George Bullard's Journey

Have You Tried . . . Congregational Clusters

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I am currently coaching two Spiritual Strategic Journey Congregational Clusters, and having a ball. They are a lot of fun. They are also engaging for the congregations, and are boosting their learnings and their action. If you are not familiar with this process, I owe you a brief introduction.

Spiritual Strategic Journey Congregational Clusters are where three to seven congregations simultaneously go through a nine to twelve month process of 21^st century, right-brained, journey-oriented, strategic planning. It is a futuring process where congregations create and share their future story.

Representatives gather in face-to-face clusters two or three times during the course of the process—depending on whether they are engaging in the nine month or twelve month process. When they gather amazing things can happen as they move from learning to action through a group coaching process.

Coaching Insights for Congregational Clusters

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Is there a down side to congregational clusters over individual coaching of congregations? The answer is both yes and no.

Yes, the down side could be that congregations get less personal attention in a congregational cluster. If one or more congregations in a cluster were not as ready for this process as they should have been, they may hold back the other congregations. Unless the other congregations have something significant to share that is an accurate picture of healthy and strong congregational ministry, then it could really just be passing around ignorance.

No, there is no down side worth noting. While congregations receive less personal attention, they benefit from the public attention and feedback given to themselves other congregations. If congregations who are potential participants in a cluster are assessed before they are accepted into the cluster, then congregations who drain time and energy will have been directed to processes more suited for their next steps.

Innovative Church Community

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This week I attended the regular monthly gathering of the Innovative Church Community [ICC]. This is a learning community of pastors, staff persons, and champions of innovative congregations. While its base of operations is Integrity Community Church in Burlington, NC. It is now beginning regional gatherings throughout North Carolina.

ICC is “a learning community that seeks to provide a practical forum for learning and networking for innovative church leaders.” [web site]

The target groups for ICC are newer churches working through early developmental stages, older, established congregations seeking to continually transition for greater effectiveness, and churches engaging in actual transitioning to help them infuse the need to continually change into their DNA.

Typically 40 to 50 leaders come together each month. Special conferences attract a much larger crowd.

Coaching Insights for Innovative Church Community

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Innovative Church Community has primarily been self-organizing. It was the dream of Bud Wrenn, pastor of Integrity Community Church and director of Innovative Church Community. It has been helped along by a leadership community of pastors of other innovative congregations and the sponsorship of a denominational organization.

One key element in its successful has been the grassroots nature of the organization. It is really the pastors who make ICC happen.

Bud Wrenn has a sense of calling to this ministry, and continually seeks to stretch and expand the ministry of ICC.

A second key element, however, has been the catalytic sponsorship of a denominational organization. In this case it is the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina. This denominational organization has provided funding, invited ICC to sponsor events, and has contributed staff time and web-based resources.