Growing Together

Strategic Planning for Healthy Organizations

2010-04-09T09:41:00.003-04:00

Strategic planning is an often-neglected task. The urgency for planning only comes when it has been left undone for too long and the organization has lost a sense of direction or unity of purpose. By that time, it is not just strategic planning but also identity discernment, mission, and vision work that need to be done. I am always amazed when organizations hope to accomplish this work in a

Stop . . . Breathe . . . Listen . . .

2010-02-10T16:41:00.002-05:00

I find my way through this life by trying to understand and control. When there is chaos, I try to create structure. When there is confusion, I try to clarify. When there is mistrust, I try to be honest and real. When there is conflict, anger or discontent, I try to appease. This strategy works, for the most part, at keeping my life stabilized and comfortable (though not

Nonprofits - Taking a Risk in Sharing Resources

2009-09-11T11:02:00.017-04:00

Watching nonprofit directors, staff and board members over the last two days at the NC Center for Nonprofits Statewide Conference . . . I see energy and passion for the services we provide . . . I see anxiety about funding . . . I see competition and collaboration. Yet, one story stands out to me, a story about a cluster of organizations that made lemonade out of lemons! They could not afford to

Processes that Work

2009-09-01T17:00:00.003-04:00

End homelessness . . . Ensure a quality education for all children . . . Provide health care for all . . . Eradicate poverty . . . <?xml:namespace prefix = o />These are lofty visions that ignite emotion, dedication and unity of purpose. However, when it comes down to the nuts and bolts of it, our diversity begins to shine and sometimes so does our contempt. The reality is, there is no easy way

From Fear to Hope

2009-07-20T07:45:00.010-04:00

"The opposite of faith is not doubt, but fear." (Verna Dozier, The Dream of God, 1991)These economic times are fearful. Organizations and churches are facing serious financial crisis and cut backs in staff and programs. In states and local communities, government officials struggle to make budget decisions that will likely cut funds for education, early childhood support, mental health, public

On the Cutting Edge: Best Practice in Organizational Planning & Coaching

2009-04-08T09:49:00.008-04:00

I have been fortunate throughout my career to be surrounded by some of the most cutting-edge, best practice leaders in human services in North Carolina: Community Partnerships (then Specialized Services for Children) was one of the first programs in the area to provide support for preschools in creating fully inclusive environments for children with significant developmental delays and

Big Change

2009-03-23T08:16:00.000-04:00

I was once a new member of the management team with an organization that downsized from 200 to around 50 employees over a 3-6 month period while overhauling the entire internal structures of management, departments, functions, processes and even the basic purpose of the organization. The change was devastating for most - the loss of jobs, of friendships, the insecurity of changes in job

Learning Leadership Through Rollerblading

2009-01-07T13:09:00.004-05:00

I am learning to rollerblade at age 41! My husband and kids gave me new skates for Christmas. They were not out to get me; I actually had skates on my list. With all the hoopla around the holidays I finally had an opportunity to try them out a few days ago.I chose a smoothly paved walking trail that seemed to be on flat ground. First my daughter, and then my husband, walked along beside me,

Mary's Song - My Prayer

2008-12-21T13:39:00.005-05:00

Oh the magnificat! The blessed Mary, a young child herself, chosen to carry the burden and the blessing of the Christ Child. She sings with joy and praise. I imagine her song to be both an expression of her joy and faith as well as a prayer, urging God to give her the strength to live into this call. It is both a commitment of faith and a prayer for faith that emerges from her continuously as the

Volunteer Leadership

2008-12-01T13:40:00.016-05:00

Churches and nonprofits are highly dependent on volunteer leadership. I'm talking about significant, time consuming jobs such as coordinating events that take months to plan, participating on governing boards and leading teams of other volunteers. We lead, coordinate and participate in everything from fund raising, marketing, and quality improvement to delivering lunches, visiting folks in the

Inter-generational Worship - Can we do it?

