Holy Conversations: Strategic planning as a spiritual practice for congregations by Gil Rendle and Alice Mann, Alban Institute 2003
Over the last 50 years there have been a number of Melbourne Anglican diocesan programs in strategic planning. One of the reasons why these plans have failed to deliver is that the Diocese did not sufficiently engage local people at the early stages. In a recent book, Holy Conversations: Strategic planning as a spiritual practice for congregations, authors Rendle and Mann point to the need for a complementary approach, with parish and diocese working in tandem. They also stress that in the long run it is the parish that will have to carry the plans into operation, therefore its members need to be continually involved in the process.
The authors of this book reappraise the role of the leader in the strategic plan. The leader is ‘to help the people have a purposeful and meaningful conversation about who they are, and what they believe is important for them to do’. Thus planning becomes a ‘holy conversation’ involving everybody, conducting a dialogue between local people and also between the parish and the wider Church.
The authors pose three basic questions, necessary for any planning process to succeed:
‘Who are we?’
‘What has God called us to do or be?’
‘Who is our neighbour?’
The book takes those involved in strategic planning through the various phases involved in the setting up of an appropriate committee and the gathering and analysis of data. It goes on to the parish vision, the framing of goals, and the development of energy to move as a team. Emphasis is placed on enabling the congregation to read its culture (all congregations are different), and analyse the community context. ‘Spiritual discernment’ is seen as an essential part of the process, requiring listening to one another and to God. The roles of a parish planning committee, and of the vicar and vestry are discussed, and the importance of a consultant or facilitator to lead them through the process is stressed.