Mapping Uncharted Territory: New Directions for Growing Learning Congregations

1. Mapping Uncharted Territory: New Directions for Growing Learning Congregations LREDA Fall 2006 Conference

2. “Surviving”

3. “Thriving”

4. Goals • using a whole systems perspective • defining the changing landscape • focusing on the impact this has on the welcoming, nurturing, empowering and serving systems of the congregation • pose learning as a centrifugal force in the life of a congregation

5. Goals, continued • move beyond limiting tales---to a new story • use Appreciative inquiry as a pedagogical method for our work • and leave with some new—“breakthrough” steps in your own story as a religious educator or minister

7. Reflection (2 minutes each) “What is the question that is at the heart of my religious leadership* right now?” ( *or my life)

8. System A system is a group of interacting, interrelated or interdependent components that form a complex and unified whole.

9. Intersecting Systems

10. CONGREGATION’S SYSTEM OUTPUTS INPUTS Congregation as Transforming System

11. Learning Real learning gets to the heart of what it means to be human. We become able to re-create ourselves. This applies to both individuals and to organizations---[congregations]. -Peter Senge

12. What Are You Doing What are you doing to promote learning within the system of the congregation?

13. Cultural Change for Mainline Churches • From civic faith to human transformation • From assuming the goods to delivering the goods • From givers to receivers who give • From board culture to ministry culture • Budget: From ends to means • From democracy to discernment • From fellowship to hospitality • Membership Growth: From passive to active • From Education to Formation • Adapted from Anthony Robinson, Transforming Congregational Culture

14. Three changes Post-modern: People lack the kind of faith in science they had a generation ago; look more to unmediated experience than to rational thought to give meaning to their lives and doubt that one single meta-narrative can explain the world. Post-Christian: A growing awareness that Christianity doesn’t have nearly the degree of broad cultural influence in America it once had. Post-Denominational: There is less “brand loyalty”.

15. Adaptive Challenge • The problem, in some cases, may be known • The solution requires learning and change

16. Parallel learning structures “The key thing about parallel learning structures is that they create a bounded space and time for thinking, talking deciding and acting differently than normally takes place at work…It isn’t the supplemental structure that is important. What is important is that people act in a way that promotes learning and adaptation.”

17. Mapping Uncharted Territory: New Directions for Growing Learning Congregations LREDA Fall 2006 Conference

18. Reflection (2 minutes each) “What is the question that is at the heart of my religious leadership* right now?” ( *or my life)

19. Narrative Leadership The ultimate impact of the leader depends most significantly on the particular story that he or she relates or embodies, and the receptions to that story on the part of the audiences (or collaborators or followers).

20. Narrative Leadership [They] told stories—in so many words— • about themselves their groups, • about where they were coming from and where they were headed, • about what was to be feared, struggled against, and dreamed about.

21. Narrative Leadership The stories of the leaders—be they traditional or novel— • must compete with many other extant stories and if the new stories are to succeed, • they most transplant, suppress, supplement, or in some measure outweigh the earlier stories, as well as contemporary oppositional counter stories.

22. The Problem Saturated Story • Is there a dominant story about your congregation? • Is there a problem-saturated story in your congregation about any of your systems—welcoming, nurturing, empowering, serving or community presence—or religious education? What is the history of these stories? • What are some sparkling moments or unique outcomes that point to an alternate story to the dominant or problem-saturated story?

23. Identification of Problem Analysis of Causes Possible Solutions Action plan The Problem Solving Approach

24. An Appreciative Inquiry Approach

26. Assumptions of AI • In every congregation, some things work well • What we focus on becomes our reality • Asking questions influences the group • People have more confidence in the journey to the future when they carry forward parts of the past • We should carry forward what is best about the past

27. 5 Basic Processes of AI • Choose the positive as the focus of inquiry • Inquire into the stories of life-giving forces • Locate themes that appear in the stories and select topics for further inquiry • Create shared images for a preferred future • Find innovative ways to create that future

29. CONGREGATIONAL SYSTEMS

32. Your Welcoming System The welcoming system is a web of fluid relationships, serving as an entry point for life your congregation. This includes working positively to attract newcomers a safe environment in which all members can explore spirituality and community. -Adapted from Southern and Norton, Cracking Your Congregation’s Code

33. Your Nurturing System The nurturing system nourishes the new life that has been introduced into the congregation as an organism and helps the newcomers deepen their spiritual life support groups, classes, workshops, worship opportunities, or mentoring activities. The health of this system has a great effect on the overall health of the congregation.

