On Competency Expectations : Take a cue from the Canadians

Setting aside the fact that expecting competency and professional ethics from professionals is simply appropriate, it seems to me we could take a cue from the 1998 Canadian Supplement to the UUMA guidelines.
Others have quoted the new rule, but I'll put it here for any who aren't following along on other blogs.

"The fellowship of a minister may be terminated by the Ministerial Fellowship Committee for unbecoming conduct, incompetence, or other specified cause."

Employment law is different in Canada, so a minister can be "dismissed for cause." Dismissal from a congregation is not what this particular rule change is about, but I mention it here because we might take some wisdom from this in terms of its usefulness in identifying where the bar might be set, what might constitute incompetence.

“Cause” is a term of art and in general means particularly egregious behavior such as repeated drunkenness in the pulpit...

I think it's the funniest line in any professional document I've ever read, and it makes me happy every time I can find an excuse to refer to it. This may be the first time I've been able to refer to it and have it actually be directly relevant.

And it also appropriately sets the bar clearly so as to avoid messes regarding personality or disagreements of style, theology or low/high churchiness and the like.

If you've never seen it, the entire paragraph is:

In Canada a distinction is drawn between being dismissed for cause and being dismissed. “Cause” is a term of art and in general means particularly egregious behavior such as repeated drunkenness in the pulpit, failure to conduct services with no notice given or molestation of children in the church school. In situations where there is clearly cause, no benefits of any kind and no salary need be paid after the date of dismissal. Where “cause” in the legal sense cannot be established it may be that longer benefits than those described as normal in the US will have to be paid. In either case the minister is entitled to be treated fairly, to know the details of the charges and to have an opportunity to reply. Failure to proceed fairly can result in a review by the courts. Separation of church and state is not observed rigidly in Canada, and there are an increasing number of cases where courts have concluded that ministers were not treated fairly.

Also, as an aside, may I take this moment to state my strong opinion that all LREDA members ought not only read our own Guidelines, but the UUMA Guidelines as well (and hopefully the updated ones will be finalized if not already, and Google-able and on the UUA website soon) And vice versa. We are all accountable to professional standards and expectations of ethical behavior, and as religious professionals it is incumbent upon us to be aware of how those standards and expectations are and are not the same given our different responsibilities within a congregation.

I'm just saying.

Keeping Mum

Dark British comedy with a Rowan Atkinson as the Vicar and Maggie Smith as, er, Mary Poppins, sort-of. What could be better?

If you've never seen this 2005 film, and if you ever think I'm funny, then try to catch it. If you don't ever find me funny, I recommend you give it a pass because I find it hilarious.
and sick.
and hilarious.

I like to believe that people who don't find me funny won't find Maggie Smith funny. I'm just saying.


TMC Monday 1:30 am
Showcase Tue 11:15am
Sho2 Wed 9:15 am
TMC may 8 9:20 am

Autism: The Musical

Watch it on HBO. It's amazing. It's honest. You'll fall in love with the kids and appreciate the depth of the time and effort parents put into helping their kids grow and develop. You will watch as people struggle with communication, social skills, and impulsivity. The film shows snippets of the joys and challenges, the positive communication and melt-downs -- both child and adult. It is a film about children with autism, but it is just as much about how neurotypical adults sometimes have similar behaviors and responses to the world -- just not as frequently.

Here is the schedule. The next showing is Wednesday at 6:15 East, 9:15 West. It is also On Demand, although it doesn't show up yet on my On Demand Schedule. There are also some cut scenes available On Demand, which you'll want to go to immediately after seeing the film.

Don't have HBO? Go visit a friend....

My only significant critique, (which would have completely changed the film), is that they only gave a tiny nod to the inadequate resources that are provided to help children fully develop their potential, or to the reality that public schools fail to meet the legal standards of education on a regular basis.

Daddy’s Roommate Buys a Prius

A satire of the fundraising letters of James Dobson (Focus on the Family).
Said satire is brought to you by the funny evangelicals at The Wittenburg Door.

Green Homosexuals, The Newest Threat to American Families

EXCERPT:

We must defend our way of life. Many of you know my stand against homosexuality.

AND, more recently, you may have heard how I have criticized evangelical leaders who have formed unholy alliances with the environmental movement to “save” the planet at the expense of our God-ordained standard of living.

What you may not know is that these two radical movements have now joined forces.

My friends, we are now facing a Gay-Green threat: Homosexual activists who also seek to limit carbon emissions and promote recycling, as well as a sustainable lifestyle!

I know it sounds like “gangrene” and that is entirely appropriate, since this is a rottenness which will eat away at the integrity of our American way of life.

And, in case you've never seen what Mr. Dobson writes, here's an excerpt of a real letter:

April 2004

Dear Friends:

I write to you today with a profound sense of concern and apprehension for the welfare of the family, and indeed, for the future of our nation. I do not recall a time since the beginnings of Focus on the Family, 27 years ago, when the institution of marriage faced such peril, or when the forces arrayed against it were more formidable or determined. Barring a miracle, the family as it has been known for more than five millennia will crumble, presaging the fall of Western civilization itself. This is a time for concerted prayer, divine wisdom and greater courage than we have ever been called upon to exercise.

For more than 40 years, the homosexual activist movement has sought to implement a master plan that has had as its centerpiece the utter destruction of the family. The institution of marriage, along with an often weakened and impotent Church, is all that stands in the way of its achievement of every coveted aspiration.

Latency aged boys collect things

It's part of the developmental deal, 10-12 year old boys build model worlds - railroads, lego-lands, duct-tape tech deck skateboard parks - and they collect things. They collect baseball cards, Pokemon cards, matchbox cars...

My grandson collects "Quotes I Like by Barack Obama."

He writes them on little flash cards so he can learn them.

I'm so proud.