"Journey of Discovery"
The Five Phases of Congregational Transformation

The Journey of Discovery is indeed a “journey”. However, it is a journey with no fixed end point. The Journey of Discovery is an ongoing continuous process; a journey necessary for all congregations, not a program done by a few congregations. In the Northwest Region, the Journey of Discovery involves moving through five phases of transformation. Each phase leads to a different and deeper level of change. Each phase builds upon the one that preceded it. The first two phases help build readiness throughout the congregation for major and profound change. The final three phases involve discerning God’s vison for the congregation; planning for the changes necessary to respond to that call; and implementing those changes in such a way that the congregation learns a whole new way of “being church”.

Phase One: “Getting Ready for the Journey”

During this phase, the congregation gets ready to engage in the transformation process. It’s equivalent to the Israelites getting ready to leave Egypt. The Israelites, in spite of their bondage and persecution by their Egyptian taskmasters, were not eager to leave Egypt. When Moses arrived on the scene, they did not immediately pack their belongings. Moses not only had to deal with resistance from the Pharaoh, but he also had to deal with internal resistance from the Israelites. The same is true in many of our Disciples congregations today. They are comfortable with the way they are now and have been in the past. It is familiar, non-threatening. They know where the boundaries are. They feel relatively secure.

Getting ready to launch into transformation can be the most difficult part of the entire process. Congregations must become aware of the gap that exists between what they are today and what God is calling them to be tomorrow. It is only when a critical mass of the members comes to recognize this gap that the congregation will be ready to embark on the transformation process.

So, the primary task of this first phase is to create and stimulate readiness for major change. Phase One is expected to take about 5 months.

Phase Two: “Developing a Common View of Reality”

During this phase, the congregation develops a common view of their current reality. Complete information about the congregation’s heritage, context, constituency, and internal organization is gathered and summarized. All of this information is shared within congregation in order to develop a common view of its reality so that the members can come to consensus on the strategic issues that must be addressed.

Phase Two helps people become ready for major change. By the time it is completed, the congregation will be able to describe accurately and specifically the areas where change must occur. Phase Two is expected to take about 8 months.

Phase Three: “Discerning God’s Call”

In this phase the congregation engages in serious theological and prayerful discernment processes in order to determine what God is calling it to be and do in the future. During this phase the congregation takes four major steps. It will:

• • identify and embrace strategic issues;
• discern God’s call and create a guiding vision;
• explore alternative futures;
• and then craft an organizational strategy, containing a vision statement, a mission statement, and key results and goals. Phase Three is expected to take approximately 8 months.

Phase Four: “Designing Congregational Life and Witness”

During this phase the congregation becomes more exacting in the transformation process as a new focus for its future unfolds. Several existing or specially-appointed task forces will develop action plans simultaneously and these groups, under the leadership of the congregation’s coordinating team, will formulate those action plans into a comprehensive or strategic plan. That plan will describe the actions that the congregation will take as it moves into the future. Phase Four is expected to take about 8 months.

Phase Five: “Living into a Faithful Future”

In this phase the congregation manages both the changes and the transitions necessary for it to move into the discerned future. The congregation develops and puts into place all the systems required to implement the new strategic direction: organizational structures, policies, procedures, priorities, resource allocation, and quality controls. The congregation will create a special transition plan to change its institutional life from their old patterns into this new way of being church. Creating the transition plan is expected to take about 7 months. Implementation of the plan is an iterative, on-going process involving periodic systemic reviews that result in necessary updates and changes to the plan as the future unfolds.