941 The Alameda Berkeley, CA 94707The Vitality Curve
Following is an article/review I wrote for the publication, Leaders Sharing with Leaders. This model of the life cycle of institutions suggests that when a crisis occurs in churches and other institutions, it is primarily a systemic issue and not necessarily the fault or problem of the personalities involved. This insight is particularly helpful when a church seeks to revisit her story. It grants permission to honor the people in our past, in the wholeness of their humanness. The model reviewed here, called "The Vitality Curve," is credited to Management Designs, Inc., of Cincinnati, Ohio. It originated from professor Robert Hoover, who called it, "The Grid" (because it was originally placed on a grid). For my understanding of this model, I am indebted to Tom Russell, a pastor of the First Christian Church in St. Joseph, MO, for his articulate presentation at a Disciple’s Minister’s Association meeting in Kansas City many years ago. This model, widely used within our denomination and others for envisioning the life cycle of churches, suggests a powerful key for reversing a declining trend. For me, this model is reminiscent of Hertzler’s "life cycles of institutions" theory that we studied back in seminary. Tom’s presentation made it come alive for me. One rendition of this model can be found in Peter Morgan’s book, Story Weaving, pp. 31ff. When things like this get passed along in a kind of oral tradition, they may change in the process. What follows is a reconstruction from my notes and memory, so apologies in advance for any variations from the original.
The Vitality Curve pictures a bell-shaped curve cut by a horizontal line. Below the line and to the left represents the yet-to-be-manifest realm. This is where a group of people (in our case, a church) formulate a community and a common story. They shape a vision, set goals, and adopt meaningful rituals and symbols. Where the curve crosses the line is the birth point. The church expands and stabilizes through stages of goal refining, organization and intentional ministry. This phase is proverbially characterized as "the growing pains." During this upswing, beliefs and dreams become the norm.
The left-top of the bell-shaped curve represents a period of efficiency and effectiveness. Here is where purpose and form work together. As Tom said in effect, "the ‘how,’ the ‘who,’ and the ‘what’ are working together."
However, (to borrow from Hertzler) somewhere along the top of this curve (represented by the top-right arc), purpose gets separated from form. Entranced by repetition, people forget why they are doing things, but continue to do them in the same old ways. A period of ‘formalism’ sits in. This precedes what Peter Morgan calls "The Breakdown Period." Indicator comments are: "But that’s not the way we do it, here," or "But we’ve never done it that way, before."
The decline, represented by the right side of the bell-shaped curve, goes through three stages, (1) a period of consultants, (2) a period of politics, and (3) a period of scandal. The first is a time of ‘operational doubt.’ Here, people worry with ‘how.’ "How do we fix it." They seek to examine ‘how’ the structure is not working. People consult with each other, or with outside sources, for ideas. They want programmatic and organizational solutions. In the midst of institutional decline, if ‘how’ is the presenting problem, know that you cannot fix it. This is an illusion, for the more you ‘fix’ things, the more things will be brought to you to be fixed. It is important not to get caught up in operational details.
The political period is characterized by ‘ideological doubt.’ ‘What’ becomes the issue. This is a time of point and counter-point, administrative divisions, parties conflicting over one idea or another. This I-am-right-you-are-wrong stage seeks to figure out ‘what’ is wrong, ‘what’ ideas are misguided, ‘what’ is needed to rectify the situation. Tom observes in effect (I may not be quoting him exactly), "If it is a ‘what’ problem, if it is ideological doubt, you can NOT reason or talk your way out of it. This, while the greatest temptation, is also one the greatest energy drains."
The third and final stage in institutional decline and decay is driven by ‘ethical doubt.’ Intervention needs to come before this stage, for here, ‘Who’ becomes the issue. At first, people go their separate ways with an I-do-my-thing-you-do-your-thing attitude. They become concerned about who is doing things ‘right’ and who is doing things ‘wrong.’ Here begins the exodus of the constituents. It is often here, in this stage, that pastors and other functionaries fall under suspicion.
Where the bell-shaped curve crosses the line from manifestation to dissolution represents the ‘death point,’ the point of ‘absolute doubt,’ and we know this point when we see large numbers of people leaving. Where the beginning of the curve is characterized by a general excitement and a deep faith in a community’s collective abilities, the breakup point is driven by a general sense of frustration and a lack of faith in the church and/or its leaders.
According to the theory of the Vitality Curve, health and healing comes by circling back, through the nebulous realm of people’s collective memories and recovering the common story. This means recovering the original vision as embodied in flesh-and-blood experiences, sensing the organizing paradigm, feeling the common goals. This is not necessarily an intellectual exercise of listing things on a flip chart; as I recall Tom saying, "The more vague it is, the more truthful it is."
Tell, and retell the stories. For out of the story comes the sense of vision. Out of vision come the goals, knowing what is important and what is frivolous. Without a story/vision, people can become extremely irritating to each other. With a story/vision, people will tolerate all kinds of things from each other.
-- Ron Sebring