| Article
written for March 2005 issue of Currents,
the newsletter of Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) of Mennonite
Church. Almost all of ACC "leaders" are pastors.
Learn more about ACC and see the electronic version of Currents
at www.atlantic.coast.mennonite.net
Open
Space or An Agenda-less Meeting
Edgar
Stoesz, ACC Moderator
ACC
leaders meet annually in February for a Winter Retreat. In
recent years this one-day event has taken place in the friendly
environment of Tel Hai Camp. The 24 participants included
members of the Executive Committee, Cluster Conveners and
Committee chairs. At the 2004 retreat we laid the groundwork
for the Core Values statement that was reviewed at the Spring
delegate meeting and approved at the Fall delegate meeting.
It promises to provide ACC with a clear focus for years to
come.
This
year our agenda was…. Can I admit this? Truth be known, we
had none! No agenda? Is that as unthinkable as a worship service
without a sermon? Call it what you will, we had no agenda.
We gathered in what is called “Open Space.” This is a relatively
new technique that permits participants to create and manage
their own agenda around a central theme of strategic importance.
It is sometimes referred to as passion bounded by responsibility.
Appropriate
to the theme of “Open Spaces,” the Moderator used for an opening
devotional the story of Abraham responding to God's instruction
to “go to a land that I will show you.” We invited God's Holy
Spirit to fill this open space. Then our facilitator, John
Engle, suggested a few ground rules and invited participants
to come forward, record briefly on a placard what they wanted
to talk about with provision for interested persons to join.
Nelson
Yoder broke the ensuing silence by inviting others to think
with him about healthy relationships between congregations
and conference. This was followed by requests to discuss a
definition of “healthy congregations”, the role of scripture
in our life together, and the balancing act of getting things
done or letting them happen. In less than a half an hour ten
topics had been put forward. They were by definition topics
participants wanted to discuss. The topics were organized
into one-hour time slots after which participants scattered
to the far corners of the lodge to engage in lively discussion
on topics of their choosing.
The
law of two feet was in effect, permitting anyone not pleased
with how a given discussion was going to transfer to another
group. (I am not aware that any did!)
After
a lunch break we returned to focus on what needs to happen
next. In the late afternoon we closed the circle by using
the ancient Indian Talking Stick technique by which each participant
was invited to speak what was on his or her mind. Repeatedly
we heard how unfamiliar this method of meeting was, but how
welcome to be trusted with “Open Space,” - to make our agenda,
allowing us to interact on common issues. Several spoke movingly
about having experienced God's Spirit in our midst. Our relationships
were obviously deepened, as we ventilated our thoughts and
feelings on conference related issues, including concerns
that elude routine agendas.
I
do not anticipate that all future meetings will be agenda-less
but I expect us to resort to some variation of this technique
for special occasions. Some were even heard to wonder what
the reaction would be if a future delegate meeting would be
Open Space? God sometimes works in strange and unfamiliar
ways God's wonders to perform.
|
CIRCLES
OF CHANGE participatory learning and leadership in Haiti
Open
Space website: links, stories, books, videos, listserv
Click
here to go to a collectively created website called 'wiki,'
used by our Haiti community of practioners for meeting notes,
discussions, and projects
Learn
about "Circles of Change: a quiet revolution in Haiti"
mini documentary
Touchstones
Discussions website
John
Engle Associates downloadable brochure |
