Our Next Step- is not about a model, its about living into our calling. It would serve us well to take time to tie together the last three weeks with our current state of affairs before we launch into our hopes for the future. Over the past three weeks we examined the history of mission at Good Shepherd. What we have discovered are common threads that have held true since the inception of this church family. These common threads still remain and will serve us well in the years ahead.
- We have been a community of deep faith, prayer, and mission from the very beginning.
- We have a "pioneer spirit" that has served us well when we've faced the unknown.
- We have been willing to step into an uncertain future- knowing that God will provide abundantly.
We've also lived in interesting times-
- The Episcopal Church has had its share of challenges in recent years.
- Our society at large is at what Phyllis Tickle has termed a "hinge point" where there appears to be a confluence of events occurring that results in more dramatic change- not only in the church, but in our larger society as well.
Good Shepherd has also had its share of adventure-
- We have undergone a series of visioning processes that have ultimately resulted in Mission2018, our corporate "calling" which was derived through a process of congregational discernment.
- We have said "good bye" to Father Bob and Christy as well as our interim priest, Father Jim.
- We engaged in a process of dialogue, discovery and goal setting to craft our Parish Profile in which we not only described our goals over the next 5-10 years, but more importantly- who we are today and who we hope to become.
- We have welcomed Father Tom and his family to join us on our journey of faith- and just this weekend we celebrate a year together.
Let us pause and acknowledge the landmark events our parish has moved through in recent years. Change, change, change......and transformation. If you consider our vision statement "A world transformed by the love of Jesus Christ", transformation is our middle name! So- here's the question- "If we've done all of this "transitioning", why can't we just hang back and let the dust settle?" The answer lies within our past, our present, and God's call to our future.
Our Past
Our past- which is discussed in the last three blog entries- includes an inclination to move into mission. Whether it's becoming a diocesan mission or building a new sanctuary with our own hands- we have not shied away from going to the next level in the name of God's call to our community.
Our Present
As we were reminded in the second session of this series, parishes find themselves on a continuum based on size of active participants. Parishes are typically categorized under the following descriptors: family, pastoral, program (resource), and corporate. A family-sized parish has roughly 25 active members, a corporate church has 250-300. Not surprisingly, a rector of a family-sized parish "does business" differently than the rector of a corporate-sized parish. In the same way the owner of the Mom and Pop corner grocery store does business differently from the CEO of a major grocery chain, different models of ministry are utilized in order for the parish to grow and have effective ministry based on the needs and resources of the parish.
The truth is, our current needs as a faith community and the resources and the way in which we employ those resources have out-paced the model for ministry we are currently using. Our current model places the rector at the center of our "organization" and in doing so is expected to identify the needs and see that the resources get funneled to meet those needs. This is what is meant by a "priest-centric" model of ministry.
Please don't misunderstand these last statements. Jesus Christ is clearly at the center of our community. That is clear- and important to remember and say over and over again- in the midst of all of this organizational "stuff". However, as we have learned both in the process of developing Mission2018 and in the process of drafting our Parish Profile- we as a community of faith are desirous of doing more- extending our reach and influence far beyond our four walls and to really live into our mission as expressed in Mission2018. In this way- we place Mission2018 at the center of our organization and take on the responsibility of seeing that we are identifying the needs and employing the resources to meet those needs- both within our own faith community and beyond. This is being Mission-centered.
The truth is, our current needs as a faith community and the resources and the way in which we employ those resources have out-paced the model for ministry we are currently using. Our current model places the rector at the center of our "organization" and in doing so is expected to identify the needs and see that the resources get funneled to meet those needs. This is what is meant by a "priest-centric" model of ministry.
Please don't misunderstand these last statements. Jesus Christ is clearly at the center of our community. That is clear- and important to remember and say over and over again- in the midst of all of this organizational "stuff". However, as we have learned both in the process of developing Mission2018 and in the process of drafting our Parish Profile- we as a community of faith are desirous of doing more- extending our reach and influence far beyond our four walls and to really live into our mission as expressed in Mission2018. In this way- we place Mission2018 at the center of our organization and take on the responsibility of seeing that we are identifying the needs and employing the resources to meet those needs- both within our own faith community and beyond. This is being Mission-centered.
