George Bullard's Journey

Emergent Consensus

Emergent Consensus Based on Collaboration, Agreement, and Congeniality

At the end of a recent post entitled Pursuing Our Purpose Out of a Passion for Christ, I offered to share a process for developing consensus with a congregational leadership community around a draft of their strategic planning document. Such a process could also be applied to numerous other group decision-making processes. Soon after I suggested such a process I received an e-mail message from a colleague asking how I would define consensus. A lot of misunderstanding exists around the concept of consensus. So, let’s start there.

Consensus is the desired end result of a collaborative decision-making process that reaches agreement that is congenial, even inspiring, but not necessarily unanimous. It traditionally does not involve voting, except as a formal affirmation of what has already been decided--for the minutes, etc. This attempt at a definition of consensus immediately begs for the definition of words such as collaborative, agreement, and congenial.

Collaborative means a process that is mutual and shared among the participants in the decision-making process. It involves adequate time and opportunity to process the information needed to complete a decision that is positive, empowering, synergistic, and may represent a new level of discernment or understanding.

Agreement means harmony or consistency with a centered set of values that guide the organization or movement seeking to make spiritual, strategic decisions. While agreement implies unity, harmony means that different voices can sing in a beautiful manner that compliments one another, but not be singing the same notes.

Congenial means in a friendly or pleasant manner that exemplifies the gift of hospitality. It is the opposite of hostile. It is dialogical rather than a debate. It is respectful rather than adversarial. It implies the existence of a trust relationship.

Building consensus with a congregational leadership community around a significant spiritual and strategic decision involves proactive efforts at collaboration and agreement with a congenial spirit. Two tools that assist with building consensus are an Affirm and Build Feedback chart and an understanding of the Four Pathways to Yes.

Each of these tools assumes a positive approach to decision-making that celebrates what is right and good about a proposal rather than what is wrong and bad. Problem-solving will only help an organization correct what is wrong. It will not empower an organization to soar.

Question for Generative Dialogue: What transitions and changes would have to be made in the way your congregation, denomination, or other organization functions in order for consensus to become its primary means of decision-making, and what role can you play in that transformation beginning today?

Related and/or Future Posts: The Affirm and Build Feedback chart and the article entitled Four Pathways to Yes are available at http://bullardjournal.blogs.com/bullardjournal/spiritual_strategic_journeys/index.html.

BullardJournal Post 2004-002, Copyright 2004, Rev. George Bulllard, D.Min., http://bullardjournal.blogs.com/bullardjournal

Affirm and Build Feedback for Congregations

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Four Pathways to Yes!

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Pursuing Our Purpose Out of a Passion for Christ

This past weekend I had the opportunity to spend a day with 50 staff and lay leaders of a very large church. The purpose was to bring them to consensus on a Vision for 2010: Pursuing Our Purpose Out of a Passion for Christ document that had been compiled by the staff. This document developed out of conversations with individuals, work groups on various subjects, and dialogue with the formal leaders.

I was pleased to hear a review of the process that had occurred. The desire of the pastor was to be the initiating visionary leader and to make strong, positive suggestions as to what the future of the congregation might be. At the same time, it was obvious he and the staff were listening closely to what the lay leadership of the congregation was saying. They were truly working hard at creating what I call a Visionary Leadership Community to act—as John Kotter would say—as a guiding coalition for this congregation.

The pastor, staff, and lay leadership had certainly been influenced by many respected practitioners and 21st century thought leaders within North American Christianity. Often the pastor and others referred to things they had learned from others. It is a learning congregation.

At the same time they were not seeking to emulate any of these other leaders or their models, but had come up with a framework, strategy, and described passion that fits their congregational situation. They understand that the future of their congregation is best found in being molded in the image of God rather than the image of a certain writer, consultant, project, or process.

My basic observation is that they get it concerning a well owned yet focused spiritual strategic journey for a congregation. It was a delight to be in their presence. It is what makes my service as a consultant and coach joyful.

Their proposed Vision for 2010 document was very balanced. Their primary categories were worship, prayer, reaching, fellowship, teaching, and serving. These were supported by the categories of finances, facilities, and personnel. They had their focus on the issues that would best help their congregation walk by faith rather than by sight in the spirit of II Corinthians 5:7.

This congregation clearly is an evangelical congregation with a high priority on evangelism and new member recruitment. At the same time it had an equal focus on new member assimilation, the fellowship life of the congregation, teaching and discipleship development, and GlobaLocal service within the congregation’s context, its region, national and world.

Question for Generative Dialogue: How can we develop, nurture, and celebrate pastors and staff ministers who understand strong leadership without dominating leadership, initiating leadership without demanding leadership, and leadership resulting from individual spiritual discernment that also embraces the collective spiritual discernment of a broad range of congregational leadership?

Future Post: I will share a future BullardJournal post on the process I used with this staff and lay leadership group to bring them to a consensus around their strategic planning document.

BullardJournal Post 2004-001, Copyright 2004, Rev. George Bulllard, D.Min.

