Living Stones Partnership

Transcription

1 A note from the Task Force to the Coordinators: Thank you for this opportunity to offer ourselves to this task. It has been rich work and we have been transformed in this process. In recognizing that any kind of ordered system must be in relationship to the creative chaos it seeks to help articulate, the Task Force utilized the Chaordic Stepping Stones as the form for our. Please follow this link for an explanation of the Chaording Stepping Stones: These Stepping Stones are bolded throughout the proposal. We recognize that it s not finished because, although we could be aware of our own Limiting Beliefs, we realized that until the rest of the system has the opportunity to become aware of what might be holding us back from this new articulation, we could not fully move forward into Structure. The is, therefore, offered as an unfinished process in the expectation that the greater membership of the Living Stones Partnership now has the space to reflect on and create the necessary Structure in its fullness. We defined Need, Purpose, and Principles. We decided to propose a shift in People to address the membership question. And we decided to propose a Concept that has some structural elements to address the meeting structure question. In both sections we labeled our specific offerings as recommendations or suggestions. We also believe that the Coordinators group, having tasked us with this, is the now owner of this and is the group to discern how to best complete the Stepping Stones and also distribute it to the larger membership. However, the Task Force will remain engaged through the 2017 February Annual Meeting to present the as its author. We suggest we offer a 3- tiered presentation: To the Coordinators via a web meeting in October. We feel that the Coordinators need to be informed of our intent and understanding so they can effectively help to present this to their membership in their locale. To the larger membership via a question/answer online tool prior to the Annual Meeting so that we can gather feedback, concerns, insights, and wonderings prior to the Annual Meeting. The structure and timing of this will be determined and implemented by the Coordinators. To the gathered community during the Annual Meeting in February so that the Coordinators can host a membership discussion after the presentation and, if appropriate, vote on the proposal and discern how to implement it. 1

2 Finally, we thank Tom Brackett for his wisdom and skill, his courage and commitment. In service and with love, Dick Graybill Steve Godfrey Michelle Meech Holladay Sanderson Brian Thom NOTE: In the below, we refers to the corporate body known as Living Stones Partnership. Any specific recommendations to the membership or the structure are prefaced with the task force suggests/recommends. The, therefore, is a combination of a formal reframing of our current foundation and specific recommendations. Explanatory notes are [italicized in brackets] or set aside in boxes. 2

3 There is a Need flowing from Jesus call in the Gospel to form and aid people in building up their baptismal ministry, which we believe is defined as using our God- given gifts to love and serve God and our neighbors as expressed in the Baptismal Covenants of the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church of Canada. We believe the Living Stones Partnership (LSP) has a Purpose to provide a space for the encouragement of baptismal ministry in a changing culture by means of: support exploration, discernment, and reflection connection and networking The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world s deep hunger meet. Frederick Buechner, Wishful Thinking: A Theological ABC We affirm the following Principles: [These are the principles in the foundational documents of the Handbook, edited to reflect the current context and call.] The Task Force uncovered the following as guiding points in our discussion: God s spirit is at work in the church and in the world offering and encouraging new and redeveloped ministries and opportunities to engage with God s mission. All Christian ministry is rooted in the covenant of baptism. We seek to be congruent with Holy Scripture and guided by tradition, reason, and experience. The Christian church is a ministering community whose effectiveness is measured not only by numbers but by the quality of life we share. Every Christian community is blessed with the gifts it requires for effective ministry and mission. Networks exist to encourage, support, and challenge ministry and mission in the local context. Examples of such networks are: dioceses, Living Stones Partnership, the larger Church, the Anglican Communion, etc. Discernment is a key component in calling individuals and communities into mission in a wide variety of ministry contexts and configurations. 3 Who am I as a child of God and how do I engage in the world as a result of that? We gather people who are shifting the culture and figure out how to shift the culture of the church from institution to radical local communities who are networked together. How we change our structure is not about tweaking things but about identifying a vision of the church as ekklesia (local communities called out to follow Jesus) and then inviting people to join us. We intentionally play around with ways of being church. The deeper purpose of LSP is about the radical vision animating people for ministry in a changing culture, an ambivalent culture.

