Alban - Building Up Congregations and Their Leaders

Alban - Building Up Congregations and Their Leaders

Communication #4 from the Strategic Plan Implementation Group

The Strategic Plan Implementation Group met on Thursday January 26, 2012 and once again had a very full agenda.  The Group spent much of the day discussing Human Resource goals as laid out by the Strategic Plan and prepared two documents to forward to the Diocesan Executive Staff as recommendations and the basis for further discussion.  One document dealt with recommendations about the recruitment and formation of clergy while the other made recommendations about the Selection Process that is used to discern God’s leading in the appointment of new rectors.  As these documents and recommendations are further refined more information will be forthcoming to the Diocese. 

The Group heard reports from the Director for Mission and Ministry, a sub-group preparing recommendations regarding the establishment of new scattering grounds and columbaria and a sub-group looking at guidelines for Grants and Loans. 

Some of the highlights of the Director’s Report were:

•  The Bishops, Archdeacons and Executive Staff of the Diocese have agreed to spend a day in June learning in more depth the Natural Church Development program so that it might become a significant driver of Congregational Development in the Diocese. 
•  The Clergy Day held January 19^th was an opportunity to begin sharing with the clergy some of the aspects of the capital campaign called “Renew.”  It was communicated to the clergy that the campaign would benefit the parishes significantly and that parishes would have the opportunity to develop their own “case” to be attached to the Diocesan and National cases.  Clergy were encouraged to initiate this process of case development locally during the coming weeks and months. 
•  Plans are progressing for the Four Lay Leadership Days with the previously stated goals and agenda for the day still in place.         
• Discussions are being held in a variety of places around the Diocese with regard to reorganization of parishes and partnerships in ministry.

The Sub-Group reporting recommendations about future Scattering Grounds and Columbaria was quite concerned both about the liabilities these created for parishes as well as the pastoral need they met.  They concluded that new Scattering Grounds should not be established as they were impossible to decommission.  On the other hand they recommended a possible way forward for parishes wishing to have a columbarium.  Their recommendations are being forwarded to Diocesan Council by SPIG. 

The Sub-Group reporting on Guidelines for Grants and Loans expressed concern that there were only vague guidelines for the dispensing of grants and for the governance of the Huron Development Fund.  They prepared a new draft canon for the Huron Development Fund that will now be sent to the committee on Canons and Constitution for consideration and modification as needed.  

Alban - Building Up Congregations and Their Leaders

Alban - Building Up Congregations and Their Leaders

Lay Leadership Days - Schedule

9:30                        coffee

10:00                     Welcome, sharing expectations, housekeeping

10:05                     Experiencing the Present Challenges of the Church

10:20                     Worshipful Reflection

10:30                     Leading the Church as it Faces These Challenges

10:50                     Feedback to larger group

11:00                     Discerning the attributes of a missional leader?

11:15                     Seven Characteristics of a Missional Leader

11:45                     Lunch

12:30                     Worshipful Reflection

12:40                     What is required of us?  Where do we need to be going?

1:10                        Feedback to larger group

1:25                        What is happening with Strategic Plan

1:55                        Feedback - How do you see the strategic plan unfolding in your own parish/area? (parish          groups)

2:25                        Resources for Congregational Development

2:45                        Worshipful reflection (What I am going to do)

2:55                        Evaluate the day

3:00                        Head home

Clergy Day Agenda - January 19, 2012

Clergy Day – January 19, 2012

Agenda

9:15 a.m.              Coffee, Registration

9:45 a.m.              Worship

10:00 a.m.           Guest Speaker – The Rev. Paul Borthistle

                                Theme: Building the Bridge as you Walk                                                              Upon It!

Finding strategic direction for a parish is giving shape and form to the call of God’s Spirit in the life of the parish as we together answer God’s call to mission.  It celebrates where God has been present and invites us more deeply into God’s future.

Our time together will focus on hearing the parish story and voice and assessing our mission and our resources.  We will use the resources of the Appreciative Way (Appreciative Inquiry) as tools to open the parish to God’s preferred future.

Bio for the Rev. Paul Borthistle

Paul is currently the interim priest at St. Mary – Kerrisdale in the Diocese of New Westminster.  For ten years (2000 to 2010) he served as the Director for Parish Support Ministries in the diocese.  During this time he worked extensively with parishes and the diocese in developing tools and processes for determining and actualizing strategic direction.  He is a ‘third career’ priest, having prior careers in lay ministry and business before becoming a parish priest in 1990.

Paul is a practitioner of the Appreciative Way (applied Appreciative Inquiry) as he seeks out what is the best that we have to offer to God, neighbour and ourselves

12:15 p.m.           Lunch

1:00 p.m.             Conclusion of Paul Borthistle’s  presentation

1:30 p.m.             Introduction to Capital Campaign (Richard Salt)

1:40 p.m.             Stewardship Conversation (John Robertson)

2:00 p.m.             Capital Campaign details (Amanda Gellman)

2:15 p.m.             Small groups focusing on how to go back to the parish and set priorities for the capital campaign

3:00 p.m.             Report back session with Amanda, John and Richard co-facilitating

3:30 p.m.             Homeward Bound

Alban - Building Up Congregations and Their Leaders

Alban - Building Up Congregations and Their Leaders

Communication #3 from the Strategic Plan Implementation Group

The Strategic Plan Implementation Group met for the third time on Thursday November 24, 2011.  The group heard a report about the work of the Director for Mission and Ministry.  Final reports are still to come from the sub-groups established to look at the criteria for the distribution of grants and loans and with regard to recommendations to Diocesan Council about the establishment of new columbaria and scattering grounds. 

There was considerable discussion about the subject of congregational development as the SPIG recognizes that the future of the diocese ultimately depends on the health of the local congregations.  A variety of programs and methods for aiding congregational planning were discussed.  Archdeacon Kim Van Allen described the work of the diocesan congregational coaches and their approach to planning using the Appreciative Inquiry method.  Archdeacon Salt explained that the Diocese of Toronto was having some success using the Natural Church Development program in conjunction with Appreciative Inquiry coaching.  Additionally Robert Schnare’s “Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations” was brought forward as a method of assisting congregations in their planning process.  It was agreed that more conversation would be held about this matter but that a variety of approaches would be useful.

Schedules were finalized for the Lay Leadership Days to be held in early 2012 and for the Clergy Day to be held January 19^th.  After a lively discussion it was recommended that the Lay Leadership Days be for lay people only.  Schedules for the two days will be posted on this blog separately.  The Lay Leadership Day will be held in four different locations in the Diocese with participants being able to attend the day closest to them.  The day will be held in Windsor on February 11^th ; in London on March 24^th ; in Waterloo on April 14^th and in Clarksburg on May 5^th. 

There was continued discussion about the formation of ordinands and about “Right Person – Right Place” (getting the right people in the right jobs.)  As there was not time to draw these discussions to a conclusion it was agreed that they would be the primary agenda  items for the next meeting.

The group accepted with regret the resignation, due to personal reasons, of Paul Knowles as Vice-chair.  Jane Cartier agreed to act as vice-chair and Archdeacon Salt stated that someone to represent the Waterloo archdeaconry would be recruited and appointed to the SPIG.