Learning Together
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Joe was excited.
He'd just been on a great weekend conference on the latest thinking on evangelism, and was
really fired up. At the next church council he outlined this thinking, and his thoughts on
how the church could take it on board, and improve its outreach programme. To his
disappointment, his enthusiasm was met with a neutral reception - the council didn't
really understand what Joe was trying to say and the plan got shelved. |
This situation is probably quite common in
Christian circles. There are many, many conferences, courses, books and videos around, and
as leaders, we should encourage people to broaden their knowledge, skills and
spirituality. However, the problem comes when those who have experienced some new concept
or approach are keen to introduce this within the church. This is almost inevitable in a
situation where the learning programme within the church is based around the individual.
Having a environment which encourages shared learning is one hallmark of organisations
which have strong leadership from within.
Two requirements of an organisation which promotes shared learning are shared vision, and
a willingness to take risks. A likely consequence of shared vision is a shared
appreciation of the gap between the current and the desired state. This gap can be
analysed to understand what learning is required. Because this learning has a clear
purpose, that of achieving a common goal, the broader organisation are much more willing
to participate in the learning process. Imagine the different reception Joe will receive
if he is sent on the evangelism course by a church who has identified together a need for
greater emphasis on evangelism. Risk-taking and learning go hand in hand. Given that we
learn far more from our mistakes than from our successes, a church unwilling to explore
new things will learn far less than those who are willing to try new things and see if
they work.
Many successful commercial organisations like Marks & Spencer, Walmart, Procter &
Gamble, First Direct all place a high degree of importance on training and continuous
improvement. This applies throughout the organisations, and senior managers are likely to
be personally involved in giving and receiving training.
It is well known that practice as well as theory is required for new learning to be
completely absorbed. This is as important for organisational learning as for individual
learning. Peter Senge(5) offers the concept of Microworlds, creating opportunities for
shared practical experience. Creating a microworld could involve team building exercises,
role-plays, practical sessions with group feedback, simulation games or mini-projects. The
focus is on the learning, and every opportunity is taken to ensure that the learning is
maximised and shared. Consider as an example, a session where individuals are given the
opportunity to practice their preaching skills. The rest of the group then give feedback.
It is important that the feedback to the preacher should be from the group, and in front
of the group, rather than from a trainer or expert. Doing it this way not only builds the
skills of the individual, but builds the relationships and trust within the group.
Properly given, feedback can be extremely encouraging.
Our individual learning is influenced by the stimuli we receive from various sources, at
various times, and as we fulfil various roles. As churches our learning is influenced by
the learning of all our individual church members. In turn, their learning is from all
their different roles and experiences. As well as providing an environment which values
learning and actively encourages it, we also need to establish an environment which
encourages people to bring in learning from all aspects of their lives.
(5) The Fifth Discipline-the Art & Practice of the Learning Organisation Peter Senge
Century, 1990
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