So what is our "next step"? Our next step is firstly recognizing that we are at a time when we need to "do business" differently if we are to live into what we have articulated in the Parish Profile and more importantly- continue to be a place of welcome and relevance to the changing face of our society. Recall the "hinge point" discussed earlier- "change" is in the air. Moreover, we are at such a size that one- or even more than one- clergy cannot solely support the organization. More than that though, we have said that we are called to do more. Thus, beginning in 2005 the conversation regarding another model for ministry that did not involve a clergy person at the center, began to take center stage for the leadership of the church.
Here are a few key highlights in relation to this discussion-
2005- The Vestry attends a conference where one of the main discussions is the transition from a Modern to a Post-Modern age in society and the implications for ministry in this transition. In the same way that Good Shepherd has been purposeful about forecasting 15 years into the future, the Vestry begins to consider the age in which we're living, Bob's upcoming retirement and the various transitions we are going to have to face. We pulled from various resources including a consultant and programs from prominent gurus in the field such as Reggie McNeal, regarding managing change and transition.
As a relevant side note- The speaker at the Seattle conference was from All Saints Beverly Hills, California, a parish of roughly 2,000 parishioners. At this time we were also looking at ways to implement Mission2018. Ministries were asked to author actions plans that purposely connected their ministry with our corporate calling. This was largely ineffective and felt like "work", and thus did not have the impact we hoped.
2007- Christy Close-Erskine, our associate and I- attended "The Great Church Conference" in Beverly Hills; home of the same speaker we heard two years earlier in Seattle. It was there that we learned of a different model of ministry they were using called "The Fractal Model". This had allowed their parish to grow all the while maintaining their culture and connection as a community. More importantly- they had been able to make a large impact with dynamic ministry. Christy was engaged in a process of discernment at the time relating to her own departure from Good Shepherd. What we learned there would prove to be useful.
2007-2008 Christy employs key points from "fractal model' in the areas of Pastoral Care and Hospitality at Good Shepherd. This had its successes....and challenges as well. One thing is certain, we learned a lot. The Parish Profile was also being drafted at this time. It was clear as we gathered information that we were in need of a model change in order to live into our calling. Our intent to do so- an intent which had been forming for a number of years now, was then made clear in drafting the Profile. This is an important piece to underscore- in seeking our new rector we acknowledge the necessity to "do business" differently. This expectation then was not only in terms of our new rector's role, but also our role as laity.
Fr. Jim, our interim had also joined us at this time. The Vestry, under his leadership, was organized into "sub committees". This was new for Good Shepherd. As a system, it involved the Vestry meeting only once per month. While this model has been used in other parishes, for our culture- the Vestry had noted a 'disconnect'. Again, we learned a lot.
May, 2008- We welcome Father Tom, Saran and the boys. It's been an exciting year and a challenging one as well.
We, in most ways, continue to be a "priest-centered" congregation. And yet, as we've discussed, this is not sustainable. So here we are, again faced with realization that we need to "do business" differently.
Here are a few key highlights in relation to this discussion-
2005- The Vestry attends a conference where one of the main discussions is the transition from a Modern to a Post-Modern age in society and the implications for ministry in this transition. In the same way that Good Shepherd has been purposeful about forecasting 15 years into the future, the Vestry begins to consider the age in which we're living, Bob's upcoming retirement and the various transitions we are going to have to face. We pulled from various resources including a consultant and programs from prominent gurus in the field such as Reggie McNeal, regarding managing change and transition.
As a relevant side note- The speaker at the Seattle conference was from All Saints Beverly Hills, California, a parish of roughly 2,000 parishioners. At this time we were also looking at ways to implement Mission2018. Ministries were asked to author actions plans that purposely connected their ministry with our corporate calling. This was largely ineffective and felt like "work", and thus did not have the impact we hoped.
