Workshops

I've been listening to The Ultimate Sales Machine for work. So far, it's a great, practical book and I recommend it for any business. But what about the business of the church? There is so much wisdom that I feel like I've gained from the world of business that can also apply to church life. As one example, in this book he makes a big deal about workshops, and describes how to run an effective workshop. The advantages of doing workshops, as I see it: collaboration, ideas, buy in, relational approach to problem soving, others will see blind spots you don't, anyone can participate (or, as Wimber probably would have put it, "Everyone plays"). The idea is that a question is asked, everyone is given time to think on it, then people share their thoughts. The thoughts are written down and voted on. Then action is taken on the things that rise to the top. A lot of churches do things by committee, and I'm not big on the committee approach, but I like the idea of several people coming up with solutions to a problems in a one-time workshop (with follow up action taken by select individuals).

Workshops could be done on...

• Ways to Fulfill the Church's Vision
• Creative Ideas for Impacting the Community
• How to Resolve Parking Issues
• Finding a Location for the Church

And just about any problem the church can come up with that needs to be resolved!

Of course, I am definitely getting ahead of myself. Probably won't have enough people for workshops anytime too soon! But just trying to has out as much as I can ahead of time. ;)

What do you think of the workshop idea? What wisdom do you think the church could learn from the business world?