Gather the Wisdom, Weave a Dream is a resource for leaders and planners who wish to guide their faith communities through the turbulent waters of deep change and transformation. It is for communities at a crossroads who can no longer go on as they have in the past, yet do not wish to simply care for their remaining members, settle their affairs, and come to "completion." It is for those who wish to discern a deeper invitation at these Graced Crossroads and create a vision for the future that is truly transformative, one that promises to bring forth new meaning and purpose to the lives of their members.
This book offers an approach to visioning that is novel, one that includes and yet transcends conventional planning methods. It is an approach integrally connected to the soulwork I believe is too often neglected but nonetheless essential for the successful transformation of persons and communities. This work is an effort to directly connect the outer work of change with the inner work of transformation.
While faith communities resonate with the idea of transformation and possibilities for new life, little is written on how to go about it. Although I have long cautioned communities that there are no formulaic solutions for such transformative endeavors, neither are we completely at a loss with what to do. There are universal principles and processes known to be involved in both personal and communal transformation. And there is an array of possible approaches that has proven to be successful, as well as a host of pitfalls that ought to be avoided.
It is the application of these principles and processes that has yet to be sufficiently spelled out and this book aims to address this gap. I will put forth ideas, guidelines, and concrete examples as departure points to help leaders and planners create their own approach. Each community will need to creatively draw upon and tailor these ideas to fit their unique circumstances. The material provided will give leaders and planners the working knowledge they will need to maximize the possibility of personal, communal, and systemic transformation.
This book is meant to be a resource, not some kind of blueprint for transformation. There is no such thing. I do not presume to think that what I am offering is the only way to approach visioning or communal transformation. However, this is one way I have used and evolved over the years that I have found to be highly effective. The communities who I have accompanied, and who have engaged in this work, have found it to be integral to their larger efforts to transform their lives and birth a new way of being.
