PHASE I Create the Vision… We Believe

  • Parish/mission goes through planning process to discern vision components
  • Vision and mission statements are formed
  • Church committees review and endorse statements

There are as many ways to discern vision and identify mission as there are churches in the Episcopal Church. There are four possibilities listed in these pages (Appreciative Inquiry, Future Search, Self Assessment Tool, and a series of workshops created by Leader Resources). There are many other vision processes in use. Hopefully, these will be enough to help you find the right one for your church, whether you use one of them or cut and paste to invent your own. The most important thing is to select a process that fits the congregation

Characteristics of an Excellent Vision/Mission Process
  • As many people as possible are involved. People will not support projects where they have had no input. The opportunity to have opinions and shape the project opens the doorway through which will time, money, and energy flow. This will most often require a large group process at some point.
  • It is true to the culture of the congregation. For example, in a congregation where there is a practice of hiring professional consultants and the expectation of paying for expertise, a “homemade” vision process may be suspect. In a congregation where consultants are viewed as “over-priced outsiders” leaders of the process should be “our own people and.”
  • t is easily understood.
  • It can be distilled into a slogan short enough to fit on a t-shirt. This will not trivialize the vision. Rather, it will help spread the sense of ownership and encourage a widespread desire to participate.
  • The end result, most often a vision/mission statement, is possible. It may only be possible with God’s help. It may require the work of a lifetime. It may require the work of many. Regardless, it still looks possible and as if the effort the effort of an individual can make a difference.
  • There is excellent communication throughout the discernment process.
Definitions

In determining what process will be best for a church, it is important to be clear about the desired result of the process. These definitions may be helpful in accomplishing that.

Vision

  • A way the world might be
  • A world in which we would like to live
  • The way God hopes the world might be
  • The important thing to remember about a vision is that it IS possible, with God’s help. It is not possible without it.

Mission

  • Our part of realizing the vision
  • Work we have the capacity to do and commit to doing which moves toward realizing the vision.
  • Takes into account the culture and environment in which the congregation lives
  • Takes into account the gifts and resources of the congregation
  • Is based on the core values of the congregation
  • Can be used to make decisions regarding the use of resources
  • Can be summarized to fit on a t-shirt
  • Is understood and claimed by everyone in the congregation
 Sample Processes

The following are four vision processes that have been used by a number of groups, including various Episcopal organizations. They are listed here in an attempt to give diocesan leaders some sense of the variety of processes that have been developed and to assist them in designing one that will meet the needs of their particular diocese.

1. Future Search

The end result of a Future Search conference may look more like a plan than a vision or mission statement. However, bringing a diverse group to a more common agreement about the vision and mission that drive the plan will be a part of the process. The Future Search process brings people from all walks of life into the same conversation. It can be especially helpful when there are diverse constituencies involved. Planning and conducting a Future Search conference will include the following steps:

  • Identify “Stakeholders”
  • Identify members of stakeholder groups to be invited to the conference
  • Conference takes place over three days
DAY 1, AFTERNOON: FOCUS ON THE PAST

People make a time line of key events in the world, their lives, and the organization. Small groups discuss implications of their stories of the past for the work they have come to do. Focus shifts to the present as participants make a “mind map” of trends affecting them and identifies those which are most important for their organization.

DAY 2: MORNING AND AFTERNOON

Stakeholder groups describe what they are doing now about trends and what they want to do in the future. They report on what they are proud of in the way they are dealing with the conference topic.

Diverse groups describe their ideal future as if it has already been accomplished. They also post themes they believe are common ground for everyone.

DAY 3: MORNING AND EARLY AFTERNOON

Entire group engages in dialogue to agree on common ground and areas for future action. Volunteers develop action plans and commit to implementing them.

More information about Future Search is available on their website at http://www.futuresearch.net.

2. Appreciative Inquiry

The defining assumption that distinguishes Appreciated Inquiry (AI) is its emphasis on what is working in an organization instead of trying to identify and correct problems and barriers to success. The original theory was articulated by two professors at the Weatherhead School of Management of Case Western Reserve University led by David Cooperrider. Instead of the traditional problem solving approach, AI focuses attention on what is “right” in the organization. It uses “what is right” as a framework for imagining the future and dreaming of what might be. In small groups, participants engage in dialogues using general questions such as:

  1. Considering your experience with this organization, describe a time when you felt most alive, most fulfilled, or most excited about your involvement with the organization.
    a. What made it exciting?
    b. Who was involved?
    c. Describe how you felt about it. 
  2. Talk for a moment about some things you value deeply about yourself, your work, and this organization.
  3. What do you experience about the core factors that give life to this organization?
  4. What three wishes would you make to increase the health and vitality of this organization?

Additional information is available at http://appreciativeinquiry.cwru.edu/

3. The Self Assessment Tool

The Self Assessment Tool was developed by the Drucker Foundation for Non-Profit Leadership. It is organized around five questions Peter Drucker, noted management consultant and author, has identified as key to organizational success. These are:

  1. What is our mission?
  2. Who is our customer? (Primary customer is defined as persons whose lives are changed by our work. Secondary customer is defined as persons whose support is essential to doing the work.)
  3. What does the customer value?
  4. What are our results?
  5. What is our plan?

The complete process includes reviews of demographic and historical data to set a context for future planning. It also includes group processes for defining vision, drafting mission statements, establishing objectives, identifying evaluation criteria, and outlining plans. It is a very thorough, renewable vision and planning process.

The foundation has produced a participant workbook and leader guide which may be purchased from Jossey-Bass Publishers, 350 Sansome Street, San Francisco, CA94104, 1-800-956-7739 or online at http://josseybass.com.

Materials are also available, along with additional information about the Self Assessment at the Drucker Foundation web site, http://www.pfdf.org.

4. LeaderResources

Many congregations and dioceses are familiar with Leader Resources, who created J2A and the Journey to Adulthood that have become important programs for middle and high school age. They have also created some excellent vision and mission discernment process tools. BUILDING A VISION is the first of a three-workshop series that moves from building a vision, developing a mission statement and outlining a plan. Each of them is designed to be led by clergy or lay leadership. Each of the three will require six to eight hours. Leader Resources encourages users to adapt the material for the particular organization which plans to use it. One of its chief virtues is that is was designed for Episcopal congregations and dioceses and would require less adaptation of vocabulary than the first three methods listed.

Leader Resources can be reached at: 38 Mulberry St., Box 302, Leeds, MA01053-0302, 1-800-941-2218 or at their website at http://www.leaderresources.org.

Adapted from The Alleluia Fund:  A Guide for Dioceses and Congregations