Leadership Workshop

Leadership WorkshopWinnetka Congregational Church, March 10, 2013

Goals for Workshop

Building our team, relationships and trust as leaders of WCC

Updating where we are in the strategic planning process; sharing learning from Assessment Report and WCC review and discussion of Report

Identifying key challenges/ priorities for the 2020 Vision/ Strategic Plan

Overview of Workshop

Team/ relationship building exercisesLife-Cycles of Churches presentationReview of Assessment, 5 Key ThemesBreak/ DinnerKey Challenges ConversationWhat’s Next in the Strategic Plan process

Ground Rules

Speak your mind and heartSpeak for yourself Listen with interest and curiosity to othersAvoid interruptions and side conversationsListen together for the guidance and

prompting of the Holy Spirit

Prayer and Discernment

What distinguished Congregationalists has been the conviction that no one person (be it Pope, King or Bishop) had all the tools needed to discern God’s will; but rather God’s will is best discerned in the gathered community of faith.

When the early Congregationalists gathered it was not to decide the will of the majority, but to discern the guidance of the Spirit and the mind of Christ

Exercise # 1

Partner up with someone you don’t know or don’t know well and explore the following questions:

Why did you want to be a part of this congregation when you joined?

What needs did this congregation meet for you? Your family?

What holds you here today?

Exercise # 2

Around the hall you will posted see eleven quotes.

Circulate reading as many as you wish.Pick one that speaks to you and stand there.Talk with those who gathered at that

quotation, sharing what about it speaks to you and listening to others share about the same.

A look at church life-cycles

Helps to order reality, not predict itFour key tracking qualities

E = energy I = inclusion P = program A = administration

Life-Cycle Exercise

Make a mark where you would locate WCCShare your observation with those in your

groupListen to what others have come up with,

without comment or debate

Review of Work to Date

The Assessment Report – a few comments from Tony

Reports from SPC members on the 5 Themes and congregational input Leadership Transition Growing in Faith Worship Stewardship Service

Technical Problems/ Adaptive Challenges

Problem/ Challenge

Solution/Response

Who Does the Work?

Technical Problem

Problem is known and clear

Solution is known and clear

Experts/Authorities

Adaptive Challenge

Defining work/ challenge requires learning and change

Identifying response requires learning, change, risk

The people facing the challenge

Key Challenges/ Opportunities Before

WCC I will go through all, providing brief explanation,

taking questions for clarificationA few words about a useful concept: “managing

polarities.”You will have the opportunity to suggest changes

and to add additional key challenges, before we prioritize

Remember that to be actionable we need to -- and will -- take further steps, beyond priorities to strategies

Key Challenge # 1

Leadership Transition/ Transitions. Planning for Senior Pastor transition. Looking at different models for that transition. Developing time frames.

Consultation with other staff members regarding their own plans .

Key Challenge # 2

Ensuring that WCC’s strengths stay strong during a transition period

Identifying key ministries/ programs – strengths we don’t want to lose or jeopardize

Developing staffing and lay leadership plans for transition

Key Challenge # 3

From a more generic community church identity with a high historic emphasis to a clear, compelling and more contemporary sense and statement of WCC identity, purpose (mission) and core values.

Examples (for illustration not

discussion) In every way, in every setting, GROWTH IN

FAITHTo grow people of faith who participate in

God’s work in the worldTo welcome people to faith, to equip people

with a faith that works in the real world, to send people to serve in Christ’s name

To be a church where Spirit and Service come together in risky and amazing ways

Key Challenge # 4

From “all people” to identifying WCC’s target audience, those we “hyper-serve”

Key Challenge # 5

“Upping Our Game” as WCC membersFrom broad or vague expectations/definitions

of membership (“being a good person, being involved”) to a higher level of mutual expectation (discipleship)

Areas of mutual expectation might include worship participation, spiritual practices, involvement in a small group or service ministry, giving/ stewardship

Key Challenge # 6

From internal focus (meeting the needs of our members) to a new – renewed – outward orientation (engaging, responding to the needs of our community). Not only trying to get people to come to us, but

more going to them. “Externalizing”

Key Challenge # 7

From primary emphasis on faith formation of children and youth to faith growth/ development for all ages and stages. Going deeper From “civic faith” to changing/ transforming

livesParticular focus on the un and de-churched,

on empty nesters, on “spirituality for the second half of life”

Review/Re - Work

Changes? What re-phrasing/ re-writing would you suggest?

Add? What additional ‘key challenges’ would you suggest?

Drop? Are there ‘key challenges’ you would omit/ drop?

Note: while we want your comments and suggestions, we will not attempt to wordsmith these key challenges here and now

Prioritization Exercise

You have five dots/ votesYou may allocate your dots/ votes among the

key challenges any way you like: five on one, one on five, two on one and one on three, etc.

Next Steps

What’s next in Strategic Planning process?Review of tonight’s conversation/ inputDraft of Strategic Plan with priorities and

strategiesReview of draft, revisionsKeeping congregation in the loopPresentation of 2020 Vision (late April or May)

An Evaluation Exercise

Too much challenge?

Just right amount of challenge?

Too little challenge?