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| Leaders explore ideas through art at the September 2010 St. Louis-area retreat on "Leadership In Between." Read more » |
In CHHSM we follow the energy of our members. That means paying attention to those centers of engagement where people are already organizing themselves around our common mission, vision and philosophy.
Specifically, we invest our associational resources where there is already movement around CHHSM’s core belief that “as ministries with a common faith tradition we need to be a part of an intentional community of mutual support.” Rather than make things happen in these centers, CHHSM’s role is to attend to what’s already happening, identify those structures and other resources needed to advance the effort, and celebrate the movement through communications.
Centers of engagement are communities of practice where leaders find hospitality and where they work on mastery — on becoming leaders who integrate professional excellence and faith-based purpose. In these communities, leaders share best practices, assist each other with challenges, and work together to support those they serve.
As communities with a common purpose coalesce and relationships are deepened, leaders envision their ministries in new and sustainable ways. CHHSM provides staffing and other resources to help these communities leverage their own energy for connection and learning.
Centers of engagement already exist on a regional and affinity basis all over the U.S.:
- The CHHSM Senior Services Collaborative brings together executives of eight CHHSM senior living organizations for joint learning and program initiatives.
- CHHSM members in Missouri Mid-South and Illinois South UCC Conferences have been meeting together three to four times a year to share information and best practices. They held a retreat in September 2010 to explore the theme of leadership amid change. Now they are providing an incubator for new initiatives in leadership formation.
- CHHSM leaders in the Indiana-Kentucky UCC Conference are committed to meeting four times a year for mutual support and professional growth.
These examples are not exhaustive but suggest a variety of centers that have formed and are expanding their ministries.
To learn more about how you might develop a regional or affinity-based group, contact CHHSM Vice President Bill Johnson at johnsonw@chhsm.org or 216-736-2256.
