Discussion: TotJO Culture Problems

I tried to use the contact Clergy button and the form to fill out was easy to fill out.
But, to write down a personal question about your faith / belief and then send it to ? I don't know who. Then hope to get an email or whatever response some time soon.
It felt like filing a request. Not sending a message to a spiritual guide.
I would have liked to know who the Clergy were and how to PM them.
This is a Temple / a Church.
The Clergy or Cleric or Pastor should be easy to contact / message.
I hope my experience can be used in a positive way. It is not a bad thing if knowledge is gained.

In response to Stephen's message: Maybe a "meet the clergy" thread, a bit like the "meet the teachers" thread would make avatars more into real people? And that thread would have to be easily visible, so maybe link it in with some signposts from the IP Lesson 0 or in the FAQs?

Twigga wrote: In response to Stephen's message: Maybe a "meet the clergy" thread, a bit like the "meet the teachers" thread would make avatars more into real people? And that thread would have to be easily visible, so maybe link it in with some signposts from the IP Lesson 0 or in the FAQs?

I like the idea of a meet the clergy form and I am working on some stuff to make it easy to find some basics

Twigga wrote: In response to Stephen's message: Maybe a "meet the clergy" thread, a bit like the "meet the teachers" thread would make avatars more into real people? And that thread would have to be easily visible, so maybe link it in with some signposts from the IP Lesson 0 or in the FAQs?

This. Yes. Excellent idea Twigga!

So, what I see here is a need for clear guidelines about what we can and can’t offer as a church along with clear steps we will take when behavior issues arise. This will be provided to all members and we will answer any questions that arise from it. This is being worked on as I write this.

Next, our Clergy will continue efforts to reach out and support those in need while still being conscious of when outside professional help is more appropriate. This has always been the case, but we can make these efforts more obvious to the membership at large.

We will encourage everyone here to act with patience and compassion and take interpersonal drama out of the public forum and into PMs. This could include a new lesson in the IP and/or lessons required for those who need a refresher after an incident.

As a Security Officer, I realize that this will create an increased need for me to be attentive, transparent, and fair while enforcing the agreed upon code of conduct. I will do my best to be strict, but also understanding and open to criticism. I am prepared to take a more active role, but like Atticus points out about Clergy, I will need help from people who notice things going South before they get out of control. PM me, hit me up on Skype, contact me on Facebook Messenger, whatever works and I’ll respond as soon as possible. I will also publicly explain any actions I take in order to allow oversight from others and prevent any sense of favoritism.

We’re in this together, and we’re taking the appropriate steps to improve this Temple. Thank you all for the input and for supporting the leadership here as we try to enact these improvements.

Where there is doubt, faith.

Ah so one of the issues is that that Contact Clergy button is nameless?

In response to twigga, we can defenately make a "clergy: who we are thread"

we could probably do something like a "meet the team" for all offices

Stephen wrote: I tried to use the contact Clergy button and the form to fill out was easy to fill out.
But, to write down a personal question about your faith / belief and then send it to ? I don't know who. Then hope to get an email or whatever response some time soon.
It felt like filing a request. Not sending a message to a spiritual guide.
I would have liked to know who the Clergy were and how to PM them.
This is a Temple / a Church.
The Clergy or Cleric or Pastor should be easy to contact / message.
I hope my experience can be used in a positive way. It is not a bad thing if knowledge is gained.

It's funny, the "contact clergy" button was created to make it easier for people to reach us without having to ask around or without us having to link to the FAQ. If it's not having the desired effect of making the respondent feel comfortable, perhaps we need to rework it.

When I first read your response, Stephen, what popped into my head was when you click on "contact clergy," you get a pop-up 30-second video of half a dozen or so of us introducing ourselves and what we do and what we can offer. I have no idea whether it would be do-able (Tom?) so maybe a "meet the clergy" thread would be the next best thing.




(And then I'll push for video submissions from the clergy to add to it. )

Atticus, I'm working on a project that could dovetail that one. Pm me if that idea goes forward, please.

steamboat28 wrote: Atticus, I'm working on a project that could dovetail that one. Pm me if that idea goes forward, please.

Absolutely, mi amigo.

I’ve been reading through this topic for days now, just observing what people are saying and restraining myself from chiming in unnecessarily.

Now, however, I’d like to add something for everyone to consider on this topic.

Before I “say” this I want to make a few things clear. I am not writing this post to minimize or denigrate anyone’s issues here at the Temple in anyway. This is not an attack on anyone’s feelings or concerns about how things are done around here. I am merely bringing this up due to my own observations and opinions.

I think it’s important for us all to think about how high our expectations are about the Temple and the services it offers. It seems to me that many of us (myself included at times) are perhaps expecting a little too much from the Temple. We should keep in mind the fact that no one here is getting paid for their service to the Temple. While this is a church, it doesn’t function like other churches. Our clergy members are not paid. The Council is not a board of directors who are compensated for their time. Some of the people “running” things put in a tremendous amount of time and effort to make this place function and run smoothly. It is important for us all to remember that everyone has a life to live away from the Temple. We all work (or go to school or both) and take care of our families.

The Jedi path, as is emphasized by the Temple and other groups in the community at large, is a path of self-actualization, self-improvement, self-discovery, self-blah-blah-blah. “The path,” just like life, is what you make it. The Temple is, from my perspective, a place that provides support, training/education, and, when necessary, spiritual guidance. It is not, as people have pointed out, a place equipped to handle serious concerns such as mental illness or life crises nor is it intended to provide constant hand-holding and direction. I’m not saying it’s not okay to expect to be able to lean on individuals at the Temple or the Temple in general when you feel you need some extra support. I just think we would all be well-served by stepping back a bit and really examining our expectations of a place offering all its services for free and almost never asking for donations to pay for the expenses it incurs.

Also, on a related note: I’d like to personally thank the leadership and volunteer team here for their support and constant hard work that sometimes goes unremarked on. It is appreciated and I know you all really work hard to keep this Temple functioning and moving in the right direction.

Just a few thoughts I had.