What place does faith play in recommending resources? I believe that resource center directors, especially in ecumenical centers, are positioned to see and experience something profound in American religious life. On the one hand, we are moving away from the era of denominationalism and resources that are denominationally specific. It certainly makes no sense to speak of "Baptist" roof repair as something different from "Lutheran" roof repair. It probably makes no sense to speak of "Methodist" strategic planning as something separate from "Presbyterian" strategic planning. In this sense, our role as resource experts is to help people see past labels.

On the other hand, we should not throw out the "baby with the bath water." Parker Palmer observed of great teaching that it comes from our center and the fullness of our humanity, including who we are as religious persons. If the rising interest in spirituality has taught us one thing, it may be that we can’t afford to default to a generic, secularized level of relating to each other in which the language of psychology, organizational development, and business dominates and in which we are cut off from the wholeness of who we are as people of faith. Do we really want to spend a day with each other in strategic planning if the process is not shaped by an understanding that we are meeting as people of faith? And who is to say that the act of repairing a worship building should not also be understood as a spiritual act, rooted in our understanding of the full faith tradition that makes a home in that place of worship?