Missional River 2.0 Southwestern Texas Synod

Learning Seminar B Workbook

Permission to Reproduce

This guide may be reproduced for use in the Southwestern Texas Synod with covenanted congregations that are part of the LEAD Journey—Missional River 2.0. All other reproduction is a violation of LEAD’s intellectual property.

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Missional River 2.0 Learning Seminar B

Welcome to the Missional River 2.0 Learning Seminar. Come ready to share stories about your congregation — where are you right now? Where do you want to be in a year?

Time Seminar B

Saturday

9:00 1. Spiritual Pilgrims/Spiritual Leadership

9:45 2. Learning Together/Sharing God Stories

11:00 3. Tuning into the Congregation (steps 4,5)

12:15 Lunch

1:00 4. Leading Adaptive Change

2:15 5. Understanding Spiritual Types

3:00 6. Tuning into the Neighborhood (steps 6,7), Pulling it all together

3:45 Spiritual Pilgrims

4:00 Buen Camino

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The Mission of the 70 Luke 10:1-12

After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs

to every town and place where he himself intended to go. 2 He said to them, “The

harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to

send out laborers into his harvest. 3 Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like

lambs into the midst of wolves. 4 Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no

one on the road. 5 Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house!’ 6 And if

anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it

will return to you. 7 Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they

provide, for the laborer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to

house. 8 Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set

before you; 9 cure the sick who are there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has

come near to you.’10 But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you,

go out into its streets and say, 11 ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet,

we wipe off in protest against you. Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come

near.12 I tell you, on that day it will be more tolerable for Sodom than for that town.

Dwelling in the Word

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What impact do the changing relational rings have on deep, sustainable relationships? What are the fears, concerns or threats created by the new operating system?

What words do you use to describe Spiritual Leadership?

How does Spiritual Leadership show up in “church leadership” or other kinds of leadership?

Note the questions that are raised in your heart and mind by these ideas. What bothers you most? What gets you most excited? Why?

Action

Lord, we pray we never find ourselves without hope, without a glimpse of the empty tomb each time we happen upon a cross. Help us begin our daily journey expecting both crosses and empty tombs and rejoicing when we encounter either because we know you are with us. Amen.

Session 1: Spiritual Leadership

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Session 2: Learning Together Question Thinking

Question Learner or Judger Question?

What happened?

Whose fault is it?

What assumptions am I making?

What are they thinking, feeling, wanting?

Am I being responsible?

What are my choices?

What’s possible?

What do I want—for both myself and others?

What can I learn?

Why are they so stupid?

What’s wrong with me?

Why bother?

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Session 3: Tuning into the Congregation—Step 4—Listening

Spiritual Types Index and Research is the work of Reverend Richard Nelson and used with permission.

What survey questions do we want to use?

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Focus Groups: Which groups do we want to gather?

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Influencers: Who are the respected? Those who can help implement?

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Who are the Voiceless?

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

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Session 3: Tuning into the Congregation—Managing Expectations

Spiritual Types Index and Research is the work of Reverend Richard Nelson and used with permission.

Managing congregational expectations:

Programs vs Relationships

Checklist vs Discernment

Quick fix vs Discipleship

Where is the congregation now in terms of their expectations?

What are some ways we can begin to teach/show them what this is about?

Who can assist us in this effort?

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Session 3: Tuning into the Congregation—Step 5—Reflecting

Spiritual Types Index and Research is the work of Reverend Richard Nelson and used with permission.

What have we learned through the congregational assessment?

What have we learned in the congregational survey?

What themes are starting to emerge?

What are we hearing in our focus groups?

What insights did the one-to-one conversations reveal?

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Session 4: Leading Adaptive Change

What are some ways to get people on the balcony with us?

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What is the temperature like right now in our congregation?

What are some ways to manage the heat in our congregation?

Session 4: Leading Adaptive Change

Get off the dance floor and onto the balcony for perspective. The role of the leader is to manage the heat.

By Heifetz, Grashow, Linsky

TOO HOT

TOO COLD

JUST RIGHT

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How did the Spiritual Type exercise affirm what I know about myself?

What surprised me about my Spiritual Type?

What are my hopes for my own spiritual life as I live in Christ? As a Christian leader?

How can we introduce this to the congregation?

Session 5: Understanding Spiritual Types

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Session 6: Tuning into the Neighborhood– Step 6—Listening

Congregation

Inner Ring of

Relationships

Middle Ring of

Relationships

Outer Ring of

Relationships

What do we know about these people? List general

demographics like age, culture, language, socio-economic

reality...etc.

What are their resources? What are their needs?

What are your hunches at this point?

What do we not know?

What is their current relationship to our congregation?

Are there already existing connections with people in our

congregation?

What community leaders will we interview?

What neighbors will we interview?

Demographic data:

www.census.gov

www.thearda.com

http://www.elca.org/Our-Work/Congregations-and-Synods/Research-and-Evaluation/Demographic-Reports

https://www.episcopalchurch.org/page/studying-your-congregation-and-community

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Session 7—Pulling it all Together

Step 4—Listening in the Congregation

When will survey be complete:

When will we meet to develop initial themes, questions to ask focus groups/one to ones?:

Focus groups — Who? When?

One to ones— Who? When?

Step 5—Reflecting on Listening in the Congregation

When will we be done all the interviews/focus groups?

When will we schedule meeting(s) to do reflection?

Step 6—Listening in the Neighborhood

Which community leaders will we schedule? When?

Which neighbors will we schedule? When?

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Session 7—Pulling it all Together

Spiritual practices to introduce to the congregation (e.g. Spiritual types, Dwelling in the Word, Sharing God Stories, others)

Practice Who, where, when

Getting on the Balcony with the congregation

Managing the Heat with the congregation

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The Next 15 Weeks

Week of Action Plan Who?

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Your LEAD Webpage is located at www.waytolead.org. Go to the synod tab, click on your synod’s name and use your password to access all the resources from this seminar and other tools to support your leadership. Your password is: swt

Loving God with all

my heart calls me to

listen to my passions

and gifts as the Holy

Spirit moves in my

life.

Loving God with all

my soul calls me to be

centered with faith

practices that wake

me up to the Holy

Spirit.

Loving God with all my

strength calls me to deepen

my relationship with a more

diverse group of people and

to expand my capacity to

love my neighbor as myself.

Loving God with all my mind

calls me to ask important

questions, wrestle with my

theology, explore the way I

do things (systems), and to

live a life of gratitude.