We had a holy conversation at our board meeting last evening. Board meetings in most congregations tend toward business rather than vision but our board chair agreed to devote the majority of this meeting to an exercise led by our Visioning and Strategic Planning committee.
Instead of sitting in rows and listening to reports we gathered in groups of four or five to address what the Alban Institute has identified as three key questions for the spiritual strategy of any congregation. These questions are posed in an excellent book called Holy Conversations: Strategic Planning as a Spiritual Practice for Congregations.
They are 1. Who Are We? 2. Who is Our Neighbour? 3.What Has God Called Us To Do? I appreciated the feedback of the group of nearly 30 and wondered how often these important questions are answered by leaders in congregations. There is a tendency to keep doing what we have always done, even if it is no longer successful. And even when we like who we are, as this congregation rightly does, how do we move forward without some process of reflection and assessment?
Last night we affirmed that we are welcoming, slightly left-of centre Christian community. We saw that we are what one person has called a Golden Rule congregation, eager to "do unto others as we would have them do to us" in various community outreach projects. We enjoy warm worship in which children and youth are a high priority.
Next meeting we will address the third question, which will probably stretch us. That's okay, and Christ will be with us in our holy conversation.
Instead of sitting in rows and listening to reports we gathered in groups of four or five to address what the Alban Institute has identified as three key questions for the spiritual strategy of any congregation. These questions are posed in an excellent book called Holy Conversations: Strategic Planning as a Spiritual Practice for Congregations.
They are 1. Who Are We? 2. Who is Our Neighbour? 3.What Has God Called Us To Do? I appreciated the feedback of the group of nearly 30 and wondered how often these important questions are answered by leaders in congregations. There is a tendency to keep doing what we have always done, even if it is no longer successful. And even when we like who we are, as this congregation rightly does, how do we move forward without some process of reflection and assessment?
Last night we affirmed that we are welcoming, slightly left-of centre Christian community. We saw that we are what one person has called a Golden Rule congregation, eager to "do unto others as we would have them do to us" in various community outreach projects. We enjoy warm worship in which children and youth are a high priority.
Next meeting we will address the third question, which will probably stretch us. That's okay, and Christ will be with us in our holy conversation.
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