In the Episcopal Church, vestries have the primary responsibility for leading the institution and preserving the health of the congregation’s assets. In every incorporated parish in our diocese, the vestry — that is, the rector, churchwardens and members of the vestry — form the corporation that owns the real estate, the buildings and the money of the parish and of all its organizations.

Many vestries may feel that it is a big enough job to deal with the demands and crises of the present moment. A boiler breakdown, the unexpected loss of a major pledge, getting the bills paid and the fair organized — if we deal with all of those things, isn’t that enough?

Leadership is pointed toward the future. When there is a lack of leadership, it is always because those who run the congregation have forgotten (or don’t believe) this crucial truth: your congregation has a future. When money is tight, and there don’t seem to be enough people, and you can’t keep up with the maintenance of the buildings, it’s easy to forget this simple truth — your congregation has a future. When your congregation’s past seems brighter and more prosperous than its present state, it easy to lose sight of this important truth — your congregation has a future.

Why do vestries forget about the future of the institutions they lead? At a recent Wardens’ Conference the Rev. William McD. Tully, Rector of St. Bartholomew’s, Manhattan, put his finger on the answer — anxiety. Quoting the family systems theorist, Rabbi Edwin H. Friedman, Tully said, “The thing that I see sapping the leaders is anxiety.”

Anxiety is nearsighted. Anxiety focuses our attention on the concerns and the crises of the present moment, and we lose the long view. It’s as if we were looking so closely at the ground where our feet are standing that we can no longer see where we are going.

Anxiety is lonesome. Anxiety makes us feel that we are isolated, that there is no one else in a situation like ours and that there are no people who can help. Where anxiety reigns, leadership is absent.

Lack of leadership is a lack of faith in the future. But if we don’t have it, how do we get that faith? Well, most of us started to attend church regularly before we had received the gift of faith in Christ. We received the gift of faith because we were already acting as if we believed. It’s the same with the gift of faith in the future. There is only one way out of the debilitating anxiety that saps leaders’ strength and shortens their vision — to lead. Begin acting as if you have a future, and God will likely give you one.

The vestry leads by remembering that the congregation has a future and that the congregation is not alone. If in every deliberation you remember that you have a future, your highest priority will be leaving to the next group of leaders a parish that is stronger than it was when you became a leader. If in every deliberation you remember that you are not alone, you will constantly be calling on the experiences of your colleagues, the agencies in your community, and especially the resources of the Diocesan office.

Vestries must certainly act to meet current needs, but they must always balance the needs of the present with the long-term interests and health of the congregation. Too often vestries take actions that seem expedient, pastoral or mission-minded at the time, but sometimes down the road a later vestry sees that these decisions seriously compromised the future ability of the congregation to carry out its mission.

When vestries sell or lease property unwisely, or make the cheapest, rather than the most appropriate, building improvements, or pull too much out of their long-term investments for capital improvements or operating expenses, they are forgetting that they have a future.

Vestries must think of the congregations they lead as perpetual institutions. “Perpetual” here does not mean that the congregation will last forever; it means that the leaders of the congregation must act as if it will. In perpetual institutions, a short-term solution is no solution at all. The leaders of perpetual institutions must always take the long view — even when meeting current needs.

If the congregation’s leaders cultivate the proper attitude of making the best decisions for the long-term health of the congregation, that attitude itself may also begin to clear away other common impediments to effective leadership.

For example, in congregations large and small, one person sometimes dominates the leadership group. All too often the dominant person — especially if he or she has been “in power” for many years — does not exercise good leadership, but uses the position to work out a personal agenda or to control others. If the rest of the leadership takes the long view and constantly brings the conversation back to the merits of the case, there will be less chance of descending into a power struggle or a mere squabble. Who knows? Perhaps the example of a non-anxious, far-sighted leadership attitude may even help bring about the conversion of the “lay pope” or the domineering rector.

This is the first in a series of articles that will examine in the plainest possible language the various areas of the vestry’s responsibilities, with a constant emphasis on remembering the future. Look for the following articles in future issues of The Episcopal New Yorker:
• Thinking straight about your assets
  Most congregations own property, maintain buildings and have (or want to    create) endowments and capital reserve funds. We’ll talk about how to think    clearly about these different kinds of assets and how they must be managed to    preserve their value and to achieve their purposes.
• What are endowments for?
   Your long-term investments, or “endowments,” are a perpetual asset like your    land. The leadership must think clearly about them and manage them with    prudence so they maintain their purchasing power over the long term.
• Building improvements for the long term
   If you defer the maintenance of your buildings you create a debt your successors    will have to pay with very high interest. Making the cheapest, rather than the    most appropriate, improvements to your buildings not only diminishes the    character of buildings that are often architecturally and aesthetically significant,    but also can prove to be more expensive in the long run. Buildings may not    speak in words, but dilapidated facilities and inferior repairs testify to a lack of    confidence in the future. Such an approach is unworthy of the legacy that our    forebears have given us to pass along to succeeding generations.
• Clear talk about leasing your buildings
   Many congregations let outside groups use their space without clear terms and    expectations or without having calculated what it costs to provide the space.    We’ll suggest some orderly approaches to renting out your space. Some    congregations create budget problems by letting their buildings be used below    cost by saying, “It’s part of our outreach.” We’ll have some frank talk about the    potential implications of   that approach.
• The three kinds of personal giving We plan some plain, brief talk about    ongoing giving to the operating budget, capital giving and planned giving. You    should not confuse these kinds of personal financial stewardship with one    another or with fundraising.

None of the forthcoming articles is intended to be an exhaustive or encyclopedic treatment of the subject. The series is meant to be stimulating, and we hope it may stimulate some discussions and disagreements. The articles will frequently refer to experiences of congregations, not to place blame, but to urge you to think about how your congregation’s assets can be managed well for the long term, and to encourage you to call on the resources that are available to you. We urge you to invite a member of the Diocesan staff to speak with your Vestry or an appropriate committee about these matters. Let me know how we can help by calling the Controller’s office at 212-316-7536 or by e-mailing to jkeucher@dioceseny.org.

If there are other topics you would like addressed, please let us know that as well. And remember your future.