[Magdalen] Please pray for Ascension, Chicago

[Roger Stokes]

On 17/01/2015 13:26, Lynn Ronkainen wrote:
> I understand your point more than I did at first David. Were this a cathedral there might be more chance of retaining status quo in some areas. It is always possible that there are other details in the mix unknown by many. Change IS hard. Being able to see the vision of someone new is often difficult especially when it seems incongruent.

I wonder if that particularly applies to the departure of the 
administrator.  Obviously I have no way of knowing if this applied at 
Ascension but it is not unknown for administrative staff to seek to 
thwart the intentions of those who are meant to be leaders.  (In a 
different context this was an ongoing theme in the BBC TV series "Yes, 
Minister" and "Yes, Prime Minister". )

The Rector is there to lead the parish and the administrator to provide 
support in putting his and the vestry's policies into effect.  Any 
attempt on the part of the administrator to impose their will is /ultra 
vires/, though they can and should draw attention to any organizational 
issues the decision-makers need to be aware of.  If the administrator 
seeks on a number of occasions to overrule the official policy then that 
relationship needs to be terminated.  At the same time the process 
behind the termination may well remain confidential.  A frequent method 
in this country would be a compromise agreement whereby the employee 
receives a lump sum settlement and, basically, both sides agree not to 
say anything negative about the other and to keep the detail of the 
arrangement (the amount paid, etc.) confidential.

Roger