A Wide Door of Opportunity
Parish Fellowship, Our Present Moment, and New Possibilities
Identifying THE Opportunity Before SJD Right Now
March 14, 2021 • The Rev. Dr. R. Leigh Spruill
Organizations that adapt successfully to change move with a sense of urgency and identify the "big opportunity" that is available in the moment. St. John the Divine must look at potential new expressions of what makes SJD what she is, what it would look like if we were to capitalize on our big opportunity, and what we are willing to give up to follow where God is leading us.
Adaptive Challenge & Examples from Church History
March 7, 2021 • The Rev. Dr. R. Leigh Spruill
In this session, Leigh explores where adaptive challenges lie. It's a great time of challenge and opportunity, not just for St. John the Divine, but for churches in the U.S. and the world over. Coronavirus is affecting us in a number of ways, and we are in a phase of transition. Leigh explores the actions of thriving and dying institutions and shares historical examples of adaptive challenges from church history.
Learning from the Church at Antioch
February 28, 2021 • The Rev. Dr. R. Leigh Spruill
The presupposition of this second session is that thriving institutions embody an ongoing commitment to core beliefs and identity while at the same time demonstrating a commitment to continuous learning and adaptation. Dying institutions tend to do one or the other but not both. We look at the New Testament church at Antioch (Acts 11:22-26; 13:1-3) as an exemplary model of a congregation moving through adaptive challenge. The church in Antioch is characterized by 1) Spirit-inspired grace and discernment; 2) contagious relationships; and 3) a missional orientation. One can argue that it is at Antioch that the early church transitions from being a religious sect to a far-reaching movement.
Forward thinking and adaptive challenges
February 21, 2021 • The Rev. Dr. R. Leigh Spruill
For the Church, our times are not a temporary interruption but a permanent disruption. For many church leaders, early responses to the pandemic were based on short-term thinking. Going forward, we need to be thinking long-term about the adaptive challenges necessary to thrive in a new world. That doesn't mean we have to change everything about the way we're doing things. The calling is to take our core mission, the things that make St. John the Divine who she is, a special charism, and take that forward.