SEND US YOUR FAITHX STORIES EXPERIMENTAL FAITH COMMUNITY PRACTICES AT WORK

FIELD OBSERVATION REPORT ThesevenpracticesofVision-GuidedExperimentationarenottheresultofabstracttheologicalspeculation,butratherthedistillationofobservedexperimentalpracticesofpractitionersinrealfaith-basedcommunitiesandorganizations(you’reprobablydoingmanyofthemyourself).Thepurposeofthisreportiscollectexamplesoftheimplementationofthesepracticesinthewild.Step1:FamiliarizeYourselfwiththeSevenExperimentalPracticesBeforereportingonyourexample(s)ofVision-GuidedExperimentationpracticesatwork,pleasereviewtheattachedinfographictofamiliarizeyourselfwiththesevenpractices:1. MinimumViableBelief–Gettingtothe“WhyofWhys”2. Vision-GuidedDiscernment–GettingOutsidetheWorshipCenter:3. MinimumViablePrograms–Simple,Complete,Testable4. RapidIterationPrototyping–ValidatedLearningwithinTradition5. Lean-ingfromtheInsideOut–AvoidingWastebyEffectiveStewardship6. LeadingfromtheOutsideIn–ExtrapreneurialLeadership7. Measuringwhatmatters-BeyondButtsinthePewsStep2:SelectanAreaofFaithCommunityLifeinwhichtoApplyandReportonthePracticesChoseanareaoffaithcommunitylifefromthelistbelowinwhichyouwillplan,implement,andevaluateyouruseofoneormoreoftheexperimentalpractices(remember:thepracticesareseldomusedinisolationfromeachother).Thefivecategoriesare:1. WorshipandSpirituality.Communalworshipservicesandrelatedindividualspiritualactivities,

suchaschoir,contemplativeprogram,labyrinth,etc.2. EducationandFormation.Education/formativeactivitiesforany(orall)ages,suchaschildren’s

Sundayschool,adultformation,scripturestudies,bookstudies,andassociatedactivities.3. CongregationalEngagement.Activitiesthatfacilitateinternalengagementwiththefaith

community,suchas:Evangelism,Welcome,Fellowship,PastoralCare,andCommunication.4. CommunityEngagement.Activitiesthatfacilitateengagementofthecongregationwiththe

externalcommunitythefaithcommunityiscalledtoserve,suchasoutreachandinterfaithwork.5. Administration.Activitiesthatsustaintheexistenceorhealthyoperationofthefaithcommunity,

suchasbudgeting,resourcedevelopment,facilities,andstaffing.Step3:Plan,Implement,andEvaluateanExperimentalInterventionintheSelectedArea1. MetricsFirst.Beforeyoubegin,decidewhatconstitutessuccessandhowyouwillmeasureit.2. Observe,Reflect,andDocumentFrequently.Makesureyouallowtimetostepbackandreflecton

whatyou’redoing.3. IntegrateLearning.Makesurethatyouintegrateanditeratewhatyoulearninyourobservations

andreflections.Step4:WriteandSendaSummaryReport1. UseFormatonReverse.Beforeyoubegin,decidewhatconstitutessuccessandhowyouwill

measureit.2. AttachPicturesorShortVideos(2-3minutes).Ofyourself,yourstaff,yourbuilding,etc.,ifdesired.3. SendtoKenHowardatTheFaithXProject.ken@faithx.net

REPORTINGFORMATTellUsAboutYourselfandYourFaithCommunityorOrganization:

1. Practitioner(s)Name(s),Title(s),ContactInformation.

2. OrganizationName,WebsiteAddress,StreetAddress.

3. OrganizationVision,Mission,andServices.

TellUsAboutYourExperimentalIntervention:

4. AreaofCommunityLifeSelected.

5. ExperimentalPractice(s)Applied.

6. DescribeYourExperimentalIntervention.

a. Planning.

b. Implementation.

c. Evaluation.

