Our Context in the Presbytery of Southern New England

1. How we are helping an entrenched system that is resistant to change adapt to a context that is “smoke filled” and whose “foundations are shaking.”

2. Our Context in the Presbytery of Southern New England We are getting smaller We are feeling scattered from one another geographically and theologically Our structure no longer works well Our culture treats us as outsiders We are anxious about the future and change Our faith communities vary hugely from each other

3. “I want to trust in this universe so much that I give up playing God. I want to stop struggling to hold things together. I want to experience such security that the concept of allowing – trusting that the appropriate forms will emerge – ceases to be scary. I want to surrender my fear of the universe and join with everyone I know in an organization that opens willingly to its environment, participating gracefully in the unfolding dance of order.” Margaret Wheatley Leadership and the New Science

4. Three “Allowing” Strategies Organic Planning Narrative Process Disruptive Innovation

5. 1. Organic Planning • Organic Planning is not: • Vision or Goal Based Strategic Planning • Issue Based Planning • Alignment Model • Scenario Planning These are all linear, mechanistic, use SWOT analysis

6. 1. Organic Planning Is:

7. Organic Planning Is: • Ever evolving and self-organizing • Membrane is common values • Dialogic • Process oriented • Changes by using leverage points • Information as food • Events as opportunities • 360o pressure points

8. Organic Planning in PSNE System-wide decision making Process focused at Presbytery meetings Multiple pressure points Deliberately altered vocabulary Information flooding Change in role of EP Nimble and evolving foci

9. An Example: “Discerning the Way” • Event/Obstacle: Congregation wanting to leave • The Main Question: How will we make decision • Letting go of outcome • The Need: Create an approach widely shared • The Steps: • Wiki document creation • Continual modification • Trust the wisdom of the system

10. 2. Narrative Process • Storytelling • My story • Your story • The story of now • God’s story The interaction becomes Our Story

11. Advantages of Narrative Process Personal and non-confrontative Honors the wisdom in the system Flexible and adaptive Non-linear and fogging Multi-valent Draws on emotional content Interactions create shared identity

12. Narrative Process in PSNE • Adversary story telling • Small groups at Presbytery meetings • Groups/Committees urged to tell stories • Exile metaphor as meta-narrative • Different physical and theological geographies • Multi-faceted • Biblical • Connectional • Ubiquitous

13. An Example:Adversary Story Telling • The Issue: Gay ordination/marriage • The Need: To hear the stories of each other • The Challenge: To get away from argumentation • The Process • Invite adversaries 2 X 2 • Create structured safe environment • Imagio Storytelling

14. 3. Disruptive Innovation

15. 3. Disruptive Innovation • It is not progressive innovation • To make current things • Better • Faster • More faithful • Efficient • Attractive • Economical

16. Disruptive Innovation: An innovation that replaces the original, complicated, expensive product with something that is much more affordable and simple and that a new larger population can buy and readily use. Center for American Progress “Disrupting College”

17. 3. Disruptive Innovation • Quantum leap change • Discontinuous • Disentangled with the past • Outside the reach of change regulators • Game changer • Often disparaged • Accessible, esp. to new populations

18. Disruptive Innovation in PSNE A new leadership position that is organic, story-oriented, and disruptive

19. My role in Presbytery now defined • By the prophetic roles in the exilic and post-exilic narrative • By fluid metaphors and not linear objectives • Dramatically different than traditional executive

20. Presbyter to the Spiritual Community • Sentinel • Midwife • Tender of New Vineyards A job description defined by metaphorical roles rather than duties and responsibilities

21. What are words or images to describe: • Executive • Sentinel • Midwife • Tender of New Vineyards

22. Sentinel Inquire into what God is doing And how God’s people can join in that holy work

23. Sentinel work in PSNE includes: Research, travel, visit, read Tell the spiritual community what I see and hear Host conversations Speak, write, blog and share

24. Midwife Coaches the current church To be healthy and engaged in the process of birth

25. Midwife work in PSNE includes: Coaching current leaders into new ways Empower the voices of new ministries and faith communities Challenging sessions and congregations Working to change the system and structures Provide safe environments for groups to explore and experiment with the new

26. Tender of New Vineyards Nurturing Gods new work that is emerging

27. Tender of new vineyardwork in PSNE includes: • Advocate new ways of being church • Nurture fellowships, new ministries and faith communities • Support the creation of networks • Feed the system with new information • Scatter seeds of new possibilities • Celebrate new harvests

28. Time Allocation • 40% Sentinel, Midwife, Tender • 20% Coaching and Delegation • 20% Management and Administration • 15% Pastoral Care • 5 % Presence at events

29. Places of Struggle • My lifetime of living in the old ways • Learning how to say ‘no’ well • Providing pastoral care • A system that may maginalize this work • Creating economic justification • Finding clarity about what this work really is • No benchmarks for success