May 22, 2024

How can work and worship be one? Do meetings make your heart sing or strike a sour note? Does your current governance model fit who you are today and use your resources well? Dr. Shawn Jolemor (a “pracademic”) has been offering a continuing education series this spring through the Atlantic School of Theology. The title is one we can all ask ourselves and apply to the life and work of our communities of faith. Where Are We Going? How Are We Going to Get There?” My experience suggest there is not a cookie cutter answer, no magic formula, or list that offers a tidy response. We all have our own unique contexts. Being productive in our meetings, creating actionable plans in order to not just do the talk, energizes us all, becomes functional activity and affirming that we at least tried a thing instead of just talked about a thing. We are constantly evolving, growing and changing, which means we are constantly revisiting a next step, actionable items that prepare us, like good succession planning, to take the next right step for us. Reflect on meetings we are part of, and what it is to ha e “Conversations that matter. “Let’s think about meeting productivity:

• How many focused clearly on strategic issues:
• A destination or outcome (Where are we going?) AND/OR
• A pathway (How will we get there?)
• How would you characterize the level of trust among participants?
• Did your meetings end with clear next steps?
• Did you feel the meeting was “guided” well?

Rate your overall experience on scale of 1 (not very productive or focused) to 5 (very productive

or focused). What did you learn about your meetings?

(Adapted from: Morrison et al. (2019) Strategic Doing: Ten skills for agile leadership) Make sure you add some play and some fun into your meetings. Invite the Spirit to dance among you, reenergizing and equipping you, building capacity, to follow where God leads.