July
Pre-Meeting Work
Please listen, read, and reflect before the Zoom meeting:
Listen
Interview with Stephen Lewis, Forum for Theological Exploration
Reading
Faith and Leadership: Select two stories on institutional innovation
Scripture reflection
Philippians 1:8-11
Paul cannot control what the Philippians do; he can only try to give them encouragement and counsel from a distance. The verb “determine” in the sixth line means literally, “to prove through testing or experimentation.”
How does love lead to knowledge and insight?
Discerning what is best is done through a process of experimentation, interpretation, new insight, and moving forward again. What qualities and practices does a congregation need in order to engage such a process over time?
Paul adopts the widest possible angle for describing the point of the Philippians’ faithful actions (“the day of Christ,” “for the glory and praise of God”). What framework is important to your congregations in thinking about the goal of their innovations?
Zoom meeting dates
July 12, 8:30 am, 10:00 am, 11:30 am (CST)
July 16, 1:00 pm, 2:30 pm, 4:00 pm (CST)
Discussion Questions
How has your institution been innovative in the past and what about this project is pushing you to do something new now?
Tell a story about a way in which your institution is innovating, in order to work well with your congregations in this project.
Additional Resources
See Faith and Leadership on: Institutional innovation
Harvard Divinity School students on innovative leaders: How We Gatherlearn more