When the Anglican Church Women Diocesan Board was asked many months ago about making a presentation at what was then to be the October date of Synod 2022, we were able to reply that we, indeed, wanted to make a presentation. There was an application form to be completed and it was very clear that consideration for approval to present would be based on whether the proposed presentation reflected the Synod theme of We Shall All Be Changed.
Completing that application went quickly and easily, as the Board had been engaged for weeks in major soul-searching: it was evident the Board needed to change; its current status was not sustainable. Indeed, we had as our 2022/23 theme, Embracing Change . . . in New and Wondrous Ways. We were at a crossroads and needed a way forward. Board columns in The Diocesan Times have referenced this change at different times since the first column of Change is in the Air (April 2022). I am able to assure you it was possible to outline on that Synod presentation application form what the Board had been engaged in, and how it was evolving, such that we would be able to show how we were all being changed. We would be able to speak very directly to the Synod theme of We Shall All Be Changed – we were able to do so for October 2022 and will be able to do even more for the new date of Synod in May 2023.
The Anglican Church Women Board right now continues to be in that transition phase, or ‘liminal space’ that I spoke of in the June 2022 column entitled, Crossroads Now . . . Transformation on the Horizon. I noted then that there was no road map or GPS, no road sign or arrow to point the way definitively for the Anglican Church Women Diocesan Board as it navigated its way into the future. With one foot in what has been and one foot in what will be, we have had to remind ourselves that it is in this time of disorientation and angst that God does his best work, that it is, as Richard Rohr describes, that “unique position where human beings hate to be, but where the biblical God is always leading them . . . It is when you are between your old comfort zone and any possible new answer.” Liminal space has been described as akin to “constructing a bridge at the same time as you are walking on it.” It can feel very dangerous, certainly unsettling.
The Board has used several “navigational tools” to help with the journey of moving along into the future. We took advantage of key learnings from both the literature on change and the research on volunteerism to help shape a possible future vision for the Board. With Facilitator Louisa Horne using an approach called Strategic Doing, she helped guide us to an emerging framework. This framework will be outlined in next month’s issue of The Diocesan Times. However, if you want to learn more about the specifics of our journey of Embracing Change, please e-mail [email protected]
Meanwhile, the following Key Principles, or 5 E’s, of both managing and leading change, as adapted from Brad Powell (2013), have helped the Board in its process of imagining a new future. We share them here for the benefit of all Diocesan Times Readers.
The 5 E’s of managing and leading change – for oneself and others
- Experience God – We need to have a moral compass to guide us through the challenge of change.
- Expand our exposure – We need to be open to new people, thoughts, experiences, environments, information, and needs.
- Examination – We need to be self-reflective and open to hearing where God is calling us. May our prayer life always have a strong listening component!
- Education – We need to be willing to learn new things and new ways, to learn from the experiences and knowledge of others.
- Enthusiasm – We need to keep high our passion and enthusiasm for God, his people, and the purpose he is calling us to.
Ultimately, we know that God’s “power working in us can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine, in the Church and in Christ Jesus . . .” and, in the strength of that power, it is very possible that We Shall All Be Changed!
