This blog is born out of a desire to make a positive contribuion to UK Unitarians' continued discussions (or not) about how good governance works and to offer some hints and wrinkles about how to make it work for Unitarian communities wherever they are, however big or small.
Much of what I write will apply to Scotland and Northern Ireland - but they have their own charity regulators and their own charity law. The Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) and the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland. The Charity Commission covers England and Wales.
Hi Louise - I think this is a great idea and will be following with interest. I think it's also worth looking at the power dynamics within a group. Generally Unitarians are quite good at ensuring power is fairly distributed, but sometimes it can rest with the people who prefer the status quo. Andy Pakula has touched on this in his writing about growth, but it's worth exploring as a topic in its own right.
ReplyDeleteEngagement groups are a good way to ensure power is shared equitably, because the power is vested in the group covenant which is agreed by all members of the group, rather than in any one individual; although the facilitator(s) guide(s) the group, they also agree to be bound by the collective rules.