University of Virginia Library

Passive Resistance to Early Organizational Efforts

The Righters moved to Dayton the first week in September 1968. The Presbytery had publicized the new congregation in its newsletter and had requested pastors to encourage selected members to consider participation on an experimental basis. When Righter arrived, the Presbytery had a list of twenty prospective members. To the best of Righter's recollection, none of these candidates were actually referred by pastors. Our own interviews with a sample of local pastors also failed to reveal any nominees or referrals. Most, if not all, of the list resulted from the initiative of the individuals themselves, and most of these people cited a front-page newspaper article in April as their primary source of information about the proposed congregation.

During his first week in Dayton, both daily newspapers interviewed Righter and wrote feature articles on the new congregation. This coverage produced additional calls from individuals expressing interest. With these two lists in hand, Righter proceeded to call on his prospective members. Also during his initial weeks in Dayton, Righter visited each of the Presbyterian ministers in the metropolitan area. He described the purpose of his calls as "simply to get acquainted, to personally relate to them and possibly see ways we might be able to cooperate." Righter reports that he did not ask any of them for members from their congregations, nor did any of them volunteer any of their people. This also is corroborated by our own

interviews with local pastors. [1] The fears of the National Missions Committee were thus early confirmed. Although the antagonism to the establishment of an experimental congregation had been overcome by the rhetoric of cooperation in the planning documents, the support of local clergymen in the organization of the congregation did not emerge. Passive resistance had replaced active opposition.

In September and early October, Righter organized three meetings in separate areas of the city for those interested in the new congregation. Approximately ten people attended each of these informal meetings, planned only to provide people with an opportunity to meet other prospective members and to share their views as to the nature of the congregation they would like to see emerge. Righter reports the main interest expressed in these meetings was the desire to meet participants in other areas of the city. So, on the third Sunday evening in October, the three groups met together. This meeting further served the function of getting acquainted. No organizational matters were discussed beyond the agreement to hold monthly meetings.

During these initial weeks in Dayton, Righter also made a concerted effort to familiarize himself with the metropolitan area and its problems. He obtained and studied a wide range of research reports on such subjects as demography, race relations, housing, employment, tax structure, utilities, transportation, and business activities. He attended meetings of the City Commission, the Board of Education, and other public groups. He also attempted to meet community leaders, and he cultivated and nourished his initial contacts with the news media. His contacts with journalists continued to provide publicity for the new mission. Equally important, these contacts proved to be an important source of information on community issues and problems. Later, they offered strategic information on issues with which the Congregation became involved.

In summary, Righter's first weeks as organizer of the Congregation for Reconciliation were busy ones. It is probably unfair to describe them as ordinary first weeks for an organizing pastor. In our assessment, Righter went about his work in a highly systematic, disciplined, and professional manner hardly typical of pastors in a new community. One church administrator told us, "Righter

had learned more about metropolitan Dayton in a few weeks' time than I had known after a year. . . . He seemed to know how to get around and get the information he wanted." These research skills later became both vital assets in the development of action projects and a routine part of action leadership training in the Congregation.