2007- Christy Close-Erskine, our associate and I- attended "The Great Church Conference" in Beverly Hills; home of the same speaker we heard two years earlier in Seattle. It was there that we learned of a different model of ministry they were using called "The Fractal Model". This had allowed their parish to grow all the while maintaining their culture and connection as a community. More importantly- they had been able to make a large impact with dynamic ministry. Christy was engaged in a process of discernment at the time relating to her own departure from Good Shepherd. What we learned there would prove to be useful.
2007-2008 Christy employs key points from "fractal model' in the areas of Pastoral Care and Hospitality at Good Shepherd. This had its successes....and challenges as well. One thing is certain, we learned a lot. The Parish Profile was also being drafted at this time. It was clear as we gathered information that we were in need of a model change in order to live into our calling. Our intent to do so- an intent which had been forming for a number of years now, was then made clear in drafting the Profile. This is an important piece to underscore- in seeking our new rector we acknowledge the necessity to "do business" differently. This expectation then was not only in terms of our new rector's role, but also our role as laity.
Fr. Jim, our interim had also joined us at this time. The Vestry, under his leadership, was organized into "sub committees". This was new for Good Shepherd. As a system, it involved the Vestry meeting only once per month. While this model has been used in other parishes, for our culture- the Vestry had noted a 'disconnect'. Again, we learned a lot.
May, 2008- We welcome Father Tom, Saran and the boys. It's been an exciting year and a challenging one as well.
We, in most ways, continue to be a "priest-centered" congregation. And yet, as we've discussed, this is not sustainable. So here we are, again faced with realization that we need to "do business" differently.
Our Future
I posed a question earlier in this blog- "If we've done all of this "transitioning", why can't we just hang back and let the dust settle?" The answer, I had stated, lies within our past, our present, and God's call to our future. God's call to our future lies within examining our foundation, our culture, our DNA, and our corporate call- Mission2018. The intent of the first three sessions was to draw on those common threads that have always been part of Good Shepherd- to recognize that we stand firmly on a solid foundation. And it is these threads and foundation- and most assuredly God's guidance- that will allow us to learn to do "business differently".
Part of the discernment process has been a weaving-in of our Mission to some of the principles of the Fractal Model. In this way, it is truly ours- not a "program". In truth- it's not all that revolutionary. This model, describes what we see in nature all the time- it describes how we naturally tend to organize ourselves. And the best part is- we are already using it without even knowing it!
Part of the discernment process has been a weaving-in of our Mission to some of the principles of the Fractal Model. In this way, it is truly ours- not a "program". In truth- it's not all that revolutionary. This model, describes what we see in nature all the time- it describes how we naturally tend to organize ourselves. And the best part is- we are already using it without even knowing it!
The Fractal Model
Before I give a brief description of the model- it must be said that if I asked you to describe how your company works in two hours or less such that another might be able to articulate how your organization functions, you may be hard pressed to do so. The same is true for our discussion today and next week as well. Our time here is just the beginning of our learning together. That being said, the goal of today's session is to provide a general sketch of a "fractal". Next week we will look more closely at how this would relate to Good Shepherd. I would ask then, that we work to not get bogged down in the details, but instead try to absorb the concept and how it will help us live into our Mission.
A Math Lesson-
The word "fractal" was coined by mathematician Benoit Mandelbrot as a new branch of geometry that aimed to describe the "self similarity" of objects. Consider a chunk of broccoli. From a distance the broccoli cluster has a given shape. As you "zoom in" you notice that from a floret down to the individual pieces that make up the floret- the shape is similar. This concept is called "self-similarity", small parts are similar to the overall structure. Take a look at your side-dish the next time you eat!
This observation- which is seen everywhere in nature- is what we typically think of as a hierarchical structure. One might map out a corporation with sub-groups that have specific functions whose product contributes to the overall whole. It is just so with fractals. For example-the leaves of an oak tree create energy for the entire organism to utilize. The principle difference between a corporation's hierarchical structure and the fractal structure is that we are in an organization- a church- whose participants are here because they have said "Yes" to God's invitation to be in fellowship with our community. Likewise, we as people of Christ have been charged with "The Great Commission". For us it's not just about the product- the ministry- for us as Christians, it's about making disciples that make disciples. So why do we need to look at a model whose aim is to produce disciples, employs dynamic and effective ministry where everyone- you, me, our brother and sister in Christ who has yet to come through our doors, and even those who may never come to our church- everyone, can have a place and system that helps us to live into our calling?
