Published by TJ Gause - USA January 30th, 2008
in Internship Documents.
This Bible study was created by Larry Benson, the Director of Daily Operations in Helene, Bay Islands, Honduras and is based on the book The Five Disfunctions of a Team, by Patrick Lencioni.
This is not Alternative Missions’ standardized curriculum for interns. It is simply how Team Helene teaches interns and is submitted as a resource only.
Larry’s use of these Bible studies:
I use these on Tuesday nights when I do my intern meetings these are separate from regular team meetings….interns have different needs. So the form you have is to be used by a leader and could be expanded to include a Bible Study paper also for the student, but I have not done that yet. I see the 5 Dysfunctions as a relational model and a biblical one. I do one study per week for about two hours; I am big on personal reflection. Also, as homework, each intern is expected to shadow one of the full time staffers once a week. We have a list of questions they have to ask each one of us to get to know us. We also use a book called connecting cultures.
Absence of Trust Bible Study
Fear of Conflict Bible Study
Lack of Comittment Bible Study
NOTE: The lack of commitment needs some teaching along with it. The last scripture seems to show that Paul and Barnabas never got over the John Mark issue, but in reality they did. The church at a first glace seemed to approve of Paul’s team but not Barnabas and John Mark. The Greek does not bear that out thought the Greek NT clearly shows that the church sent them both out with their approval. Another situation which started out as a conflict ended up in a celebration.
Published by TJ Gause - USA January 21st, 2008
in Issues.
Recent discussion has evolved regarding the way Alternative Missions functions based on the article The Three Ways of Getting Things Done, by Gerard Fairtlough. This document is located under the “Docs” tab in the “Leadership and Teaming” section. One staff member was reading through the various documents and commented on the ideas of Hierarchy, Heterarchy and Responsible Autonomy. Feel free to join in discussion….
Staff Post:
I just finished reading the article on the “3 Ways of Getting Things Done.” I LOVE it. This article really helps explain who we are as an organization - that we operate in a heterarchal system. Although, it seems like each of our locations, while they operate in a heterarchy individually, as they each relate together & with the home office, it seems more like responsible autonomy. Tom, does this sound right?
To be honest, I’m still trying to wrap my mind around the whole concept. But I like the description of the advantages of heterarchy:
- makes rulers more accountable
- discourages tyranny (which is what I was referring to in earlier posts)
- requires personal responsibility
- ensures commitment to the organization’s vision and values
- delivers creative, cooperative solutions
- fosters continuing learning
- fosters skills like negotiation and facilitation
- permits constant change and adaption
- draws on diverse talents and skills
That really sounds like who we are. Tom, this week I’m just really thankful for the God-given vision you’ve pursued in this organization. My experiences in the last week combined with reading through some of our documents has deepened my appreciation for this organization. Thank you Jesus for allowing me to be a part.
Tom’s Reply:
Yes - Heterarchy is the closests to who we are. In some ways the location to board relationship is Responsible Autonomy and we try to have as little of the Hierarchy approach going on from board to locations or staff as possible. This is imporant for staff to understand and reading the article would be really important for everyone to do. I like to think of us as a “Missions Co-Operative” where we agree to serve together because God has directed us together in our different locations. That is a simplistic view but communicates our respect for each other and our commitment together at the same time.
