CART Team and Process
About CART Team
The Center for Leadership Development (CLD) is a resource for District Superintendents, clergy and congregations of the NTC in the midst of crisis or conflict. Congregational Assessment, Response and Transformation (CART) Teams are equipped to assist District Superintendents, clergy and congregations move through the difficult work of grief, anger, mistrust, loss and change.
The CLD has the responsibility to provide trained and skilled teams of clergy and laity to engage congregations in crisis or in conflict. With the incorporation of the members from the former Bishop’s Committee on Sexual Ethics and other individuals gifted and educated in this area, both laity and clergy, the work of the CART Team will be embraced to begin the work of healing and transformation within congregations in the Conference.
CART Team Process
The initial process follows the procedures and protocols set forth in the 2008 Book of Discipline to establish clear and concise boundaries of consultation, conversation and resourcing. The Bishop and Cabinet in consultation with the CLD Director determine when a CART Team is deployed, the scope of work, specific outcomes and the context for confidentiality for all parties involved during the process.
CRISIS
It is essential to differentiate between a crisis situation and a conflicted situation. A crisis by definition is something that arises in a congregation over which they had no control, i.e., the illness or death of a pastor; sexual, fiscal or immoral misconduct by the pastor, a staff member (clergy or lay), or a key individual in lay leadership. With regard to alleged sexual misconduct the CLD will provide a resource person to walk alongside an aggrieved person for support and information regarding the process. Under the direction of the Bishop and the NTC Cabinet the CLD may send a CART Team to assess, respond and minister to individuals, small groups and/or the entire congregation. The CLD will pay for the assessment and response plan at no cost to the congregation. The main task of the CART Team in a crisis situation is to provide spiritual care in the midst of grief, anger, loss or broken trust. A caring, listening, compassionate response is the modus operandi for a CART Team involved with congregational crisis.
CONFLICT
A congregation in the midst of conflict does have a share of control in what has transpired. Though the emotions are similar to that of a crisis, i.e., anger, pain, mistrust, loss, etc., there must be some ownership of both symptoms and causation of the conflict. At the direction of Bishop and the NTC Cabinet the CLD may send a CART Team to assess, respond and coordinate opportunities for individuals, small groups and the entire congregation to work toward mediation and reconciliation. The CLD will pay one half the costs associated with the on-sight assessment, response and a transformation plan. The systems model for a CART Team working with congregational conflict is one of communication, mediation and conflict management. The goal is always transformative reconciliation as the “body of Christ.”
| Crisis Assessment and Response | Conflict Assessment and Response |
|---|---|
| clergy, staff or key laity misconduct (sexual harassment, offense, immorality) | systems breakdown in communication |
| fiscal misconduct by clergy, staff or laity | dis-ease, displeasure in leadership |
| illness, death, tragic event for the church | presence of blaming or scapegoating |
| aftermath of a disaster (the long-term response after VIM teams are gone) | unresolved high anxiety and tension/unhealthful patterns, unresolved tensions |
| ongoing advocacy/training for healthy boundaries for clergy, staff and laity | ongoing education/training for wellness |
| NOT primarily mediation based | IS Primarily mediation based |
| No cost to the congregation | Fee shared by CLD and congregation |
