© 2012 Emmanuel Gospel Center Living System Ministry Asking System Questions Training Ourselves to Think Systemically

Two questions What is the difference between these two questions: “How do I do the job?” “How does the job get done?” © 2012 Emmanuel Gospel Center

“How do I do the job?” Asking this question casts a narrow vision, limiting the answer to:  my energy level  my resources  my perception  my own capacity for problem solving To see system-wide change, we must move the focus away from ourselves! © 2012 Emmanuel Gospel Center

“How does the job get done?” System questions acknowledge that there is a large, living social system at work, leading us to:  have a learning attitude  learn how the system works  look for system-wide, macro solutions  understand how the system is dealing with the issue © 2012 Emmanuel Gospel Center

System question examples  “How is housing for the poor being provided?”  “How are Christian leaders preparing their own training programs?”  “How are churches started in this city?”  “How does crime get stopped?” Can you think of others? © 2012 Emmanuel Gospel Center

Organization vs. organism How about asking: “How does my church or ministry do the job?”  This question is still not enough because it: Ignores the living system design of your organization Neglects how your ministry fits into the larger social system around it Asking system questions helps us overcome our tendency to see ORGANIZATION rather than ORGANISM. © 2012 Emmanuel Gospel Center