paula harris

* Intentional interim pastor of a small town church in serious decline. * Practiced transparency about congregational assets and challenges, including boundaries. * Stabilized and increased worship attendance by normalizing worship patterns. (Turning around a 31% drop from the previous decade.) * Practiced adaptive thinking with leaders regarding maintaining education programs. * Leveraged 174 year old church history by joining volunteers in a cemetery tour. * Created an attractive website representing the church s assets. Recruited and taught a volunteer to manage it. * Ordinary pastoral transition work.

* Intentional Interim of 550 member congregation following a 28 year pastor. * Supervision of first call associate (curate), deacon of music and staff team. * Recruiting, energizing, encouraging and empowering lay leaders, including Council. * With leaders, address unresolved concerns: significant structural deficit, historic borrowing of designated funds, church building tenants, staffing topics, out of date governance documents. * Develop and implement financial stability plan in partnership with Council President and Treasurer, with a goal of a balanced budget. * Negotiate end of call for Associate Pastor, and adapting lay leadership for the areas where she served. Support her in her transition. * Coach transition team leader as he leads congregational transition process. * Ordinary transition work: calming feelings, exploring who are we as a congregation, "who are our neighbors and what are their needs what is God calling us to do?"

* Intentional interim of 100 member church, following a serious conflict. * Helped the congregation be reconciled around worship styles. * Aided the congregation in finding its own resiliency, spiritually, emotionally and financially. * Increased pledges by 18%, balancing the budget for the new call. * Updated church governance documents with committee and congregation to comply with current ELCA practice. * Ministry in the interim period: lead worship and preach, celebrate the sacraments, teach confirmation, pastoral care and visitation, consult with council and committees, pray for the church and the next pastor.

* Led program development for Urbana Convention (over 19,500 delegates). * Programed collection of an offering for the poor which reached $1,000,000. Supervised distribution to development and relief organizations. * Coauthored Being White, which went on to sell more than 10,000 copies. * Leadership and management: 16 staff, 300 seminars, job fair in 3 halls, 350 exhibits, 1800 small groups, 24 hour care team for 15,000 university students. * Oversaw diversification, ultimately reaching 45% people of color, 40% female. International.

* Gracious invitations: Valentines marriage renewal & festive dinner, Ashes-to-Go, Easter Egg hunt, Veterans Day service, Thanksgiving service and dinner, Christmas card worship invitations from lay people to friends and family members. * Forming followers of Jesus: developing leaders of children s and teen ministries, adult retreats, Bible study, icon exhibit, book groups and classes. * Healing and care: healing prayer ministry, mentor lay visitors, pastoral and spiritual guidance. * Community Service: Board Member, Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice. Initiator and co-founder, Seeds of Peace ecumenical ministry in Madison. * Capital Campaign, stewardship, fundraising.

* Intentional interim pastor of a small town church following a twenty-five year pastorate. * Encouraging lay leaders, practicing adaptive thinking regarding new circumstances. * Calming anxiety in congregational system and individuals. * Working to resolve deferred maintenance on property. * Grief work and pastoral care. * Ordinary transition work: processing feelings, exploring * who are we * as a congregation, "who are our neighbors and what are their needs * What is God calling us to do