An Ecumenical Strategy Which Has Worked: JED As A Model
Diocesan Press Service. April 15, 1974 [74107]
Note to Editors: Joint Educational Development (JED) is an ecumenical coalition of several church communions, including the Episcopal Church, working together on certain common Christian education concerns. This article is designed to interpret to participating partner communions the basic principles and operating procedures of JED.
Ecumenical work has never been simple. It has often proved frustrating to groups who genuinely believe in an ecumenical witness. Many church groups at the national, regional, and local levels have become discouraged in trying to find ways of working together that were effective, gave important results, and did not require burdensome structures or excessive investment of time and funds. Over the last four years these denominations* have been working together to carry out their own educational responsibilities, and have developed a way of working that seems a promising model for others. While this strategy is now in operation at the national level and concerns Christian education, it suggests how groups at other levels in the church and in areas other than education might work effectively ecumenically.
This article describes the basic principles on which Joint Educational Development operates, and illustrates how those principles are lived out in the joint work of these denominations.
THE STRATEGY -- JOINT EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT (JED) -- GREW OUT OF A COMMONLY FELT NEED AND CONTINUES TO FUNCTION IN AREAS OF COMMON NEEDS AND PRIORITIES.
In the late 1960's the Christian Education executives of the Episcopal Church, The United Presbyterian Church, and the United Church of Christ discovered that all three denominations were about to launch a long-range study of the future as prelude to decisions about the appropriate direction for Christian Education in the decades ahead. As an alternative to duplicating studies, these three denominations established a joint staff team consisting of two persons for each church, to undertake a common study. As a result of the success of joint study, the denominations decided to go further and try together to influence the improvement of Christian Education in their denominations. They agreed to work together in areas of responsibility that they held in common. They examined the educational priorities, and began working together on those aspects of the national agencies' jobs where the priorities were the same. Annually a joint staff group, including the executives, reviews the priorities, the current situation in the churches, and the anticipated future in the church. They reevaluate their joint goals and set objectives for joint work over the next four years, in light of denominational priorities and resources.
THE ONLY WORK UNDERTAKEN ECUMENICALLY IS THAT WHICH THE PARTICIPATING DENOMINATIONS NEED TO DO: PROJECTS ARE NOT EXTRA WORK FOR DENOMINATIONS.
The denominations together develop projects that fit their joint goals and objectives. But a given denomination invests money and staff in only those projects which are important to the needs of its constituency.
THE FUNDS AND STAFF TIME INVESTED IN JOINT WORK BY ANY DENOMINATION ARE RESOURCES WHICH HAVE ALREADY BEEN ALLOCATED IN THAT DENOMINATION FOR ITS EDUCATIONAL WORK.
Since projects are participated in by the denominations who would be doing the same work separately with their own staff and money, the time and funds put into joint projects is taken from that which has already been allocated for the denomination to do their educational work. This means that joint work requires no additional funding, with the exception of some staff time and money jointly provided to direct the joint planning and to provide coordination among the projects.
It is also important to point out that no denomination involves itself in a project unless that project will have important contributions to a denominational need or priority. Moreover, each denomination decides on how much money and staff time it will put into a project, in light of the importance that project has for the denomination and in light of the resources the denomination has available.
THE SKILLS AND RESOURCES OF ONE DENOMINATION ARE AVAILABLE TO ALL THE OTHERS TO IMPROVE AND ENRICH WHAT EACH OFFERS TO ITS CONSTITUENCY.
All the planning for joint work is done by the denominations together and is influenced by the insights and skills brought by the various participants. One denomination is strong in one area of work; some staff has distinctive skills. These are brought together to the benefit of all these denominations, rather than just the one. Each denomination then, expands the skills and funds available to it for doing its denominational job. The collaborative style makes it possible for a denomination to offer better service and services the denomination could not otherwise offer. This style doesn't cost the denomination less, but it does give the denomination a better return for its staff and financial investment.
THE MANAGEMENT OF THE WORK DONE JOINTLY IS IN THE HANDS OF THOSE WHO MANAGE THE WORK DONE SEPARATELY.