7. DescribedtheWaysinWhichYourExperimentalInterventionwas…

a. Successful(andWhatYouLearnedfromtheSuccesses)

b. Unsuccessful(andWhatYouLearnedfromtheFailures)

8. Includeadditionalinformationyouthinkwillbehelpful:

a. Comments.

b. Attachdigitalpicturesorbriefvideo(2-3minutes).

c. Attachcopiesofanyspecificassessment/measurementinstrumentsused.

Minimum&Viable&Program&Simplest)Possible)Prototype)

Containing)All)Required)Features)

MVP)

TheFaithXFieldGuidetoVision-GuidedExperimentationSevenleadershippracticesshowntohelpfaith-basedcommunitiesandorganizations

surviveandthriveintimesofescalatinguncertaintyandchange.

1.MinimumViableBelief(CreatingaVision-GuidedCulture)Minimum Viable Belief(MVB) is the single,transcendent belief orprinciple that driveseverything else in yourorganization: itsWhy ofWhys, its reason forbeing, its “howwewantto change the world” vision. An organization’s MVB is thepurposethatmakesitspeoplepassionate.(seestepsonreverse)

2.Evidence-BasedDiscernment(GettingOutside)Faith leaders must resistthe urge to act onuntested assumptionsabout the communitiesthey serve, both insideandoutside thebuilding.Rather, they must testtheir assumptions byGetting Outside theBuilding and gathering the evidence – demographic, interview,orother–necessarytoconfirmorrevisetheirhypotheses.

3.MinimumViablePrograms(orMinistries)MinimumViableProgram(orMVP)isaspecialkindofprototype.Afterdoingthe best evidence-baseddiscernment about whatyour communities need,create the simplestpossible program thatcontainsallofthemust-havefeatures(viable)butno“bellsandwhistles”(minimum).YouwilluseyourMVPtotestwhethertheministries and programs you are developing are what yourcommunitiesactuallywant.

4.RapidIterationPrototyping(R.I.P.)Rapid Iteration Proto-typing is validatedlearningwithin a contextof tradition. Tradition isabout honoring practicestested by time. RIP is amethod of creating andtestingnewwaystocarryon the intentions that layat theheartofour traditions. InRIP,we literally put our Minimum Viable Program to the test. WeApply it during a season of our liturgical year, and then weAssess itattheendoftheseason. Ifourassumptionswereouttolunch,wetossourprototype.Butif it lookslikeourdesignisheading in the rightdirection,weAdapt it (tweak itby refiningthemust-havesor addingwant-to-haves), andputour adaptedprototypethroughanotherseasonaltest.

5.Lean-ingfromtheInsideOut(StewardingTime&Talent)Yes,youcanmakeafaithcommunity lean, even ifit’s already running on afrayed shoestring. First,stop wasting, then startstewarding your mostunique and valuableresource: the time andtalents of the human beings that make up your community.Everymember of a faith community has a unique set of gifts,skills,aptitudes,andmotivations.Inafaith-basedcommunityororganization,runningleanmeansfindingthebestmatchpossiblebetween what motivates each person and the things that thecommunityororganizationneedsdone.

6.LeadingfromtheOutsideIn(ExtrapreneurialLeadership)All organizations mustbenefit the communitiesthey serve. Businessessucceed by providing abenefit to a market,which is just a differentnameforakindofcommunity.Butforfaith-basedcommunitiesandorganizations, the community connection is organic. Thosethat aren’t living for their communities may well be living offthem. In the increasingly chaotic “faith marketplace,”extrapreneurial leaders take this idea of organic connection tothe next level. They “succeed” by acting as centered-setcommunities(strongcore/noboundaries)andbuildingnetworksand synergies across organizations, so that not only does theindividual faith community succeed but also the surroundingcommunity and other community-based organizations succeedalong with it. They discovered that it provides themopportunitiestodevelopministries,programs,andwaysoflivingout faith and community that, while risky and disruptive toexistingways,maybemore faithful to theircore faithpreceptsthantheoldwaystheyaredisrupting.

