STAR Releases Report on Maximizing the Use of Synagogue Consultants

Business Wire, April 3, 2008

-- Nine Synagogues Participate In First of Its Kind Study --

MINNEAPOLIS -- STAR (Synagogues: Transformation and Renewal), a national foundation dedicated to synagogue innovation and leadership development, today announced the release of Strategic Planning in Congregations: Capitalizing on Opportunities for Organizational Change a report on maximizing the value of Congregational consulting based on an 18 month study of nine participating synagogues.

The new report is the third in a series focusing on long range planning for synagogues. Prior releases include Acting Strategically: A Manual for Synagogue Planning, a step-by-step guide for creating a sustainable plan for synagogue growth and engagement, and Consulting in American Synagogues: A Report on the State of the Field which addressed congregational engagement of external consultants and is accompanied by the Preliminary Annotated List of Synagogue Consultants.

Gaining New Insights

Strategic Planning in Congregations: Capitalizing on Opportunities for Organizational Change breaks new methodological ground and provides fresh insights on the impact of using a consultant to foster organizational change. It models the application of control-group studies to congregational research. As an exploration of long-range planning, synagogue change, and the role of consulting, it has significant implications for the revitalization of the synagogue in America.

Rabbi David Teutsch, noted synagogue expert, and Dr. Sharon Ravitch, an evaluation specialist at the University of Pennsylvania, the lead researchers of all phases of the project, shared the most recent research results with leadership from participating synagogues at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in Wyncote, PA yesterday.

The presentation pointed out that most congregations under-invest in volunteer recruitment, leadership development, and documentation of volunteer activities. It also noted the importance of congregational readiness for long-range planning and careful selection of consultants.

Teutsch added, "This groundbreaking study of synagogue long-range planning shows the importance not only of utilizing consultants but of engaging consultants with the right kinds of qualifications who can work with congregations throughout the planning process."

Building an Environment for Success

Among the key study findings, the researchers concluded that congregations need to be ready to effectively use a strategic consultant. That means that synagogue leadership must be stable and ready to devote the necessary resources for planning and implementation. The training of the consultant is critical to the success of such projects as well. Consultants need a firm grasp of six content areas, including Jewish texts and values, organizational leadership and design and theories of change. Additionally, a clear definition of the rabbi's role during the consultation is required.

Looking back on the entire project, executive director, Rabbi Hayim Herring, commented, "When the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, a significant force in the field of synagogue revitalization, asked STAR to undertake this project, we had several goals in mind. We wanted to conduct a scientifically sound study of the impact of long-range planning on congregations. We also knew it was critical to generate practical direction for synagogues to maximize their chances for success when using a consultant for strategic and other types of planning."

The report also contains recommendations for future action and study in the field of synagogue consulting. The researchers recommend creating an association of synagogue consultants in order to establish quality-control standards and create a network for sharing and disseminating new knowledge and insight.

"With this latest publication we have both accomplished our initial goals and have created a valuable platform on which we and others can enlarge our understanding of the role and impact of congregational consulting on the synagogue world," added Herring.

To download free copies of Strategic Planning in Congregations: Capitalizing on Opportunities for Organizational Change, or the other three reports, click on the following links: Acting Strategically: A Manual for Synagogue Planning, Consulting in American Synagogues: A Report on the State of the Field and/or Preliminary Annotated List of Synagogue Consultants.

If you would like to purchase hard copies, you can either pay via the attached PayPal buttons or you can submit a check made out to STAR and mail it to the following address:

STAR
Attn: Wendy Clyman
1660 South Highway 100, Suite 344
St. Louis Park, MN 55416

Each publication costs $6.95 including shipping and handling. If you pay by check, please include how many copies of each publication you would like along with a return address so that we know where to mail your order. To order printed copies of the guide and studies or for more information, contact Wendy Clyman at (952) 746-8180 ext. 10 or wendy@starsynagogue.org.