This week, Camp DeWolfe staff attended the Episcopal Camps and Conference Center's first Summit on Faith Formation "Building the Continuum". Over 80 participants from across the USA and beyond, met at Duncan Center in Delray Beach, Florida, and spent an intensive course together vision casting, formulating and planning around the focusing question:
*How might Christian lifelong faith formation over the next ten years affect the renewal and transformation of the Episcopal Church in the 21st century world?
Participants from Camps, Conference Centers, Retreat Centers, Parishes, Schools, Youth Ministries, Health Care Ministries, Diocesan offices and National offices merged for the following goals:
*To analyze the present realities and future uncertainties in the church and world and envision potential futures for Episcopal Christian Formation in a diversity of settings over the next 5-10 years.
*To develop a shared language and understanding of the future of Christian Formation in the Episcopal Church by creating four scenarios (narratives) of the future.
* To guide the development of more comprehensive strategic planning and action that envisions multiple futures for Christian formation in the Episcopal Church.
Driving forces and uncertainties included economic, cultural, technological, religious, political and social dynamics.
The team created a 2x2 scenario matrix that portrays 4 possible future outcomes.
The 4 future narratives for 4 action plans for ministry opportunities were:
Scenario 1) A Church Engaged in the World; Community and Connection are enhanced by Technology
Scenario 2) A Church Separated from the World; Community and Connection Enhanced by Technology
Scenario 3) A Church Separated from the World; Community and Connection Diminished by Technology
Scenario 4) A Church Engaged in the World; Community and Connection Diminished by Technology
Teams for different ministry settings then developed action strategies for each of these future scenarios, so that ministries can prepare and be proactive no matter how the future pans out! A draft report was created and a final report will be completed by early 2012.
It was a gift to be able to partner and connect with people from across the nation (and further) from different ministry settings and collaboratively work together to build (or rebuild) the church in the 21st century!
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