Results-Based Conversations

1. Purpose
   1. Churches struggle with making and implementing decisions.
   2. Organizational dialogue will decrease proportionally to the percentage the church grows.
   3. Decision-making and dialogue can be strengthened through the use of teams (Eccl. 4:12; Prov. 15:22; Eph. 4:11-13).
   4. A Results-based Conversations workshop facilitates decision making by creating ownership and accountability for participants. People support what they help create.
2. Principles

   Results-based Conversations is based on six principles. The first three relate to action. The next three relate to attitudes.

   

   ACTIVITY » Presentation of principles, six realities, and models

   Use the principles continuum to discuss the extremes for each principle. Point out that Results-based Conversations provide a creative balance.

   

   The key to a successful session is understanding the different principles and how they are applied.

3. Perspectives

   Results-based Conversations help people understand their perspective on a given issue. People tend to see things from one of six realities.

   Six realities

   People see things from very different perspectives. When people see something from their own perspective, it is real to them. In any session participants will see things from one of six perspectives. We call these the six realities.

   

   • What was
   • What is
   • What might be
   • What could be
   • What should be
   • What will be
4. Procedures

   Several workshop procedures help to produce appropriate results. These include:

   1. Modeling
   2. Emergence
   3. Energy
   4. Environment
5. Possibilities

   Currently five workshop modules are available. One is on Collaborative Leadership to train people in the use of the material. The other four are for use in the church or another ministry context. These four are:

   • Member Involvement
   • Budget Preparation
   • Church Strategy
   • Community Impact
6. Pre-Design

   In order to prepare for a meaningful Results-based Conversations workshop, advance preparation by a leadership team is required. This team will consist of the church ministerial staff and a few key lay persons. Together they will engage in a pre-design meeting to help focus on needs and garner support for the workshop.

   In the pre-design meeting and the workshop the pastor is not expected to have all of the answers but is expected to give direction. He is not surrendering the vision and focus of the church to others but is allowing others to work within the boundaries of his guidance. The pastor sets the stage, limits the scope of discussions and creates expectations he wants to gain from the sessions.

Suggestions for a Results-based Conversations Workshop