Flourishing Congregations

Flourishing Congregations: Moving from Dreams to Reality is a unique, hands-on learning experience for congregations of all faith traditions. The Center for Congregations presents this program to help empower congregations to look at the positive core of their work and build on existing strengths. Through Appreciative Inquiry, Asset Mapping, and World Cafe', participants feel the power of positive change. 

• Congregations Prepare to Flourish with Purpose

  More than 160 people representing 37 congregations gathered to experience the Flourishing Congregations event in Columbus, Indiana.  The Center for Congregations’ signature event introduced the opening of a new satellite office in Seymour, Indiana to serve the southeastern region of the state.
  
  Here are just a few of the overheard comments as the day unfolded: 

  • “That was the most incredible conversation I have ever experienced!” said a young associate pastor following an Appreciative Inquiry interview with a seasoned layperson. 
  • “It is good timing for our congregation to engage in Asset Mapping and strategically plan for how to engage these assets more effectively in ministry,” another was heard to say. 
  • A senior pastor stated, “I can visualize how exciting and positive it would be to facilitate a World Café with our entire congregation!” 
  • Someone else said, “Wow!  This is a big deal, isn’t it?  It’s about time we engage some improvement tools like this in the church.”
    

  The day began with an enthusiastic introduction of the Center for Congregations to the southeast region by Center President Tim Shapiro. He discussed our mission to “strengthen congregations of Indiana.”  The entire staff of the Center for Congregations was on hand to make the day special for participating congregations.  Following a Psalm of devotion, unique artifacts representing each congregation created a beautiful panoramic display of Indiana’s southeast faith community landscape.  Participants were fully engaged as they learned and put into play the tools of Appreciative Inquiry, World Café and Asset Mapping, led proficiently by presenters Susan Weber and Marie Fleming.
  
  One of the most exciting experiences of the day was seeing congregations turn their attention away from problem solving and toward organizing and engaging the positive components of their resources.  A testimony to the engaging attitude of the day was one of the pastors who organized a car-pool (via his church bus) to transport multiple congregations from his community to and from the event!  Observing congregations collaborate is a beautiful thing to behold.
   
  Each congregation departed from the event with the foundation of an action plan – ready to refine with their colleagues in ministry back home.
  
  We are excited to have a presence in Seymour for the Southeast congregations in Indiana. Please contact our office 812-405-1137 or dhanner@centerforcongregations.org to learn more about how the Center can engage with your congregation.
  
  Doug Hanner
  Southeast Director
  

  Posted Oct 20 2009, 09:42 AM

• Flourishing Congregations Southeast

  
  The Center for Congregations presented a third Flourishing Congregations gathering on Thursday, October 15, 2009 in Columbus, Indiana.
  
  Flourishing Congregations empowers leaders to look at the positive core of congregations when they function at their best. Through positive change processes such as Appreciative Inquiry (pictured at left), World Café (pictured below right) and Asset Mapping, participants learn how to look at their faith communities as mysteries to be embraced rather than as problems to be solved.

  Participants enjoyed a day of learning and sharing. They experienced these positive change processes hands-on and went home with the instruction necessary to apply the learning in their congregations. These events are vibrant and uplifting. Flourishing Congregations focuses on assets, best moments, affirming language and positive experiences.

   

  
   
  

  Posted May 27 2009, 02:00 PM

• Congregations Energized about Flourishing Event

  “We are on our way for some real excitement in our congregation,” said one pastor after last week’s Flourishing Congregations event in Evansville.  Forty congregations from across southwest Indiana sent teams for a day of learning and exploration around positive change. 

  Energy was high as participants explored the positive core of a flourishing congregation. They interviewed one another about congregations at their best, and then reconvened to build on what they were discovering about the core characteristics of flourishing congregations.

  “Flourishing congregations are joyful, creative, Spirit-filled, alive, flexible, hopeful, excited and empowering, big and small . . .” concluded one small group.
  
  By afternoon, the Marriot Hotel ballroom was abuzz with excitement as individual congregations "mapped" their assets. “It has a snowball effect,” said one participant.  “The more we identified our assets, the more assets we thought of!”

  By the end of the day, each team had the foundation of a fresh dream for their congregation.  Each team took its work from the day, together with Center materials, to share the process back home and build on a day of excitement and positive energy.
  
  Wendy McCormick
  SW Director
  

  Posted Sep 30 2008, 12:56 PM

• Congregations Inspired by Flourishing Summit

  "Great! Inspiring! This was an exceptional experience and well worth the time.” An energized group of 230 people from more than 50 congregations gathered for the Northeast Flourishing Congregations Summit in April 2008.

  “It was a great jam-packed day. There was lots of energy, enthusiasm and hope in the conversations,” said Brian Witwer, director of the Northeast Center.

  Participants engaged in hands-on activities, highlighting the positive change processes of Appreciative Inquiry (AI), World Café, and Asset Mapping. The day was an opportunity for congregational leaders of many faith traditions to interact, share, and learn together as they explored assets, best moments, affirming language, and the positive core of congregations.

