|
Potentials has developed experience and expertise in a variety of fields through the challenge of numerous projects with churches and other not for profit organizations.
Stewardship and money
Money is personal and corporate. Money is an important way we express our relationship with God and with our fellow human beings. Through money we participate in organizations and help to realize our common goals. Organizations need sufficient resources to fulfill their mission.
Potentials' approach to stewardship has its foundation in the generosity of God. We begin with house group discussions which focus on our down to earth experiences of that generosity. This approach is particularly important to use with younger adults who have a distrust of institutional religion and who may have little or no experience with the church.
Good stewardship involves significant change in attitude and behaviour at both the personal and corporate levels. Our faith is developed and changed. We are challenged to put our faith into action by reallocating our personal resources towards God's mission. The congregation itself is challenged to be clear about how it intends to align itself with God's mission for the world.
Back to top of page
Facilitation
Facilitation is helping a group do its best work. Potentials is often called upon to help a group or organization get unstuck and find new energy so that it can get on with its task. In some cases a congregation may need an outside facilitator who is not emotionally involved to help it make difficult decisions for its life and mission. The facilitator's role is to create a safe and level playing field on which all voices are heard, to evoke a variety of options, to ensure communication, to establish norms, to work through conflicts, and to help the group arrive at decisions in the fairest and most satisfactory way possible.
Back to top of page
Organizational review and governance
Organizations, including congregations, go through dramatic change and need to adapt their governance structures and job descriptions to fit new circumstances. Some of these changes occur when the organization expands, shrinks or goes through a vision planning process. The way in which the organization takes its decisions and who needs to be involved (its governance) needs to be reviewed and changed. Amalgamating congregations, congregations moving from pastoral to program size (or vice versa), presbyteries looking for more effective ways to take decisions for the common good, not for profit organizations with an expanded mandate are all examples of Potentials' work in organizational review and governance.
In addition to good governance, it is important for the health of an organization that the efforts, skills and energy of the staff and key volunteers are aligned with its vision. Potentials achieves this alignment through the development of appropriate competencies which will further the aims of the congregation or organization.
Back to top of page
Feasibility studies
In order to lay the groundwork for a major initiative, organizations will often hire an outside agency to conduct a study and make recommendations. Potentials has conducted a feasibility study for a major fund raising program, and studies of both growing and declining presbyteries. Our strong knowledge of the Canadian church allows us to make recommendations which are consistent with the potential of the church to implement. We believe that to be feasible, a course of action must in some way connect at a deep level with the identity, history and values of the church.
Back to top of page
Team building and coaching
There is an increasingly high value in many congregations and other settings for leadership which works as a team. The church is responding to a norm which is common in business and the volunteer sector. Teams may be limited clergy staff, or may include other staff and key volunteers. Clergy, however, often have little experience or training in working as a team and find the shift in leadership style and expectations difficult. Potentials has conducted team building sessions for individual teams and for larger groups, and has coached leaders into increasing their effectiveness.
Read more about The Practice of Team Ministry. (PDF Download)
We design and conduct research projects which include:
- field theory and practical research on congregational ministry and development
- congregational and judicatory studies on resources and capacities for ministry
- program evaluation
|
