Goal Three: Recreate the Diocese as a Network

For the members of the Goal Three Task Team, Ken Toven’s phrase above says it all: transforming diocesan structure from a top-down model to one of networks within networks will enable all to be connected for their work of mission and ministry.

This is a complex undertaking, and one which may be always in motion. As Task Team Leader Rex McKee puts it, “The organization became the agenda” as the group began its work.

The network concept is one in which people are connected to each other not necessarily by congregations and regions, but by shared ministries and goals, sharing ideas and resources without needing to “reinvent the wheel” in their own locations. In addition, this is seen as a grassroots rather than a “topdown” type of organization, in which the members of the networks themselves connect with and work with each other rather than relying on a central organizational structure.

All this sounds like a simple concept, but it will take some time to accomplish, as existing structure makes the transition to a network setup. In a process timeline planned to run from September 2008 through December 2009, the team is working in a number of areas:

• Network development

• Hub congregation development

• Structural revision and transition

• Lay leadership development

• Youth and young adults

• Theology of change

Mapping the diocese

It was noted in the report of the Bishop’s Commission on Mission Strategy that there are a number of existing networks already functioning in the diocese, either on a formal or informal level. The Goal Three task team has been working to identify more networks and to get a sense of how they work. The team is asking all Episcopalians to help them create this “network map” of the Diocese of Minnesota, beginning with an online survey. Here, people can check the networks they are involved in, and add others that may not be on the original list.

Networks can come in all sizes and shapes. Some may be centered around geography (regions), some around age or ethnicity (youth and young adults, young families, the elderly, Native American, Hispanic, African, or Asian ministry), some around ministry (Millennium Development Goals, outreach, music, etc), some around organizations (Episcopal Community Services, Sheltering Arms, etc) — the list goes on and on. All are communities, some within a congregation and some in a larger context. One aim of Goal Three is to help like communities in different parts of the diocese connect with each other, and for all to be able to feed into larger networks in the diocese as a whole.

Other plans include inviting and convening conversations among existing and emerging networks; recruiting, orienting, a resource a group of facilitators to convene and lead conversations among networks of congregations and ministries; and inviting existing and emerging networks of congregations to explore how their ministries can be strengthened and enhanced.

Finding the hubs

Another key factor in network development is the identification of hubs around the diocese. The task team hopes to identify actual and potential hubs as part of its network mapping work. The original concept was that of congregations as hubs within a network of congregations and ministries; and the task team plans to identify present hub congregations and their roles, to determine criteria for hub congregations, and to identify other congregations which can also serve as hubs.

However, this concept has broadened as the work has progressed. It has been discovered that sometimes a place can be a hub, sometimes a relationship, sometimes advocacy (eg, Environmental Stewardship), and sometimes an event or series of events (eg, Teens Encounter Christ). In Region Four, according to Rex McKee, it has even been suggested that the network itself can be the hub!

Leadership development for all ages

A network concept will call upon and utilize the gifts and skills of a growing number of lay people throughout the diocese. The task team hopes to empower and equip lay leaders for ministry both within their congregations and in the ministry of the diocese; and also to work with emerging networks of congregations to create corresponding groups of lay leaders, providing them opportunities to interact, share ideas, and plan for ministry.

“We need leadership that understands how to be connected to other churches,” notes Rex McKee. “What do lay leaders need and what can they provide?”

One group that already understands networking is the youth and young adult population. The task team hopes to devote particular energy to the identification and equipping of young adults in the congregations of the diocese, as well as to determine the role of campus ministry in our diocesan vision and to assess the resources needed to implement it successfully. The monthly “Theology and a Pint” series in both St. Louis Park and St. Paul has a high percentage of young people, and has become a kind of network of its own.

Another aspect of this concept is that of clergy renewal, the equipping of clergy in leadership, gifts discernment, and collaborative decision making; and the strengthening of a spirit of mutual support and collaboration among clergy and lay leaders.

Structural transition

This work is large in scope, and will eventually necessitate some structural changes to bring it to its stated goal of recreating the entire diocese as a network. It is possible that canonical revisions may be needed, and material gathered from the network surveys and other sources will be incorporated into recommendations to Diocesan Council in mid-2009 regarding a new organizational structure to replace the current regional structure.

Goal Three aims for a “flattening” of the hierarchy, not just the episcopacy, and McKee notes that there will have to be deep conversations on governance. He believes that the new network structure will make it possible to work with a smaller staff at the Episcopal Center and make the work of the bishop easier as well.

A “theology of change”

Moving from a regional structure to one that supports congregations networks and hub congregations (wherever they may be located) will take time. Rex McKee and the Goal Three Task Team envision a timeline of at least eighteen months for this work. It will need to include a transition design that encourages grassroots initiatives.

A few of the comments from a February meeting of Regions 6, 7, and 9 illustrate the range of ideas about this network concept. Some were enthusiastic, some reluctant and a little frightened at the prospect, and some wanted to learn more about how to “take the step from our congregation to being a member of a network.” Others reinforced the need for this process: “We need a structure that engages more people in the diocese” “We need networks that engage people.” Some wondered if the diocese would be setting up the networks, and others hoped for more community within their own congregations first. It is obvious that much discussion needs to happen on the congregational and regional levels, and that is part of the task team’s current work.

New network presences

Some of these grassroots groups have already begun to make their own connections with the diocese at large. At the time of this writing, two new ministry-specific event calendars have been set up online and are now linked to the diocesan website. These cover music events around the diocese as well as in the area of youth music. In addition, Region 7 (St. Paul and eastern suburbs), already functioning as a network, has just set up its own website, to function as a “one-stop gateway to events, liturgies, programs, fundraisers, and networking” among the churches of the region. In keeping with the concept of a network rather than a top-down structure, key players in these areas will be able to post their own news and events for all in the diocese to see. Read more about these endeavors here.

“Getting out of the silos”

If all this sounds like an expansion of the current social networking movement, perhaps that is no mistake. Although this is not necessarily an Internet-oriented program, it will certainly be aided by the growth of widespread Internet access. The Goal Three Task Team hopes that the development strengthening of networks will help people get out of isolation and share stories, goals, and resources in order to support each other in mission and ministry.

As Paul Allick has noted, the Diocese of Minnesota should not be thought of as 100+ congregations, but as one church with 100+ storefronts. When they connect, it is hoped that we will truly have “leadership all over the place.”

---

Help the task team map the diocese!

Click here to take an online survey of the networks you are involved in, and add other networks that to the original list.