SSJ Tutorial

Spiritual Strategic Journeys: Tutorial for Congregational Redevelopment is a web-based tutorial to assist congregations in traveling along a spiritual strategic journey towards reaching their full kingdom potential.

If is free and may be used by congregations, denominational, and parachurch leadership, and consultants and coaches who work with congregations.

It is located at www.congregationalresources.org/bullard.asp.

Questions about the tutorial may be addressed to SSJTutor@Hollifield.org.

Christian Coaching

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Welcome to Hollifield Leadership Center

HOLLIFIELD LEADERSHIP CENTER
And Lake Hickory Learning Communities
www.Hollifield.org

The Hollifield Leadership Center is a future-embracing, forward-looking leadership development center in a "retreat" facility on serene Lake Hickory near Conover, North Carolina.

The facility originally opened in 1959 as a leadership training center for Duke Power Co., which built the dam that created Lake Hickory. It became the Wyndolyn Royster Hollifield Leadership Center in 2000 when NC Baptists were able to purchase it. HLC contains 12 buildings on its core campus of 16 manicured acres on a peninsula near the dam. Connected to the mainland only by the entrance road, it is virtually an island, surrounded by the placid lake. Fourteen additional acres are located on the mainland and contain auxiliary services and acreage for future expansion.

HLC provides the most current computer technology, high-speed Internet access, video conferencing, and presentation equipment to enhance learning experiences. Yet, the comfortable retreat setting remains quiet enough to hear acorns fall on the roofs, and the soft crunch of shoe leather on the 3/4 mile walking trail surrounding the campus.

The physical assets of HLC include:
· 28 newly renovated sleeping rooms, each with two queen-size beds, a private bath, sitting area, study desk, telephone, and data port connections.
· A primary conference building temporarily known as Blades, with administrative offices, three classrooms, a gathering area, and a fellowship and recreation area.
· A computer lab includes 24 computers, each with high speed Internet access.
· One classroom is equipped as a video and satellite conference site, with numerous such conferences conducted annually, many in conjunction with Church Communication Network of California (www.ccnonline.net).
· Bryant Dining Hall, within easy walking distance of all buildings, provides high quality cuisine skillfully prepared and pleasantly served by our own Food Services staff.
· A secondary conference building, Williams Hall, contains additional classroom space, small breakout rooms, and some staff office space.
· Recreation/Leisure. Recreation and leisure activities include a walking trail, basketball goal, ping-pong table, pool tables, table games, television, videotapes collection, book, and magazine collection.
· A nearby public boat ramp provides access to Lake Hickory, in which HLC has an extensive pier and boat dock.

Hollifield is blessed with a committed staff, each of who sees their ministry at HLC as a response to God’s call on their lives:

· Bill Copper – Director
· Johnny Bryant – Facility Operations Coordinator
· Sandy Lail – Administrative Coordinator
· Frances Cook – Food Services Coordinator
In addition, HLC is served by a number of part-time contract Guest Services staff and contracted Housekeeping and Landscaping firms.

Lake Hickory Learning Communities (LHLC) is the web of relationships developing from the base of Hollifield Leadership Center. Learning communities develop around a topic that interests three or more people. A learning community may spring from a learning experience at Hollifield Center. It may be prompted by a request for the LHLC to post on its web site an issue or question around which a person would like to initiate a learning community.

It will not be uncommon to engage a widely known speaker who comes to nearby Charlotte or Winston-Salem for a 250-350 participant program to come to Hollifield Center for an intimate learning experience in which 25-35 persons can engage the expert in interactive give and take of learning. If participants desire, a learning community may arise from such an experience that promotes continued interaction with each other and the expert.

George Bullard serves as Executive Coach of Lake Hickory Learning Communities, and is the driving force behind LHLC’s offering of learning experiences, including Spiritual Strategic Journeys, Congregational Coaching Certification, and Days of Generative Dialogue. He is also the chief architect and grant program manager for our emerging Sustaining Pastoral Excellence learning community.

Hollifield Leadership Center and Lake Hickory Learning Communities are serving NC Baptists by providing high quality facilities for congregations to conduct retreats around deacon ministry, Sr. Adult ministries, staff planning, singles/couples ministries, and music ministries.

In addition, many individual NC Baptists have enhanced their personal spiritual development through participation in one or more of HLC & LHLC’s learning communities.

Hollifield Leadership Center is also the “home base” for the much of the Pursuing Vital Ministry emphasis of the Baptist State Convention. A number of NC Baptist congregations have already engaged this process through one or more learning experiences at Hollifield.

Bill Copper, Director of the Hollifield Leadership Center, and George Bullard, Associate Executive Director of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina and Executive Coach for Lake Hickory Learning Communities, intend both entities to address emerging key issues of leadership development for congregations, denominations, and parachurch organizations during the 21st century. In their broadest expressions, Hollifield Leadership Center and Lake Hickory Learning Communities seek to help North American Christianity reach its full kingdom potential.

For more information contactg Bill Copper at BCopper@Hollifield.org.

Lilly Grant News Release, Nov 21, 2003

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LHLC 2004 Learning Experiences

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Coaching Certification Process

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