Responding to the Call: Discerning God’s Direction for a Third Century of Mission 2-Hour Meeting

The Purpose of Responding to the Call The purpose of the Responding to the Call process is to discern and articulate a fresh vision of how IM will serve the mission of Jesus Christ, together with the values, priorities and goals that will guide the work of IM for 2015-2020.

Highly Consultative Process Leaders of AB regional and national mission bodies Pastors, mission leaders and mission supporters in local congregations throughout the U.S. and Puerto Rico Leaders of partner conventions, agencies and ministries all around the world The Directors of IM All those who dedicate their lives and energies to the work God does through IM

Responding to the Call Today we are participating in a 2-Hour Small-Group Meeting We will be using an Appreciative Inquiry process to get your input and hear your perspective.

Appreciative Inquiry (AI) “…is the systematic study of what works – what gives life, health, and vitality to organizations when they are at their best in relationship to their entire community of stakeholders.”

AI Basic Assumption… Human systems – people, teams, communities, and organizations – move in the direction of what they persistently ask questions about. So what do you want more of in your organization?

Appreciative Inquiry “4-D Model” Discovery “What gives life?” (The best of what is) Appreciating Change Agenda Strategic focus Destiny “How to learn, empower, execute, and improvise?” Sustaining Dream “Envisioning what could be?” Innovating Positive Core Design “What should be—the ideal organization?” Co-constructing

What to Expect From This Meeting Role of Facilitators Set the structure and time frames Highlight themes that emerge Manage the overall meeting flow Your Role Contribute your best ideas Listen to and engage with others Lead with your energy and optimism Self-manage own group Focus on the future of what you want to create

Ground Rules Everyone participates All ideas are valid Everything is written on flip charts Observe time frames Move to action

Leadership roles can, and should, be rotated. Self-Managed Roles Each small group manages its own discussion, data, time, and reports. Here are useful roles for self-managing this work. Divide up the work as you wish: DISCUSSION LEADER TIMEKEEPER RECORDER  REPORTER   Leadership roles can, and should, be rotated.

Activity 1: Discovery IM at its Best: Past, Present, Future (dialogue in pairs) Select an interview partner - someone who is most different from you… Interview each other…15 minutes each way Spirit of discovery – “eye of the child” Take good notes At the end.. summary & thanks

Activity #2: Discovery Identifying IM’s Positive Core of Strengths & Images of the Future Round One – Introduce your interview partner in 30 seconds or less. Round Two – Share highlights from your partner’s interview question #1. – As a group identify the core factors that give life, health, and vitality to IM when it’s at its best. List factors on a flip chart page. Round Three - Share highlights from your partner’s interview questions #2 and #3. - As a group, identify the most important hopes, dreams, and wishes for IM’s future. List on a new flip chart page. Round Four – Identify the following. Then prepare to present it to the group in 3 minutes or less. One of the stories that powerfully illustrates IM at its best 3-5 core factors that give life, health, and vitality to IM when it’s at its best 3-5 elements of the group’s collective dream for the future of IM

Activity 4: Presentations IM at Its Best What Gives Life, Health, and Vitality Dreams for the Future

THANK YOU FOR PARTICIPATING! Responding to the Call