34. Your Empowering System The empowering system finds ways to help each person discover his or her spiritual gifts and passions; it supports people in using them for the benefit of the entire congregation. The vision of the “priesthood of all believers”—becomes more of an observable reality.

35. Your Serving System Service to others is a powerful way for an individual to grow spiritually. Service is a way for servant-leaders to emerge. The congregation is attentive to providing support and recognition for individuals to grow through serving others—and using one’s gifts, talents or passion in meaningful and powerful ways.

36. Community Presence What you do within your congregation and how you serve others in the broader community extends your presence beyond the walls of your congregation. Others encounter your community presence—by the way that you socially incarnate your values and your purpose. Your religious education “program” becomes a bridge to those in the broader community seeking spiritual nurture, a spiritual community, and meaningful service.

38. TASK GROUP ASSIGNMENT “What’s So” Right Now: • What are the facts—few relevant and revealing facts? • What are the accomplishments right now? • What is working or has worked? • What is not working? • What is missing, that if provided will produce a breakthrough? • What are the opportunities present by the “What’s So” process? • What goals, and high leverage plans emerge around “what’s so?” • What’s next?

39. Your Systems & Your Congregation’s Identity CORE VALUES OF A _____SYSTEM FOR YOUR CHURCH What are the core values of an (w, n, e, s) system for your church PURPOSE How does a healthy and effective ____system embody the stated purposes of your church? VISION What is a desirable future for the ___ system for your church? What is the goal—that may look impossible—but that if it could be achieved would change everything?

40. Strategic Mapping Strategic Mapping: • Gives direction to the desired future by charting pathways into unexplored territory • Is flexible—is tied to values, purpose, vision and permission giving. You have room to make course adjustments.

41. Strategic Mapping Strategic Mapping: • Stays on course • Scan, design and monitor

42. Process • Internal • Assessment of the systems of the church • Guiding images of the church • Shifts for larger congregations • External • Look at the trends impacting the future • Prioritizing • Future directions • Scenarios • Common ground vision • Strategic mapping toward this vision

43. Your leadership practices • Challenging actions/practices • Inspiring actions/practices • Enabling actions/practices • Modeling actions/practices • Encouraging actions/practices • From Kouzes and Posner, The Leadership Challenge

44. Challenging the Process • How can you foster risk taking? • How can you frame the change as experiment so that early efforts can be seen as demonstrating lessons? • What daring experiments could your membership undertake and learn from? • How can you reward and encourage others to take risks toward the change?

45. Inspiring a shared vision • What higher meaning or purpose does the change serve? • What passion inspires you and others? • What tangible images can you provide that appeal to others? • What future do you (your leadership team) envision? • How can you “test run” your vision? • How can you best enlist others?

46. Enabling others to act • What interactions do I need to encourage between members in the congregation? • How can I delegate relevant (to the change) tasks? • What ways can I educate others (through story, sermon, conversation, readings, etc.) • What opportunities can be provided to help others assume greater responsibility? • What strengths or skills does our congregation need right now?

47. Modeling the way • What are your values, how do you define them, what does it look like in action? • How can you break the change into small wins that act as guideposts along the way? (Milestones) • How can you create small wins?

48. Encouraging the heart • How will you (you and others in congregation) acknowledge people along the way—personally and publicaly? • How can you be creative about recognition? • What stories can you use—to illustrate the accomplishments? • How can you have fun, laugh, enjoy?

49. What are the external forces that are impacting the church and the way we do church?

50. Technical Work • Being able to clearly define a problem • And clearly define a solution