Collaborative Planning Process

On December 31, focus on the Thy Kingdom Come initiatives established in 2002 came to an end. This year, Savannah River Baptist Association will follow a Collaborative Planning Process to derive a set of initiatives for us to pursue over the next 3-5 years.

This collaborative process is designed to get a wide-range of church participation in determining future initiatives for the association. The process is designed to gather representatives from all SRBA churches to have result-based conversations (i.e., discussion that centers on shared knowledge, mutual goals, and agreed upon action) that produce desired results.

There are three principles that guide this process:

1.    Collaboration: a process where two or more organizations work together in an intersection of common goals that is creative in nature by sharing knowledge, learning and building consensus. Through collaboration, groups do more together than any one can do alone.

2.    Discovery: working to solve complex issues by learning and experiencing more, seeking the new and different that may not be obvious, and by being open to other perspectives

3.    Work to Win: looking for possibilities and opportunities, focusing on the positive, and seeking to be the best at whatever you do

Three steps are necessary for result-based conversations:

1.    Gathering and sharing essential facts that let you know what you need to know to do what you need to do.

2.    Discussing this knowledge to create ownership and accountability. This leads to grasping the what, why and how of the task at hand, and answers the question, “What does this really mean?”

3.    Making appropriate decisions and creating plans of action that include ownership and accountability. 

Monty Hale, Director of the South Carolina Baptist Convention Association & Pastoral Ministries Office, will assist a Futuring Team elected by the SRBA Executive Board in leading SRBA through this process.