Stepping Forward: Synagogue Visioning and Planning

Drawing on his extensive and fruitful consulting work in diverse synagogue contexts, Alban senior consultant Robert Leventhal presents his Synagogue Visioning and Planning (SVP) model to a wider audience for the first time. Using this substantial yet accessible model, Leventhal has helped numerous congregations with visioning and planning, leadership development, and team building. He invites not just rabbis and council presidents but the many reluctant leaders of the congregation to jump in to SVP. This innovative model combines organizational leadership principles and core Jewish values to recruit, focus, and energize the congregation and the community so that work can be shared and productive. By including the broadest possible array of leadership in all stages of the process, SVP can be enthusiastically embraced by the entire congregation. Laid out in plain language, SVP is supported by case studies, workshops, and a tool kit so that congregations can use Stepping Forward as a manual on its own. It also serves as a decision-making tool for leaders who want to consider using the SVP process in their settings. Congregations that engage with SVP will uncover hidden depths of vision and vitality as they grow into a clearer understanding of their God-given ministries and gifts.