CCAR Mutual Review Workbook

Mutual Review: Building and Nurturing a Sacred Partnership between Rabbi and Congregation

All healthy and vibrant congregations are reflective by nature and are built upon sacred partnerships. A sacred partnership is a commitment to building and nurturing relationships that elevate the work of leadership to a level of holiness. Sacred partnerships recognize each of us as individuals and our desire to inspire sacred action in our communities. Sacred partnerships are built and nurtured through the Jewish values of mutual respect, trust, honesty, listening and communication, transparency, confidentiality, flexibility, reflection, empathy, and vulnerability.

In our Mutual Review workbook, the CCAR and the URJ present the results of a three-year, collaborative initiative to produce twenty-first-century review guidelines for twenty-first-century rabbinates in twenty-first-century synagogues. We share with you our operating principles and definitions and offer several examples of reviews, each reflecting a different approach.

A mutual review is an opportunity for helping the entire congregation, including the professional staff and board, to better accomplish the synagogue’s goals. In our Mutual Review workbook, we share our belief that meaningful review is at the heart of everything that a healthy, vibrant synagogue community does. We hope that the processes outlined in this document will help strengthen relationships and lines of communication and maintain a focus on the congregation’s mission, vision, and values.