First Step Data Summary May 8, 2001 Clergy Conference

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First Step Data SummaryMay 8, 2001 Clergy
Conference
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Qualifiers

• Not scientific
• Read data for indications only
• Context who was there

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Idea Infusion/Innovation Infusion

• 2.5 innovators
• 13.5 early adopters
• 34 early majority
• 34 late majority
• 16 laggards
• Characteristics of innovators

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Receptivity to

• Bishop Frade
• Bishop Frades vision
• Change
• Trying new things
• Teamwork
• Sharing information
• Self-development and discipleship

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Receptivity to

• Empowerment of the laity
• Diversity
• Coordinated diocesan approach
• Congregations working together
• Change while honoring tradition
• Learning
• Training

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Resistance to

• Status Quo

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Recurring Themes

• Parishes want to work with the diocese
• Parishes need to work together
• Coordinated approach throughout the diocese is
  important
• Purchase land
• Advertise

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Recurring Themes

• People stepping out of their comfort zones
• Diversity
• Alpha as a tool of evangelism
• Work on ourselves first
• Need for prayer
• Training
• Trusting in God

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Needs

• Information sharing about what others are doing
  and whats working
• Church plantings in Pembroke Pines, Royal Palm
  Beach, NW Miami-Dade, a Haitian church

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Needs

• Training
• History of Episcopal Church
• What it means to be an Episcopalian
• Anglican tradition
• Literature series on Classic Anglicanism
• Leadership and empowerment seminars
• Sensitivity training re diversity

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Needs

• More formation classes
• Workshops to understand cultural needs of each
  parish
• Evangelism skills to reach out
• Vestry training
• Empowerment
• Broaden our definition of all sorts and
  conditions to beyond race and class

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Challenges

• Fear
• Not enough clergy
• Not enough lay leadership
• Lack of connection between parishes and diocese

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Fears

• Episcopal church dying
• Not having the answers

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What laity want from clergy

• Leadership
• Catalysts for change and laity empowerment
• Training for lay leadership
• Relationship with diocese

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Would commit to

• Common themes
• Prayer
• Moving forward
• Advertising
• Pushing hard for first step in parish
• Sharing this day with others

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Would commit to

• More common themes
• - inviting others
• - neighborhood canvassing - going out into
  the community
• - one-on-one contact
• - getting involved
• - trying new things

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Impact Statements

• The community does not know about us, that we
  are here and what we are about. Everything in our
  diocese is a missionary outpost.
• Build schools and churches will follow.
• Find a need in the community and fill it.
• Locate new churches out west next to Publix
  markets.

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Observations

• The people in this group
• Connected to the vision on a personal level
• Communicated a sense of urgency to move forward
• Appear almost paralyzed by their own inhibitions
  and lack of what they perceive as a required
  skill-set for evangelism.

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Observations

• The people in this group
• - Dont lack commitment they lack confidence.
• - Are willing, almost anxious to become engaged,
  but many are feeling un-empowered, uninformed and
  ill-equipped.

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Conclusions

• Equipping the saints is a first order of
  business.
• Becoming a learning community can create an
  appropriate environment for change.

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Conclusions

• A learning community is one where people at all
• levels, as individuals and collectively, are
  continually
• increasing their capacity to produce results they
• really care about.
• Building Blocks of a Learning
• Community
• Awareness Environment Leadership
• Empowerment Learning

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Conclusions

• In learning to use learning approach, we would
  discover new ways to share best practices,
• breakthroughs and insights, and encourage
• collaborative thinking, innovation and action.
• By nurturing a learning community environment, we
  would encourage innovation and facilitate the
  passing of information to create a more informed
  body of people.

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Conclusions

• As a learning community, we would develop
  individual and collective capabilities to
  understand complex, interdependent issues engage
  in reflective, generative conversation and
  nurture personal and shared aspirations.
• By becoming a learning community, the capacities
  and accomplishments of our parishes will be
  inseparable from and dependent on the capacities
  of the learning communities which they foster
  individually and together.

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Conclusions

• By becoming a learning community, we would
  harness the spirit and imaginations of the people
  of the DIOSEF toward creating a diocese that
  boldly seizes opportunities to realize its shared
  vision during these times of dramatic change.

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First Step Data Summary

• Prepared by Christina Drouin at the
• Center for Strategic Planning for
• May 8,2001 Clergy Conference