4 We will continue to expand the circle of practitioners of the ministry of all the baptized. In any gathering, we seek to practice baptismal ministry by modeling egalitarian behavior and mutual respect. For example: no uniforms, no titles, no deference to authority. We invite the following People to join us in community: Kindred Spirits: people engaged in ministry as expressed in the covenant of baptism. We recognize evidence of this in entrepreneurial leaders working in different areas/contexts/cultures including the church and the neighborhood. LSP Participants come from all parts of the church with all kinds of ministry labels and titles. And possibly beyond the church. The Task Force is suggesting an open invitation for anyone to come and join us in this space we are creating. Both individuals and groups are invited and groups are not limited to Partners. We believe we need to spend 2 years observing who comes and who is interested before developing a new formal membership structure. In the meantime, we suggest the Coordinators develop a tiered system for dues/fees where the Partners maintain their current membership rate, while Groups and Individuals are offered 3 options: Full Rate + (which helps to sponsor others), Regular Rate (which covers the cost of coming), Sponsored rate (subsidized). This is a suggestion. The Task Force recognizes that LSP needs to be intentional and thoughtful about our invitation to expand the community and seek out the help of communications experts to train us. Perhaps this might become a new subgroup of the Coordinators. Community by Peter Block is a good primer for this invitation. The Concept forming this community is one in which we are hosting a gathering where emergence happens by connecting kindred spirits and building a community of practice through networking and creating a safe, collegial space. The Task Force suggests this concept for the Annual Meeting has 4 components: As networks grow and transform into active, working communities of practice, we discover how Life truly changes, which is through emergence. M. Wheatley and D. Frieze 1. Baptismal Ministry Experience and Reflection is clearly the most important piece in the life of LSP. The Task Force proposes opening this up to be offered in 2 forms: 4

5 [Please note that the Task Force is reclaiming the term BMER to name the reflection of all baptized ministers rather than a particular form that the LSP has determined works best for groups.] o Clearness Committees for individuals (approx. 2 hours per session). We know there are Individuals seeking clarification about and inspiration for their ministry who would benefit from the opportunity to reflect in a community that upholds the above principles. Examples might be: A rector facing a change in ministry A lay person inspired to start a new ministry A bishop needing clarification A minister of the church with no local affiliation in need of discernment/support o Case Studies for groups (approx. 3 hours per session). We invite any group to prepare a Case Study using the form that has become so life- giving to LSP. These groups no longer have to be sponsored by a diocesan partner. In addition to diocesan- sponsored groups, examples might be: Several bishops discerning a way forward in shared ministry An ecumenical group ministering together in a non- traditional church plant A group from a church- sponsored non- profit looking to reflect on its ministry We leave it to the event planners to determine how these two tracks will be scheduled over the course of the event. 2. Orientation in the concept of baptismal ministry and into the LSP community of practice. This is offered in a model for other communities of practice. Recognizing there may be didactic elements of this, we believe that the expertise exists in the gathered community. This orientation is about calling forth the knowledge that s already in the room. The Task Force recommends the following specific changes to the Annual Meeting structure: Establish an opening orientation session for the entire group to learn from one another about baptismal ministry. This is mandatory for every participant regardless of expertise and experience because there are no experts in a group of baptismal ministry practitioners. Give the first Cluster Group meeting more time to orient, learn from one another, develop trust, and invite vulnerability. We may combine Cluster Groups for this session. 5

6 Identify facilitators for this orientation rather than teachers to model baptismal ministry. Parker Palmer s Courage to Teach is a good primer for this kind of facilitation/teaching. For Groups: Train Coordinators in methods of Parker Palmer to assist the learning in the cluster groups. For Individuals: Develop orientation to the Clearness Committee process. The Task Force recommends asking Dan Hines what is needed to offer this. 3. If the schedule permits, keynote speakers are a welcome component of this gathering. The Task Force recommends a more intentional incorporation of the keynoter s presentation into the reflection of the Individuals and Groups. This can be addressed in #4. 4. Establish a concluding session in the Reflection Groups that serves as a completion of the learning cycle. This session is mandatory for every participant. Guiding this session are the following questions (not an exhaustive list): What are the common themes in the reflections? What are we learning about baptismal ministry that is new? What is emerging in this network? What have I discovered about my ministry because of what you have presented? How is the learning from the keynoter incorporated into our reflection and work? This work is harvested and brought to final plenary session as a sacrament. The Task Force has identified 8 possible sessions of 2-3 hours each based on the 4 recommendations above: Orientation Keynote session First Reflection Group meeting (orientation much deeper/longer than current) Reflection 1 Reflection 2 Reflection 3 Concluding Reflection Group meeting (see #4 below) Final Plenary The Task Force recognizes that Coordinators will need to spend time preparing their groups for the changes. Accommodations should be made for this. 6

7 Remaining Chaordic Stepping Stones to be moved through by the larger community to be determined by the Coordinators: Awareness of Limiting Beliefs Structure [to be pulled from People and Concept sections above and adjusted as deemed appropriate] Practice Harvest 7