Size matters. In planning our future as a community, size probably matters more than any other factor. On one hand, a larger community can sustain more varied and interesting programming, has more people paying the mortgage and more potential donors for a Capital Campaign. On the other hand, our sanctuary can only seat 450 and we’ve already filled every classroom on Shabbat. As we grow so will the demands on clergy for pastoral services; after some point, the need for additional clergy and other staff start to eat up the savings from other economies of scale.
Adat Shalom is by no means among the largest congregations in the DC area, yet as the sixth or seventh largest congregation in the Reconstructionist movement, we are pioneers. The unknown territory is how to retain intimacy among members and the high level of member participation characteristic of Reconstructionist congregations as we grow.
One model for building intimacy in a large congregation is to divide the community into small Havurot (literally: friendship circles.) In some congregations, only a small percentage of members are involved in Havurot. On the other extreme is B’nai Havurah, the Reconstructionist congregation in Denver. This congregation is a federation of 20 Havurot, each with about 10-15 member families who meet regularly to study and to share Shabbat. The Havurot share a religious school and some adult education and there are centralized Shabbat services (although Havurot also may hold their own services.) The congregation’s rabbi and a membership coordinator are primarily consultants to these smaller groups. This model of dual affiliation with a smaller, more intimate group and the larger congregation is one idea that will probably be explored by the Long Range Planning Committee.
Capping membership may seem like the obvious way to limit growth to just the point where a community reaps the economic benefits of spreading fixed costs over a larger group but before growth requires a substantial (and expensive) increase in staff and results in overcrowding of the facilities. However, while unfettered growth obviously has costs, so do caps. Congregations that have capped membership report that they suffer a serious stunting in their energy and participation levels. Frequently, the lack of new members results in stagnation. Before we get to the point where capping might be relevant, we need to explore whether this loss in dynamism is inherent in caps and whether there are ways to set limits while maintaining vitality.
While growth is enabling us to create a rich mix of new program, growth related strain in starting to show on Torah School and on the availability of B’nai Mitzvah dates. In 2004, 43 of our children will turn 13. By scheduling double celebrations on every non-Torah School, non-Jewish holiday Shabbat morning, we could accommodate about 56-60 families a year. Weekly Mincha celebrations might add as many as 45 more dates (twice as many if these celebrations could be doubles.) As we make decisions that might allow us to accommodate more families, we need to consider the toll on our clergy as well as on our time together as a community. Do we want to ending up adding additional clergy primarily so that we can serve more families, including those who join primarily so their children can celebrate a Bar or Bat Mitzva h? Does it make sense to cap membership to young singles, childless couples and to empty nesters when the tightest constraint is B’nai Mitzvah dates? There are congregations that do not cap membership but restrict B’nai Mitzvah ceremonies to the first X families with children turning 13 in a certain month or year. We need to explore the benefits and costs experienced by these congregations as we plan our future.
Torah School space on Shabbat morning is already a constraint. One possibility is to simply add more classrooms; our original plans called for a second story of classroom space but our budget did not allow us to build it. We could decide to build it now, if we could raise the money, but there are other approaches. Many congregations hold split sessions on Sunday or sessions on Saturday and Sunday. Saturday and Sunday classes impose is a significant cost in terms of the burden on staff, especially the Torah School Director. Sunday classes result in a significant reduction in attendance at Shabbat morning services. How important is it that Adat Shalom remain a multi-generational “Shabbat community”?
In recent years, an increasing percentage of our teachers have come from our own member. These member-teachers are the ones best able to teach theology, Judaics and values from a Reconstructionist perspective. Will these members want to teach two classes back to back or on Sunday as well as Saturday? If we can’t duplicate quality as we increase the school’s size, should we cap a grade when 2 class sections are filled?
During the next few months, the Long Range Planning Committee will research how other congregations have managed growth. Ultimately, decisions about growth will guide almost all our other decisions so as a community we need to think carefully about size. It is the key to all our other plans.
Shalom uv’racha (Peace and blessing),
Judy Gelman, President