7.MeasuringwhatMatters(ActionableMetrics)Avoid Vanity Metrics:evaluativemeasures thatmay look impressive onthe surface, but whenyou dig deeper, don’treally tell you anythingvaluable. In business, ametric that says youmanufacturedamillionwidgetsdoesn’tmeanmuchunless it iscombinedwithhowmuchyourcustomersarebuying.Similarly,average weekly attendance, the most used metric in faithcommunities,doesn’tmeanmuchunlessyouknowthe levelofengagement of the attendees.Measuring whatmattersmeansusing Actionable Metrics – moving from attendance toengagement,orotheractionablemeasures.

Tes$ng'Our'Hypotheses'About'

The''Community''

Inside''the'Building'

The'Community'

Outside'the'Building'''

Minimum&Viable&Belief:&Your%Why%of%Whys%

What&

How&

Why&

Why&of&

Whys&

•  Program&

•  Process&

•  Purpose&

•  PASSION&(reason(for(being)(

ASSESS$our$

assump,ons$

APPLY$seasonal$$

experiment$

(RIP:&because&it’s&okay&to&let&bad&ideas&die)&!

ADAPT$program$

Toss?$

Tweak?$

Beyond'Bu)s'in'the'Pews'

Seeker'Guest'

Inquirer'Regular'

Engaged'Member'

Leader'

Rela%onship,to,the,Congrega%on,

Level,of,E

ngag

emen

t,

by#stewarding!

GIFTS!&!SKILLS!Match!posi3ons!

to!people!

TIME!Reduce!

permissions!

EFFORT!Prevent!

perfec3onism!

Extrapreneurial,Leadership,,

Synergism, Networking, Centered,Set,

GettingtotheWhyofWhysSevenStepstoDiscerningYourCommunity’sMinimumViableBelief

HowdoyougettoaMinimumViableBeliefthatistranscendentyetgrounded,inclusiveyetfocused,descriptiveyetmotivational?Thefollowingsevenactions–withtheiraccompanyingexamples–willhelpyougetthere:ACTION EXAMPLE

1. Naming – Identify a critical and shared issue,cause,problem,orchallenge.

2. Calling–Bringtogetheracommunityofpeoplewho share a common interest in the issue,cause,problem,orchallenge.

3. Clarifying – Identify the community’s sharedvalues as they relate to the issue, problem,orchallenge. Invite the larger community tovalidatetheidentifiedvalues.

4. Seeing – Attend to the community’s presentcontext (describingrealityas it Is).Continuetowidenthecircleofinvolvement.

5. Dreaming–Attendtothecommunity’spossiblefutures (describing reality as it might bebecoming). Continue to widen the circle ofinvolvement.

6. Visioning – Envision theWHY that transcendsyour organization’s success: aWHY to whichfaithfulnessismoreimportantthansuccess…orevensurvival.

7. Proclaiming – Refine the transcendent WHY

into a short, simple, and pithy phrase, thatpeoplewillremember,understand,andrepeat.

Formoreinformation,contactKenHowardatken@faithx.net

Thestartup teamof a re-started church, reflectingon theirpainful experience of their church’s dis-integration, decidethey want to be a congregation with a sense of unity sostrongthatnoissuecoulddividethemeveragain.

From among friends, neighbors, and people fromsurrounding congregations, they call together those whoshare that one common interest of schism-resistantcommunity.

Leadership holds visioning retreat for core group.Participantsinvitedtosharevaluesthatdrivetheirlongingtobeaplacewherepeoplewithdifferentbeliefsandpracticescould coexist openly and respectfully. They identify acommonthreadthatconnectsthemall:theirsenseofbeinglovedbyChrist.

Participants sharewhat theyknowabout thecommunity inwhichtheylive.Theyrealizetheirvaluingofunityindiversityruns counter the common supposition that unity requiresuniformity. Yet they also sense that many people have anunderlyingyearningforadifferentway.

Participants brainstorm what they imagine theircongregation would look like fully realized in theircommunity. Leaders record all of these ideas and circulatethemforwiderreview.

Participants look for common themes among the futuresthey have imagined. From these common themes a five-sentencevisionstatementisfashioned,whichdescribestheirvision as though itwere achieved, startingwith thewords,“Weare…”

Participants boil down the longer vision statement into aneight-wordcredo:

“APlacetoBelong!APlacetoBecome!”