  Participants commented that the day was spiritual, educational, well organized, and a good forum to interact with other faith traditions. “I enjoyed the day and learned a lot,” said one. “I loved the interview process,” said another. “World Café was extremely helpful.”

  Posted May 05 2008, 09:55 AM

• Flourishing Congregations Photo Gallery

  
  Flourishing Congregations: Moving from Dreams to Reality

  Congregations from various faith traditions gathered to celebrate the positive, share their strengths, and envision a flourishing future. This vibrant gathering included Appreciative Inquiry, World Cafe', Asset Mapping, and more.

  

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

  

  

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

  

   

   

   

   

   

   

  

   

   

   

   

   

   

  

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

  

   

   

   

   

   

   

  

  Posted Apr 16 2007, 01:36 PM

• Congregations gather to share the positive

  What happens when 176 persons get together to tell the stories of their congregations? What happens when you talk about congregations not as problems to be solved but as mysteries to be embraced?  What is the essence or “positive core” of these conversations? What does all of this teach us about a “flourishing congregation”?

   

  Participants explored these questions and more during the March gathering,  Flourishing Congregations – Moving from Dreams to Reality, presented by the Indianapolis Center for Congregations. This event was about positive change in congregations using the processes of Appreciative Inquiry, Asset Mapping, and World Café. But the event was more than learning these processes, it was about changing our mindset about how we image, talk about, and feel about our congregations. By exploring the concepts of positive image, positive words, and positive emotions participants were equipped with not only tools and processes for back home applications but renewed energy and passion for their futures.

   

  Early in the event participants were paired in order to conduct an appreciative inquiry interview. The purpose of the interview was to hear stories about the best moments and times when participants felt a deep sense of belonging. From these interviews participants conducted interpretive work through a World Café process that extracted the “positive core” of Flourishing Congregations. Here are some of the words and phrases participants articulated:

   

  Flourishing Congregations are . . .

   

  ·         welcoming and deliberate about forming relationships,

  ·         open to new ideas, change, etc.;

  ·         risk-taking, focus on positive

  ·         intentional about building bridges;

  ·         always finding commonalities;

  ·         coming together as children of God;

  ·         places where each member is honored

  ·         safe place to do dangerous things

  ·         nurturing,

  ·         active, reaching out – local and beyond

  ·         passionate

  ·         generous

  ·         Spirit led,

  ·         inter-generational,

  ·         places to dream

  ·         energetic

   

  For additional resources, see the Flourishing Congregations Resource Guide or contact the Center.

   

  Posted Apr 16 2007, 01:33 PM

• Learning From Flourishing Congregations

  The recent Flourishing Congregations – Moving from Dreams to Reality event featured processes and tools for achieving positive change.  At the event, participants learned three separate but complimentary processes that contribute to positive change. Appreciative Inquiry is the process of uncovering what gives life to a congregation when it functions at its best.  Rather than view a congregation as a “problem to be solved”, each participant was encouraged to view his or her congregation as a “mystery to be embraced”.  The principles of positive image, positive words, and positive emotions underpin the entire process of Appreciative Inquiry.  World Café is a creative way of having deep and meaningful conversations on topics that matter to congregations.  It is a way to exchange information and seed ideas from other sources. Asset Mapping is the process of looking at a congregation’s resources from the perspective of abundance and then creatively matching assets in new ways. 

   

  For additional resources, see the Flourishing Congregations Resource Guide or call the Center.

   

  Participants soon realized that each of these processes can be adapted to a variety of congregational settings.  In reviewing the written feedback from participating congregations we noted a number of creative ways that congregations will use what they learned at the event back home.  Here is a sampling of what we heard:

   

  Sue Weber, 4/12/07

   

              Using Appreciative Inquiry:

  ·         Evaluating the effectiveness of church ministries using Appreciative Inquiry;

  ·         Using Appreciative Inquiry for an upcoming leadership transition;

  ·         Using the provocative statement exercise (from Appreciative Inquiry) as a way of communicating a congregation’s strategic plan;

  ·         Using the interview process of Appreciative Inquiry for a visioning process that will occur simultaneously in church members’ homes;

  ·         Beginning meetings using Appreciative Inquiry questions regarding what we appreciate about our work together, our church and/or our lives;

  ·         Applying Appreciative Inquiry to expedite fundraising for a new facility and attain better committee participation by members;

  ·         Posting provocative statements and inviting congregation members to include their input or ideas for improving the statement;

  ·         Evaluating youth ministry activities;

  ·         Intentionally thinking about new ways to think positively about what’s right with our church and build from there.

   

  Using World Café:

  ·         Encouraging intergenerational dialogue using the World Café process;

  ·         Conducting a yearly World Café before the congregational board plans programs and ministries for the following year.

   

  Using Asset Mapping:

  ·         Conducting a fellowship meeting using Asset Mapping to discover our collective gifts and assets;

  ·         Using the “vote with your feet” step in Asset Mapping to take ownership in a ministry;

  ·         Using Asset Mapping for a church wide retreat.

   

  For additional resources, see the Flourishing Congregations Resource Guide or call the Center.

  Posted Apr 12 2007, 12:05 PM