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Training Applications for Religious/Spiritual Organizations

Many religious institutions and/or spiritual organizations get as caught in the politics of every-day power struggles as people in any other kind of organization. The following are some examples of issues which can be addressed to strengthen your spiritual community:

• Living out the ethic of compassion by using a non-defensive communication process within the organization and in outreach with other groups in the community
  
  
• Strengthening communication among individual members, different committees or groups within the organizations' hierarchy (if it has one).
  
  
• Learning to give direct and supportive feedback to each other as
  staff/volunteers on important issues regarding each person's
  role and functioning in the church
  
  
• Dealing effectively with difficult people and diffusing power struggles among individuals and/or groups in a specific chapter/group and/or within the larger religious/spiritual organization
  
  
• Systemically eradicating racism, homophobia, and other forms of prejudice (a) from the institutional structure and policies and (b) through educating individuals within the organization
  
  
• Taking steps to create an institution where the organizations' "ideology" has more power in its development and functioning than the "behind the scenes" politics.
  
  
• Answering questions effectively and responding non-defensively to angry or hostile people individually, during meetings within the organization and/or at public presentations/meetings
  
  
• Educating members about how idealizing official or unofficial spiritual leader(s) damages the individual and the community
  
  
• Modeling the message of the organization in the wider community without focusing on the agenda of seeking converts

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