Problem-solving & Appreciative Inquiry (with more emphasis on A.I.) I have adapted this presenta.on to cover the basic overview of Apprecia.ve Inquiry I presented at the synod workshops, minus the Team work humor and minus the actual working process with the two groups. This is designed to give you a taste of the A.I. methodology. I hope those who check this out will look at the resource slides at the end of the presenta.on. Thank you to those who par.cipated and helped make the two workshop sessions so enjoyable for me. Pastor Jim Drury Pastor James H. Drury Shameless plug if you ever chance to visit Carbon County. Ascension St. Ma.hew’s Lutheran Episcopal Church 522 Homestead Blvd, Price, UT 84501 Adult Forum at 9 am Worship at 10:30 am on Sundays. Sept. – April: Wednesdays ASM Power & Light Company IntergeneraQonal EducaQon Experience 5:30 – 7 pm. A Little About Me Air Force Brat – 13 schools in 12 years. Have lived in Japan and visited Kenya, England, Ireland, Guam, Wake Island. 49 out of 50 states (Rhode Island is the only one leT on my list.) Grew up Southern Bap.st and graduated from Bap.st College in Riverside, CA Lutheran Theological Seminary at GeYysburg – 1977 Parishes 5 years in Lompoc, CA 10 years in Universal City, TX (Picked up a Master’s Degree in Communica.on Arts at St. Mary’s University in San Antonio-‐-‐5 years, one class at a .me.) 16 and a half years in Sitka, AK, the oldest Lutheran congrega.on on the West Coast, founded in 1840 by Finnish Lutheran working for the Russian America Company. Now in Price, UT at a merged Episcopal Lutheran congrega.on Vicar for the Bishop of the UT Diocese, rostered in the RMS. Only Lutheran on the Utah Diocese Diocesan Council Also part of the RMS UT Conference part of Bishop Gonia’s ecumenical group Diana Butler Bass via FaceBook Quote from Washington Post, Science sec.on, interview with biologist Marlene Zuk. If we understand that "church" is an organism, this comment works for congrega.ons, church history, and theology as well biology: "There is this caricature that organisms evolve un.l they get to a point when they've perfectly adapted to their environment, then heave a big sigh of relief and stop. Anything that happens to them aTer that is disastrous. This aitude can be referred to as 'paleo-‐ nostalgia' -‐-‐ the no.on that we were all beYer oﬀ before agriculture, or civiliza.on, or the Industrial Revolu.on. It's not to say life has been unmi.gatedly geing beYer. But it's more helpful and accurate to see that all organisms are constantly evolving. There has been no point in our past when we were perfectly adapted to our environment." Questions for the Journey TradiQonal Problem-‐solving What’s wrong and what do we need to do to ﬁx it? AppreciaQve Inquiry What’s happening here that’s good and exciQng for you? The desQnaQon of your journey to a new or renewed vision might be the same but the journey will be very diﬀerent in terms of how it feels, how you experience it. Questions for the Journey - continued “Problem-‐Solving” Apprecia3ve Inquiry uses the “needs” approach that focuses on the iden.ﬁca.on and priori.zing of local problems. highlights the hopes and dreams of par.cipants, showcases the talents and skills that individuals and teams of individuals can oﬀer in achieving those dreams. Appreciative Inquiry The best of our Life Together A VERY Brief Introduction and sampling of AI in action Appreciative Inquiry [A.I.] FoundaQonal PerspecQves 1. In every society, organizaQon, or group, something works. 2. A.I. ﬁnds the healthy and values it. 3. A.I. is provocaQve; pushes us to be more open to all the ideas surfacing. 4. A.I. is always collaboraQve, that means asking quesQons, listening to answers and making sense of the informaQon involves everyone. Appreciative Inquiry [A.I.] Founda.onal Perspec.ves con.nued 5. People have more conﬁdence and comfort for the journey into the future (unknown) when they carry forward parts of the past (known). 6. If we carry parts of the past forward, they need to be the best parts of the past. 7. A.I. can help us ﬁnd those “best parts.” Simultaneous Multiple Realities in Congregational Life & Ministry 1. On-‐the-‐ground Reality: Where we are now. More Simultaneous Multiple Realities 2. An3cipatory reality: What we envision might be possible? Where are we headed? One More Simultaneous Multiple Reality 3. Heliotropic Reality What draws us toward the light? What draws us toward images that bring, give, illumine life? Some Guiding Principles We will be appreciaQve, ﬁnding health and value. We bring people together in their stories: –  Personal stories (you all have lives away from church even though it doesn't always feel like that!). –  Your stories with your church. –  Your stories with the members of your church family. Some Guiding Principles continued We listen, learn from and share these stories to ﬁnd common themes and posiQve images from which you can build posiQve energy. We expect to gain wisdom; what we learn leads to acQon. (Doesn’t go in a ﬁle to gather dust.) Another way of saying this: What we learn becomes what we do, becomes normaQve, becomes a new “best pracQce.” CollaboraQve, open, transparent. Those who ask, gather informaQon, and report are also full parQcipants. Process Each group has a reporter/recorder. Keep track of the experience. When you come together in your larger sub-‐groups, also need a reporter who will share with us all. I will be interested in answers to ques.ons like: Did this feel useful to you or not? Did you feel like you were spinning your wheels? Did AI feel diﬀerent from other ways of thinking about issues and problems? Sample A.I. Discussion 1. Looking at your enQre experience at your congregaQon, remember a Qme when you felt most alive, most moQvated, most fulﬁlled and excited about your involvement. a. What made it exciQng? b. Who was involved with you? c. What happened? 2. Don’t be humble. This is important and you have permission to "toot" your own horn. What are the most valuable ways you contribute to church life? (Examples: personality, perspecQves, skills, acQviQes?) 3. What is the most important thing church has contributed to your life? Who or what made a diﬀerence? 4. What is/are the core ingredient(s) (central characterisQcs or ways of life) that makes your congregaQon unique, without which you would not be (name of your church)? What are the best features of your congregaQon? 5. Make three wishes for your church's future. A Handful of Sources The Powerpoint with these resources will be posted on the synod website . Cooperrider, D.L., P.F. Sorensen Jr., D. Whitney. And T.F. Yeager (eds.). 2000. Apprecia.ve Inquiry: Rethinking Human Organiza.on Towards a Posi.ve Theory of Change. Champaign, IL: S.pes Publishing. Hammonds, Sue Annis. The Thin Book of Apprecia.ve Inquiry. 1996: Thin Book Publishing Company, Bend, Oregon. Cooperrider, D.L., D. Whitney. Apprecia.ve Inquiry: A Posi.ve Revolu.on in Change. 2005: BerreY-‐Koehler Publishers, Inc., San Francisco, California. Branson, Mark Lau. memories, hopes and conversa0ons: Apprecia.ve Inquiry and Congrega.onal Change. 2004: The Alban Ins.tute, Herndon, Virginia. Whitney, Diana, Amanda Trosten-‐Bloom. The Power of Apprecia.ve Inquiry: A Prac.cal Guide to Posi.ve Change. 2003: BerreY-‐Koehler Publishers, Inc., San Francisco, California. Sampling of Internet Sources AppreciaQve Inquiry Commons h.p://appreciaQveinquiry.case.edu/ AppreciaQve Inquiry in the Religious Sector h.p://appreciaQveinquiry.case.edu/pracQce/organizaQon.cfm?sector=24 The Center for AppreciaQve Inquiry h.p://www.centerforappreciaQveinquiry.net/ OvaQonNet h.p://www.ovaQonnet.com/