Why am I Here?

I'm looking at my schedule and cringing just thinking about all the meetings I have in the next few weeks: team, committees, council, congregational annual meeting... the docket is full!  Seth Godin suggests that maybe the docket is too full when we are meeting for the sake of meeting or conducting meetings that have no clear purpose-these can actually impede any real progress.

What if as leaders we decided that the monthly /weekly check-in meeting could be done differently.... or could go away all together? Lots of times I hear complaints that people don't show up to meetings or that the same people are there all the time.  Maybe it's not about a lack of commitment to the team/project/initiative, but  it's about the meeting itself; either  too much on the agenda, or too little.

These are great questions from Seth's "Smart Meetings" checklist-

Would skipping this meeting impede our ability to ship?
Could it be a Skype, conference call or Go-to meeting instead?
If we have to have the meeting, can we do it in a room with no chairs?
Can we invite fewer people? How few?
What’s the purpose of this meeting? Pick one of the following, and you can only pick one. If it’s more than one, skip the meeting.
• Inform people about the project
• Learn opinions or facts that will help you ship
• Discuss the project and gain input from interested parties
• Pitch or approve the idea
After we’re finished, how will we know if the meeting was a success?

Oh, and if you currently are using technology to facilitate meetings you will be familiar with the joys and pitfalls of the conference call.  Here's a link to Seth's list for proper conference call etiquette-
Conference Call Hygiene

And if you've ever been on a poorly run conference call you'll get a chuckle out of this short video- it's an ad for a consulting group but they've nailed the challenges of technology vs. the face to face meeting.

Bold for Change!

Thank you to everyone for bringing energy, enthusiasm, and open hearts and minds to our first retreat that we dared to name "Bold for Change"!  Sort of a scary thought, "Bold for Change",  isn't it?   But as leaders sometimes we are called to be bold, to take initiative, to strike out on a new path to live out God's mission.  Inevitably, that new path means a change in the status quo, venturing outside of our comfort zone and into uncharted territory.  Indeed in lots of ways our context today is all about uncharted territory; technology, culture and society are changing at such a rapid pace that it's difficult to find any fixed point of reference.  What is taken for granted today may be obsolete tomorrow.  But,  as Christians, we are not left without  a map.  We do  a "fixed" point of reference...in Christ, we find our center, strength, and mission.
Pr. Hughes shared this text during closing worship:

^4-5 Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him! Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you’re on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to arrive. He could show up any minute!
^6-7 Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.
^8-9 Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies. Philippians 4:4-9 (MSG)

Amen!  Let's move forward... bold for change!

If you would like to re-create some of the experiences we shared at the retreat with your congregation,
here is a link to our notes for activities and discussion questions:
Bold for Change- Retreat Notes

 Seth Godin's "This is Broken"
"This is Broken" on Vimeo

Seth Godin's SHIPIT
SHIPIT Booklet Audio
Shipit Journal for Congregations

Welcome to the New England Synod’s 
Forward Leadership Community!

We’re excited to have you join us for a new and unique experiment in learning, networking, and congregational renewal.   This will be a collaborative journey.  Your congregation’s team along with 4 other congregational teams will spend 12 months together; building relationships, sharing successes, and addressing challenges as we look at where we are, what needs to change, and what we need to do to move forward to engage more fully in God’s mission today.

We’ll begin this journey by taking a look at where we are as congregations.  The best way to figure out what’s going on within a congregation is to ask… everyone.  Yes, everyone!  We’ll be using the Congregational Assessment Tool (CAT) from HolyCow! Consulting to survey members of your congregation.  It’s a 95 question on-line assessment that gives leaders a report (Vital Signs Report) on the health of the church, a sense of where members think the church should head in the future, and a description of the church as a unique body of people. For those members without access to the internet the survey can also be printed and paper copies can be entered manually.   But for most, the on-line survey is optimal; it can be done at home, the survey is submitted instantaneously and responses are anonymous and confidential.   Once the survey period is complete, within 48 hours a Vital Signs Report will be generated.  At that point a trained facilitator will meet with congregational teams to interpret the data.  This data will be used to build a map of possibilities for change and growth within the congregation that we’ll refer to as we move through the Forward Leadership program year. Please read the document: “Administering the CAT” for outline of the preparation for administering the CAT.  We will give you the information to log-in and register your congregation at the upcoming retreat, but in the meantime, please make sure you have a comprehensive list of current email addresses for your members. This will make the whole process run more smoothly. For more information about the CAT visit https://holycowconsulting.com/support/frequently-asked-questions/

Our first retreat is just around the corner!  The theme for the beginning of our work together is “Bold for Change”.  We’ll spend Friday night getting to know one another, sharing our hopes for what this program will help our congregations achieve and team building.  On Saturday we look at the nuts and bolts of administering the CAT and then we’ll begin to think creatively about things that need to change in our communities, congregations and world and in the afternoon the teams will practice developing action plans and strategies to implement solutions. We gather at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 183 W. Main Street, Westborough, MA 01581, on Friday, January 10^th through Saturday, January 11^th 2014. Link to map and directions:  Good Shepherd Website. For those of you not commuting and needing overnight accommodations, the Courtyard by Marriott, Boston Westborough (3 Technology Drive, Westborough, MA 01581, Phone: 1-508-836-4800) is about 4 miles from Good Shepherd and offers reasonable rates.   Courtyard Westborough Website.  

Thank you once again for taking this journey with the Forward Leadership Community.  If you have any questions please feel free to contact us at anytime.  Blessings to you and your congregation as you seek to Think Forward, Face Forward, Move Forward!

Peace + Joy,
Pr. Sara Anderson, sanderson@nesynod.org
Kim Bergstrand, kimberlybergstrand@gmail.com