Here's a Key Point
Simply put, as we become more oriented towards discipleship in Jesus, we feel compelled to be involved in ministry and mission. In a volunteer organization such as ours- where people are here by choice, it becomes imperative to provide a scaffolding to support an individual's call to ministry and to assure that it is successful and sustainable.
A recent study profiling the successful application of the fractal model in a non-profit, volunteer organization stated that there were two elements that helped the model succeed. Firstly- the use of systematic logic when communicating. This is always a challenge for us as we meet once a week- or at least a third of us meet once a week depending on what service you go to. The second element which helped this model succeed, was "telling their story".
Well, just what is our story? For our purposes here, our story- our culture, our calling- is Mission2018. This document is more than just nice words on a page- it is the product of 15 years of corporate discernment; Good Shepherd's attempt to wrestle with and articulate what God is calling us to live into. It is our story. It is our Mission....and our desire to live into our calling is the reason for us to examine "doing business differently". This model will allow us to do that.
This observation- which is seen everywhere in nature- is what we typically think of as a hierarchical structure. One might map out a corporation with sub-groups that have specific functions whose product contributes to the overall whole. It is just so with fractals. For example-the leaves of an oak tree create energy for the entire organism to utilize. The principle difference between a corporation's hierarchical structure and the fractal structure is that we are in an organization- a church- whose participants are here because they have said "Yes" to God's invitation to be in fellowship with our community. Likewise, we as people of Christ have been charged with "The Great Commission". For us it's not just about the product- the ministry- for us as Christians, it's about making disciples that make disciples. So why do we need to look at a model whose aim is to produce disciples, employs dynamic and effective ministry where everyone- you, me, our brother and sister in Christ who has yet to come through our doors, and even those who may never come to our church- everyone, can have a place and system that helps us to live into our calling?
Here's a Key Point
Simply put, as we become more oriented towards discipleship in Jesus, we feel compelled to be involved in ministry and mission. In a volunteer organization such as ours- where people are here by choice, it becomes imperative to provide a scaffolding to support an individual's call to ministry and to assure that it is successful and sustainable.
A recent study profiling the successful application of the fractal model in a non-profit, volunteer organization stated that there were two elements that helped the model succeed. Firstly- the use of systematic logic when communicating. This is always a challenge for us as we meet once a week- or at least a third of us meet once a week depending on what service you go to. The second element which helped this model succeed, was "telling their story".
Well, just what is our story? For our purposes here, our story- our culture, our calling- is Mission2018. This document is more than just nice words on a page- it is the product of 15 years of corporate discernment; Good Shepherd's attempt to wrestle with and articulate what God is calling us to live into. It is our story. It is our Mission....and our desire to live into our calling is the reason for us to examine "doing business differently". This model will allow us to do that.
Questions?
Let it be said that we don't have all the answers. This is an organic process- one that will be refined in the years to come. We have the benefit of having two ministries, Pastoral Care and Hospitality that have already worked with the model, have learned a lot, and will continue to learn how this might effect their ministry. We also have an opportunity to examine how this model might work for us when we engage in Outreach activities- as there is currently no Outreach Committee. By working with ministries that have already received training as well as with a committee on the ground floor as it were, to determine how this model might benefit their ministries, we hope to start small, learn a lot, and refine the process.
It's not about the model-
it's about living into our calling.
it's about living into our calling.
Next Week
Join us next week as we examine how the principle of self-similarity as described in the fractal model and Mission2018, merge together to help us map out a way to move forward. Change is tough, tough work. But we know that God will be with us and through grace, prayer, and faith- God will provide everything we need. We are reminded in the gospel of Luke- "Seek the kingdom of God above all else, and He will give you everything you need" (Luke 12:31). Please continue to join us in conversation. Together, we'll continue to work into our Vision Statement to "transform the world through the love of Jesus Christ."
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