UNITED METHODIStWOMEN

METRO WEST District Leadership Training February 9, 2008

DREAMING THE FUTURE

Appreciative Inquiry &Asset mapping

PURPOSE OF OUR TIME TOGETHER

To provide you with processes (Appreciative Inquiry and Asset Mapping) to use with your local units to help you live into a new future. You will have an opportunity to practice the processes and identify assets your unit can use for dreaming the future.

Our Starting Point

The Mission of The United Methodist Church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. The local churches provide the most significant arena through which disciple-making occurs.

¶ 120 The Book of Discipline

Strategic Purpose of the Minnesota Annual Conference:

Building GREAT ChurchesGrowing in Christ-likeness

Reaching the least, lost and left outExpecting God to do great thingsAsking people into a life changing relationship with Jesus ChristTelling about our transformed lives

Building GREAT Churches

We want to build GREAT churches that are rooted in and living out the Great Commandment and the Great Commission. We will do this by creating new faith communities and revitalizing existing congregations to be:

Building GREAT Churches

Purposeful: they have a clear, compelling answer to why church matters.

Practicing: the means of grace

Passionate: they are excited, enthusiastic, engaged, and willing to invite someone else to share what they have experienced.

Building GREAT Churches

Personifying: Open Hearts, Open Minds and Open Doors.

Empowering: they call forth and send out people to be leaders in to the church and the world.

Building GREAT Churches

Signs that we are accomplishing our purpose will be people and churches who are implementing the Gospel Imperatives:

Building GREAT Churches

Cultivating Spiritual Vitality

Building GREAT Churches

Reaching New People

IMPLEMENTING THE GOSPEL IMPERATIVES

Practice Radical Hospitality Passionate Worship Intentional Faith Development Empowered Laity Prayer-filled Evangelism Risk-Taking Mission and Service Extravagant Generosity

Building GREAT Churches

Minnesota UMW units can be a vital part of building GREAT Churches and implementing the Gospel Imperatives

Building GREAT Churches

The Purpose of United Methodist WomenThe organized unit of United Methodist Women shall be a community of women whose purpose is to know God and to experience freedom as whole persons through Jesus Christ; to develop a creative supportive fellowship; and to expand concepts of mission through participation in the global ministries of the church

APPRECIATIVE INQUIRY

A Philosophy of Change: The Beginning of an Adventure

An Appreciative Inquiry …What is it?

… a change management process that calls forth the positive experiences of an organization through its stories and uses the energy of story-telling to bring about a new future for the organization.

The Thin Book of Appreciative Inquiryby Sue Hammond

What is it….

A philosophy, a way of thinking, a new mental model

The “appreciative eye”, a way of seeing

People, groups, and organizations as expressions of beauty and spirit

“Tackling problems” by doing more of what works

Giving time, energy to where we say “Yes”

The Thin Book of Appreciative Inquiryby Sue Hammond

Assumptions of Appreciative Inquiry

In every society, organization, or group, something works

What we focus on becomes our reality

Reality is created in the moment, and there are multiple realities

The Thin Book of Appreciative Inquiryby Sue Hammond

Assumptions continued . . .

The act of asking questions of an organization or groups influences the group in some way.

People have more confidence and comfort to journey to the future (the unknown) when they carry forward parts of the past (the known). (This is the power of the story!)

Assumptions continued . . .

If we carry parts of the past forward, they should be what is best about the past.

It is important to value differences

The language we use creates our realityThe Thin Book of Appreciative Inquiry

by Sue Hammond

Steps in the Process

Interview Process with Questions

Share results with the Group to uncover common themes

Create a list of themes and examples of the best.

Steps in the Process

Creating Provocative Propositions“Provocative propositions describe an ideal

state of circumstances that will foster the climate that create the possibilities to do more of what works.”

The Thin Book of Appreciative Inquiry

by Sue Hammond

Envision what might be. Write an affirmative statement that describes the idealized future as if it were already happening.