2008-10-29T09:49:00.015-04:00

Let me tell you about this book I've been reading, The Church of All Ages: Generations Worshiping Together (Howard Vanderwell, editor, Alban Institute, 2008).As Mark and I raise our children, Lane (10) and Duncan (14), we want them to be in worship with us. Now I have to admit, I've enjoyed opportunities to worship over the years without crying or pulling children and have often skipped the Great

Nurturing our Seeds: Self Care

2008-10-14T15:01:00.004-04:00

Barbara Brown Taylor in, Leaving Church: A Memoir of Faith, said, "My quest to serve God in the church had exhausted my spiritual savings. My dedication to being good had cost me a fortune in being whole. My desire to do all things well had kept me from doing the one thing within my power to do, which was to discover what it meant to be fully human."Have you ever found that your quest to serve

Reconciliation

2008-09-09T13:02:00.004-04:00

The work of reconciliation is hard and can not be rushed. In the midst, you don't know if you will be able to rebuild relationships or if the hard work just adds to the empty heartache without a happy ending. It is ambiguous work. It is risky work. It is painful work. It also has the potential to be the most spiritually, emotionally and relationally rewarding work of our lives.There was a bit of

Waiting for the Bus: A Framing Opportunity

2008-08-21T16:43:00.012-04:00

Each morning as my 4th grade daughter gets her bags packed and her shoes on and her hair fixed just right, she always asks me, "Will you wait for the bus with me today?" Some days, I admit, I am already busy at the computer and don't want to be interrupted to stand outside waiting for the bus. Other days, I listen to her call, stop whatever I'm doing, and walk with her across the street - often

Appreciative Accountability

2008-08-08T14:34:00.009-04:00

The word accountability conjures up ideas of judgment, elevated authority looking down at us, black robes and gavels . . . And where there is judgment, there must have been a crime. So, just hearing the word accountability makes us defensive. We assume we are being investigated. We have to track and report all our numbers and measurements to prove our case of innocence.In some settings,

Greet one another - Romans 16:1-16

2008-07-29T00:03:00.002-04:00

Take a quick read of Romans 16:1-16.What does it mean to greet someone in the name of the Lord?. . . So that you may welcome her in the Lord as is fitting for the saints, and help her in whatever she may require from you . . .Can you imagine being introduced this way?"Hey, I want you to meet my friend, Phoebe. She is a servant of the church. Please welcome her in the way Jesus welcomed, in a way

Growing Journey III

2008-07-18T10:17:00.007-04:00

Through my involvement in these two groups of women (see previous posts), a revelation began - that being different, even in our theology, our understanding of God and our interpretation of scripture, even when the differences seem in direct competition . . . does not have to separate us from being in community and may actually facilitate our growing in maturity and in relationship with God and

Growing Journey II

2008-07-13T22:45:00.008-04:00

We all have a desire for inclusion, to be accepted, to belong, be appreciated, liked, and understood. This need is tied to our self esteem and it varies among people and situations. In those times when we feel the most confident and secure, we may require less outward signs of inclusion. When we are vulnerable and insecure, we protect ourselves or search out signs of approval.Ambiguity creates

A Growing Journey

2008-07-13T09:05:00.009-04:00

Toward the end of the 1990's and early 2000's, I began a deepening journey in discernment. I had become involved in two, very different groups creating a powerful movement in my own spirit. Group one, was a theologically conservative prayer group that met on Friday mornings. A very charismatic, passionate and committed group of Christian women who devoted an enormous amount of their time to

Family Worship

2008-07-08T18:33:00.001-04:00

How does your family worship together? My family never risked visiting an unfamiliar congregation when on vacation or otherwise out of town. But we rarely missed worship. We brought our Prayer Books, usually the 1928 Book of Common Prayer, and bibles along. We preset the time for worship and when the time arrived, the family would gather around the kitchen table, living room floor or onto our

Welcome

2008-07-08T08:27:00.000-04:00

Welcome to Growing Together's blog!!This Blog is sponsored by GTM Evaluation & Planning, Inc. AND Growing Together Ministries. I will be writing every so often about topics related to how we grow together . . . In community, within our organizations, our churches, our volunteer groups, we face the challenges of learning, making decisions and working towards common and sometimes not so common