Community Development

Several of our staff are trained and certified in methods which can assist communities, organizations and churches into and through the process of development – social, community and mission focused development – which builds capacity for the future. We use techniques which focus on the assets and positive history of groups, communities and organizations – not their failures and deficits. We call this Asset-based planning and development.

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-- think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me-- put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” -- Phillipians 4:8,9

“For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” – Jeremiah 29:11

“He who seeks good finds goodwill, but evil comes to him who searches for it.” – Proverbs 11:27

Asset-based planning and design is a human and organizational capacity-building approach that purposefully attempts to identify, celebrate, and emphasize the factors and activities which bring life to a group of people, community or, organization. One asset-based tool, commonly referred to as Appreciative Inquiry (Al), focuses on helping people to envision a collectively desired future and, providing the means to achieve that vision. It does so in ways that moves people’s views of historical and current realities within an organization into “positively-framed” perceptions based in experiences of success. It then crafts these perceptions into what is possible; and, a collective belief about what can be, into reality. “AI seeks out the best of “what is” to help stir-up “the collective imagination of what might be.”

Al as an Organizational Change Process

Appreciative Inquiry is an “art” as opposed to a mechanism. It is the art of discovering and valuing those factors giving life to an organization or community or group. In its most practical construction, AI is a form of organizational study that selectively seeks to locate, highlight, and illuminate the life-giving forces of the organization.
In the historical organizational paradigm, the underlying belief is of one “best” way: one best way to do things, one perfect way for an organization to be formed, one preferred way for employees to perform, one acceptable way for people to behave. As a result, we have, in the past, looked for things in our human organizations that were not best, perfect, or preferred in order to fix them. There is a catch to this method, however: Who knows what is best, perfect, or preferred? Where do those beliefs come from? In our emerging global village it takes very little time to understand that the “perfect” way for a manager to behave in one part of the world can be downright offensive in another. How, then, can we have healthy and productive organizations, communities, and families without some idea of how to make them more perfect?

AI differs from conventional managerial problem solving. With the problem-solving method, the basic assumption seems to be that organizations represent “problems” to be solved; therefore, we must discover and fix things that are wrong in order to improve the organization. That process traditionally involves four steps:

• Identifying the key problems or deficiencies
• Analyzing the causes
• Locating logical solutions
• Developing an action plan.

Change in this way assumes we can repair a human system much as we might repair a car or computer. If we fix the problems, the organization will succeed.

By contrast, the underlying assumption of Appreciative Inquiry is that organizations are solutions to be embraced. As human systems designed to be creative and innovative, organizations are full of solutions. It is their very diversity, multiplicity, and forward movement that the AI approach highlights and builds upon.

We use a change process called the 4-D Model. Within that model are four phases:

• Discovery. Determining what gives life to an organization; what is happening
  when the organization is at its best.
• Dream. Imagining what might be; what the world is calling the organization to be
• Design. Setting up ways to create the ideal as articulated by the whole
  organization.
• Delivery. Establishing an ongoing and iterative process to carry out the design.

The 4-D model represents not some static solution but rather a dynamic process of continuous change.

In Church organizations and institutions, change can often be perceived as a callous casting-off of the past without regard to traditions, history and people in favor of some unknown future. Often, the participants feel obliged to take up sides to defend or attack both the intents, process and goals of change or lack thereof. Usually this leads to entrenched bitterness and intransigence. Instead of being the vibrant people of God in the midst of a people in need of God, they become one or the other of the camps of people in the church with personal vested interests or no interests in its affairs; either because they have stepped away in frustration or, they are guarding the traditions, history and integrity of the church in the community.

The threat of change can produce enormous feelings, attitudes and responses aimed at preserving the past at all costs. Even if the desire to be more effective is clear and compelling. The view is: “past success is in the pattern of the Spirit’s work to be followed into the future, not a flexible and fluid move of the Spirit adapting the gifts of the church to the times of the church.” For people who see the need to change in order to be relevant and available for the future, this can be very frustrating

AI allows for the various perspectives and “sides” of the church’s congregation and leadership to come together around what they value of the church at its best, both currently and, historically, without assessment or critique. The stories of success offered are provided simply as “what has been or, what is” from the vantage point of the one making the observation – so as to find the common factors for success from the past and present, with which to build a future. Conflict is absent.

What AI can offer your church or organization!

A means by which you can effectively design and implement new programs and activities without the fear of conflict or exclusion

The mechanism for congregational ownership and management of on-going ministry goals, policies and procedures through increased participation in design

Improved congregational cooperation through wider understanding of respective contributions to organizational and church goals

Defusing internal “vested-interest” power struggles through a collective visioning and planning process that involves all stakeholders in the church

Role clarification and matching of congregational interests with their gifts and skills through self-assessment and congregational and individual role affirmation

Congregational vision development which articulates goals, designs implementation and action plans and provides for follow-through with the church groups responsible for the work

Management planning for the church that will anticipate the need for change in today’s fast-paced, highly changeable environment


For further information or to schedule a consultation, contact Terry at terry@mypeopleinternational.com