Response to Allegations from Oral Roberts University
More is developing from the ORU lawsuit story I discussed this week. You can get a good update here from Associated Press, and The Tulsa World reports that the Board of Regents have brought in an independent accounting firm to look at the finances. It’s an interesting look at how to handle “crisis public relations” and regardless of guilt or innocence in this case, every non-profit or religious organization needs to have a crisis PR plan in place. A responsible board can never be sure that
all employees or leaders will act with integrity, so knowing that we’re all fallen human beings, trying to contain the damage is essential to keep the organization healthy and moving forward.
In this case, as PR maven Jackelyn Iloff has said, the best policy is “the light of day.” If you’re innocent, get it in the open. Live a transparent life. In the age of Google, it’s far to difficult to hide anything anymore, so I tell clients to live their lives as if everyone was watching. Integrity is paramount. It’s interesting that Richard Roberts grew up under the shadow of Oral, who lived in a time of “hunker down” public relations. Most first generation ministry leaders of that era would circle the wagons during difficult times, and just consider it an “attack of the devil.” They were often brilliant preachers and leaders, but knew very little about the power of perception, and as a result, their ministries often suffered when it came to news reports about their activities.
Today, Richard Roberts is part of a different generation, and he has the choice of hunkering down as a previous generation would, or being transparent. The public will have far more confidence in the ministry, if they feel its leaders are being open and honest, and can put their financial records on the table to prove it.
A second issue is the strength of the Board of Regents. Sadly, with many ministries, the board is simply a leader’s family or a group of people who rubber stamp whatever the leader wants. But with a truly healthy organization, a board is visionary, strong, and uses their vast experience to set the direction of the entire organization. In situations like this, they have a choice of removing the current leadership during the crisis period, or keeping them in place. The right choice can re-establish the public (and supporter’s) trust in the organization, and the wrong choice can undermine that trust, and make the supporters or partners feel that the board is just pawns, not real decision makers.
Finally – talk to the employees. I know Richard Roberts has addressed a student chapel service, but don’t know if he’s had a personal meeting with faculty and staff as of today. Don’t assume the employees are on your side. They get limited information, and have lots of questions. If you ignore them during a crisis, you’ll pay for it later. In the world of non-profits, ministries, and churches, everything seems to focus on the top man or woman. But a company is only as healthy as its employees. Keep them motived, inspired, and informed.
Interesting times here. The tragedy is the damage to the organization in the eyes of the public no matter what happens in court. But the positive, could be a strong board acting with integrity, making the hard decisions to clear any questions, make finances transparent, and present a strong vision and plan for the future. ORU is a great institution. Let’s hope they make the right decision, no matter how painful it might be.
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http://www.msgpr.com Lee Miller
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Ron Larson
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Phil
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Paul Forrest
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D. Coffman
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Elizabeth Conley
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Rick, 2001 ORU Alumni
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william allen