Each denomination may have two members on the managerial group, the Executive Committee, and one of these is the denominational executive for Christian Education. These executives are in position to know the priorities of their denominations, and are in position to commit staff time and money to do the denomination's educational work. This is a group who decides goals and objectives for joint work, and commits staff persons and funds for projects. This eliminates the necessity for any additional "layer" of management for work done jointly. The policies that govern work done separately by a denomination continue to govern its joint work.
PEOPLE INVOLVED IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF JOINT WORK INCLUDE A LARGE NUMBER OF THOSE WHO HELPED DECIDE WHAT SHOULD BE DONE AND HOW IT SHOULD BE DONE.
Projects to implement the goals and objectives of the joint work may be initiated by anyone in a denomination at any level. A group made up of national staff, denominational executives and resource people from the church at large reviews these proposed projects against the joint goals and objectives and decides which shall be implemented. When a project is approved for implementation, a team is named which includes a core of persons who participated in the description of the project and other persons from the churches according to the skills and knowledge the project requires.
ALL PROJECTS HAVE A SPECIFIC TERMINATION DATE AND SPECIFIC ANTICIPATED RESULTS BY WHICH THEY MAY BE EVALUATED.
This principle prevents undertaking anything with unknown costs of time and money, and prevents continuing projects which do not bring results that are significant. Projects are reviewed at least annually, and may be extended, modified, or terminated with the money and people then being available for some other piece of important work.
EXISTING CHANNELS OF COMMUNICATION IN EACH DENOMINATION ARE USED AS CHANNELS OF COMMUNICATION IN THE JOINT ENTERPRISE.
This principle prevents an overload of communication, and has the advantage of integrating joint work with that which is done by the denomination separately.
Responsibility for communication about joint work to the national staff persons is the responsibility of the respective denominational executives. This applies not only to information about decisions, issues, progress in joint work; it also applies to that communication called supervision. For each project team the Executive Committee appoints a Director after negotiation with that person. That Director is responsible for the team's carrying out the project as it was approved. While the team works on behalf of all the denominations involved in the particular project, the Director is accountable to his or her own denominational executive, as would be the case in denominational work done separately.
Communication with colleagues beyond the national educational staff is the responsibility of each denomination. Ordinarily communication about work being done jointly is integrated with communication about work being done separately. This includes inviting the identification of needs and concerns, eliciting criticism and evaluation of the services and resources the denomination offers, negotiating participation in some of the project teams. All news releases relating to joint work are prepared by one of the publicity staff persons from among the denominations and are made available to the others for use in their denominational channels.
One quarterly publication is jointly offered Christian Education leaders by these denominations. JED SHARE is intended to provide a means for local congregational leaders to share with each other their concerns, questions, resources, ideas, successes in Christian Education. It serves also to announce new resource materials or leadership events developed by national agencies. Content is collected by a national staff person of each denomination participating in SHARE, and edited by a jointly employed Editor.
Working ecumenically has rarely proved to be a rapid means of achieving results. It is encouraging then, to find that these principles which have been the basis for Joint Educational Development have resulted in some 10 completed projects in three years of existence of this strategy. In areas of common responsibility and priority each of these denominations is now making available to its constituency services and resources better or more varied than it would have done alone. And not only the national agency, but the denomination is getting better return on its investment of people and funds.
This model for working ecumenically has already demonstrated its usefulness in the area of national functions in Christian Education; it is a model that will work in other areas of church life: overseas ministries, social action, evangelism, stewardship, church development and renewal. It is workable not only on the national level: it is already in operation in some parts of the country on a middle-judicatory level. It will work in others; and it will work on a community level.
Further information about the model or about specific results of JOINT EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT can be secured from the Christian Education offices of any of these denominations or from the office of the Planning Coordinator.
* Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), The United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A., The Episcopal Church, Presbyterian Church in the U.S., United Church of Christ, Reformed Church in America. As of 1974, the following denominations have also joined JED: Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Evangelical Covenant Church, Moravian Church, Northern and Southern Provinces.