philadelphia.



Leadership: Building and Sustaining an Effective Governance Structure

Mar 20 2008 - 10:00am
Mar 20 2008 - 11:30am
Session Facilitator: 
Rabbi Nancy Epstein
Session Presenters: 
Carol Feder

Boards That Work: Building and Sustaining an Effective Governance Structure

We can’t lead in a vacuum – the work of leadership is done within a larger system. Whether you are on the board, a member of a committee, part of the executive committee, or a staff member, working within a well-defined governance structure can help to clarify roles and responsibilities. This session will highlight effective models for structuring and managing the congregational board.

Download a resource packet

You can listen to the audio recording of this call by clicking here:  http://jrf.org/node/2622

 

Presenter Bio(s): 

Rabbi Nancy Epstein (RRC '06) is the Director of Congregational Relations for the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation (JRF). Nancy has worked with communities for over 30 years, holding positions of leadership in the areas of community organizing, nonprofit management, public policy, legislation and advocacy. She is trained in systems-centered approaches to organizational development and as a mediator of interpersonal and complex policy disputes and has served as a consultant to professional associations, not-for-profit organizations, universities, and national foundations. In addition to her role at JRF, Rabbi Epstein serves as an Associate Professor of Community Health at the Drexel University School of Public Health.

Reconstructionism: How To Successfully Integrate and Use Reconstructionism in Synagogue Processes

Mar 17 2008 - 10:00am
Session Facilitator: 
Rabbi Shawn Zevit
Session Presenters: 
Dr. David Teutsch, Dr. Carl Sheingold, Lisa Charendoff

How To Successfully Integrate and Use Reconstructionism in Synagogue Processes
 
Determining values that underlie congregational life can provide the framework for a viable approach to engaging and vibrant Judaism. Values-based decision making (VBDM) and similar processes can help to make your congregation uniquely Reconstructionist – this workshop will present models of how.

Presenter Bio(s): 

Rabbi Shawn Israel Zevit, is the Director of Outreach & Tikkun Olam, and a congregational consultant and resource developer for the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation. He is a founding member of Shabbat Unplugged and the Davenning Leaders’ Training Institute, and a spiritual director for numerous clergy and communities. He has written and developed resources and delivered workshops in the areas of community building, leadership, prayer, interactive midrash, contemporary views of GOD, prayer and spiritual leadership skills, money and Jewish values, social justice issues, Jewish environmental concerns and Jewish men's issues. He is the author of "Offerings of the Heart: Money and Values in Faith Community (Alban, 2005) and a forthcoming book for Jewish Men.

Dr. Rabbi David Teutsch has been a builder of religious community since becoming a congregational rabbi over thirty years ago. He is the Wiener Professor of Contemporary Jewish Civilization and director of the Levin-Lieber Program in Jewish Ethics at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, where he served as president for nearly a decade. He previously served as executive director of the JRF. The editor in chief of the groundbreaking Kol Haneshamah prayer book series published by JRF’s Reconstructionist Press, he has also authored several other books including Imagining the Jewish Future and five volumes in the series A Guide to Jewish Practice published by RRC Press. A renowned consultant and trainer, he pioneered values-based decision making.

Carl A. Sheingold began serving in September 2004 as the executive vice president of JRF. Previously he was management professor in the Hornstein Program in Jewish Communal Service and director of the Fisher Bernstein Institute for Leadership Development in Jewish Philanthropy at Brandeis University. He served as part of the senior management of the Council of Jewish Federations and as executive director of the National Havurah Committee. Carl earned his doctorate in sociology from Harvard University and before beginning his work in the Jewish community held faculty positions at Cornell and Brown universities. His career has spanned many settings — academic and organizational, mainstream and cutting edge, community organization, religious/cultural, and in community relations.

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