There is an old creativity strategy that I think might be beneficial in a conversation about the work of judicatory staff. Let me explain the rationale for the strategy first. A group that had studied creativity and what nurtured it, recognized a problem with the emergence of a creative idea within a group. The problem was this. Most new ideas don’t emerge fully formed. Rather there is a seed of an idea that needs to be cultivated if it is to find full birth. Often, when someone begins to give voice to a new idea, the response of the group is to challenge the idea and note its weaknesses. Since the person who spoke of the idea doesn’t have it fully formed yet, s/he is not prepared to answer all the challenges. The result is people grow wary of offering new ideas at all.
The creativity group suggested that the group agree to a different type of response to any new idea that was offered. Once the idea was offered, anyone who spoke had to first say at least two things that they liked about the idea. Then, if they had any concerns, they made them concerns of the total group and not just the person. They would say something like, “I like this and this about John’s idea, but how do we (the total group) handle a concern that I have.”
Adapting that to a council’s conversation with a staff person’s ministry, people would begin by affirming a couple of strengths in that person’s ministry. Then they would continue, “What do we need to do to assist this person in responding to a particular area about which I have a concern.” What you are doing is engaging a minister in a redemptive way that affirms but also offers support for growth in their ministry.
It might be a more positive way to strengthen and grow those who have devoted themselves to serving the larger church.
