Core Services and Trainings
Below are some of the core services and offerings.
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Asset-Based Community Development
Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) is an approach to strengthening communities and neighborhoods that considers local assets as the primary building blocks of a sustainable, resilient and thriving community. Building on the skills of local residents, the power of local associations, and the supportive functions of local institutions, ABCD draws upon existing community strengths to build stronger, more sustainable communities for the future.
Workshops and Training:
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Introduction to ABCD: Full-day introduction. Learners will be able to 1) Describe the difference between a needs-based and asset- or strengths-based ministry; 2) Identify a previously undiscovered community asset; 3) Be familiar the philosophical grounding for an asset orientation; and 4) Envision and prepare for a community walking tour and asset mapping exercise for their setting. Activities include gifts of the hand, head and heart; asset-mapping; neighborhood tour through the lens of assets; and practice participating in a one-on-one listening conversation.
Connecting Church with Community
Gone are the days when most of the population in the United States is connected to a church. Methods of this era that sought to attract people into the church have little purpose in our current context. If people are not coming to the church, then the church most go to the people. But, for most congregations, this change is hard. It involves letting go of our agendas and trusting that God is already at work in our neighborhoods. It involves some new ways of thinking. And, it involves learning tools and approaches for engaging communities beyond the walls of the church.
Consultation Services:
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Available to individual congregations; denominational units; and seminaries
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Define the goals and objectives; design strategies including training, coaching and network approaches; develop and deliver training; and provide participants with on-going coaching and consultation.
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Guest speaker and teacher around theological and biblical grounding for a church to engage in community building and community development.
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Customized services for transforming a church building from a church-centric place to community-centric space – a place dedicated to God’s dream for the community.
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Workshops and Training:
Communities of Shalom: A 40-hour training and facilitation that equips churches to reach out to their communities in a way that is contextual to the church’s community; relational as opposed to transactional; and self-aware of personal power and privilege in order to minimize harm and maximize healing and wholeness. This training integrates all the workshops above. The end product is a written plan, built upon the assets of the community, with strategies and tools for working alongside neighbors and collaborating organizations toward the holistic health of the community. The grounding for this training is that through the inherent attractiveness of a holistic concern for persons and their communities, God is more deeply known, and all more deeply know themselves as one of God’s beloved children.
Leadership Development
More and more there is a growing appreciation, and urgent need, for leadership practices that are adaptive and participatory. The complex problems that face our communities and organizations call for leaders who convene and facilitate the participation of those closest to the problem or opportunity. Leaders for these situations no-longer rely on command-and-control methods, but instead ask curious questions that elicits input and wisdom from all involved and creates ownership for decisions made.
Consultation Services:
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Define the goals and objectives; design strategies including training, coaching and network approaches; develop and deliver training; and provide participants with on-going coaching and consultation.
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Models frequently used:
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Liberating Structures
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Design Thinking
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Theory U
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Focused Conversation Method
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Peter Block’s Six Conversations that Matter
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Adaptive Leadership
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Workshops and Training:
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Practices for People-Centered Leadership: Three workshop series (2 hours each) that provide leadership tools and practices that encourages innovation, nurtures collaboration, welcomes diversity, and engenders ownership and commitment. In between sessions, learners are invited to practice with the tools and bring back their experiences for further learning and reflection.
Organizational Development, Sustainability, and Evaluation
Consultation Services:
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Strategic Planning
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Fund Development Planning
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Project Management
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Program Design
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Nonprofit Management
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Theories of Organizational Change
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Evaluation: Specialty in Developmental Evaluation including the Most Significant Change Method
Workshop and Training:
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Theories of Organizational Change: 1 hr. introduction to three theories that embrace change and disruption in ways that lead to new and impactful organizations and systems. This session is designed to give learners: 1) a basic knowledge of the three theories and 2) a framework for thinking about their organization and their role in leading it through its current disruption.
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Project Management and Evaluation: 3 hr. introduction to the basics of project management and outcomes evaluation. This course is best suited for small teams who have a new project to launch. This course includes assistance setting up both your project management plan and your evaluation plan.
Social Network Mapping
Social Network Mapping (SNM) is a tool for visualizing relationships between people and/or organizations. Visualization can bring a deeper understanding and engagement with the invisible dynamics of these networks and can lead to the development of better strategies for leveraging the network toward greater impact.
Consultation Services:
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Define Purpose and Scope of Network Map: Facilitate key network members to define the network’s mapping needs. Facilitate the survey design, connection options, and help inform the overall process in such a way that respects and embodies the network's values, structure and purpose.
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Visualization of the Data: Translating the information above into a database that is uploaded into visualization software.
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Determine Strategies: Facilitate key network members to seek understanding and meaning from the visualization of the data. This usually includes answering the questions: what are we seeing, what does it mean, and what shall we do as a result.
Workshops and Training:
Introduction to Social Network Mapping: ½ day intro to the basics of a social network map; a facilitated experience mapping your own network using newsprint and makers; tools for seeking understanding and meaning from the map along with next wise steps.