Stimulating individual initiative

 

We act systematically and coordinate our efforts at the cluster level, but within this framework growth ultimately depends on the initiative of individuals arising to serve.  This brief report from the Hartford-Tolland, CT (A) cluster shares an interesting approach for mobilizing the friends:  a “pledging tool” to stimulate and track individual teaching efforts.  This tool, plus accompaniment, helped empower the friends to action, and also provided a way to quantitatively assess progress.  You can also see how the reflection meeting becomes a key part of the process.

The main goal for this quarter was to encourage individual teaching amongst the friends.  The cluster agencies consulted and created a useful pledging tool for the reflection meeting and planned and carried out a very successful reflection meeting where the friends reflected as a community and as individuals, consulted about the teaching work, and made personal teaching plans based on seekers and contacts in their lives. . . .

A simple system was created where pledges could be tracked, friends accompanied and we could all see progress from cycle to cycle.  Thus, at the previous reflection meeting on those present pledged to share Anna's presentation with 54 individuals, and at this reflection meeting reported that they accomplished sharing Anna's presentation with 32 individuals (59%).  The community had pledged to invite 41 individuals to devotional meetings and invited 32 (78%).  The community pledged to invite 22 friends to study circles and invited 10 (45%).  The community pledged to invite 6 children to children's classes and invited 8 (133%).  The community pledged to invite 2 junior youth to junior youth groups and invited 10 (500%).  The core team members worked to accompany the teachers and the results were very encouraging.