Provocative Propositions

Statements that bridge the best of “what is” with your speculations of what “might be”…Provocative Propositions are statements . . .

That challenge the status quo, stretch or interrupt it.

That are grounded in examples of actual experience.

The Thin Book of Appreciative Inquiry

by Sue Hammond

Provocative Propositions

That describe a desired or preferred future; answer the “what if. . .” question.

That are worded in the affirmative and in bold terms

That illustrate the ideal as a real possibilityThe Thin Book of Appreciative Inquiry

by Sue Hammond

Appreciative Inquiry Interview Questions

1. Tell a story about the best experience you have had in a UMW unit or other UMW gathering. Looking at your entire experience with UMW, recall a time when you felt most alive, most involved, or most excited about your involvement. What made it a stimulating experience? Who was involved? Describe the event in detail?

Interview Questions

2. Without being humble, describe what you value most about yourself, your work in the church, your work with UMW.

3. What aspects of your life and experience as a member of UMW do you deeply value? What are the things that matter most to you? Look deeply inside you and try to avoid the “expected” answers.

Interview Questions

4. Describe your three concrete wishes for the future of the local units of UMW.

Provocative Propositions

Questions to help form the Provocative Propositions:

What are the “glimmers” of possibility”? What do we want more of?

What are the most enlivening and affirming possibilities for your local UMW unit?

Provocative Propositions

What is the inspiration that is supporting the UMW in your church? What are you passionate about?

What is God calling your UMW to become? How do these dream statements support the disciple-making practices of your congregation?

Sharing of Propositions

DREAMING THE FUTURE

Developing the Next Steps

ASSET MAPPING

ASSET MAPPING EXPERIENCE

From The Power of Asset Mapping: How Your Congregation Can Act on Its Gifts by Luther K. Snow. Copyright ©2004 by The Alban Institute, Inc. All rights reserved.

ASSET MAPPING EXPERIENCE

STEPS IN THE PROCESS– Recognize Your Assets

Identifying the assets of your UMW unit, congregation, individuals, and community

ASSET MAPPING EXPERIENCE

REMINDER LIST OF BASIC ASSETS

- Physical assets– Individual assets– Associations– Institutions– Economic assets

ASSET MAPPING EXPERIENCE

STEPS IN THE PROCESS

– Connect the Dots Think about actions like projects,

events, campaign, protests, celebrations, demonstration, making or growing or fixing things that will help you live into your dreams

No bad ideas – be creative

ASSET MAPPING EXPERIENCE

STEPS IN THE PROCESS

– Connect the Dots to do God’s will. What would happen if you connected

two or more assets on the wall? Brainstorm IdeasHighlight networks – add assets if

necessary

ASSET MAPPING EXPERIENCE

STEPS IN THE PROCESS

– Connect the Dots to do God’s will. Develop Actions/Projects

Give each a name

ASSET MAPPING EXPERIENCE

STEPS IN THE PROCESS

– Vote with Your Feet Follow your heart into action

The whole is greater than the sum of the parts

ASSET MAPPING EXPERIENCE

STEPS IN THE PROCESSLearning by doing

Impressions, power of community, recognizing results, thinking about open-sum dynamics

ASSET MAPPING EXPERIENCE

OPEN-SUM DYNAMICSHow much faith is there in the world? If I get more faith, does it come out of your supply? Or does your faith strengthen mine, and my faith increase yours and our faith grow on others?

Your gain is my gain is our gain.The Power of Asset Mapping

EVALUATION OF THE DAY

Can you do this back home?

CHARGE AND SENDING FORTH

Bibliography

The Power of Asset Mapping: How Your Congregation Can Act on Its Gifts by Luther K. Snow. Copyright ©2004 by The Alban Institute, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Thin Book of Appreciative Inquiry by Sue Annis Hammond. The Thin Book Publishing Company.