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Dependable Strengths®
in Congregations
| When Sara Fortin and
Sally Peters took the 5-day Dependable Strengths training
in June 2002, they were dubbed the “church ladies”
by other participants in the course. But in fact, their
purpose in attending the training was to evaluate the
potential of Dependable Strengths as a resource to congregations
to help people articulate their God-given strengths. It
was clear to both from the start that there were many
ways to apply the work of Bernard and Jean Haldane to
the church setting. |
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Sara
Fortin and Sally Peters |
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Sara and Sally were privileged at that first training to
meet Bernard and Jean to learn firsthand of the decades of
Bernard’s leadership in helping people find their unique
pattern of Dependable Strengths, and Jean’s ongoing
work in applying Dependable Strengths in the Episcopal Church.
From their work in congregations through the Center for Lifelong
Learning at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota, Sara and
Sally knew that while many people understand that they have
gifts and a calling, few can articulate their unique pattern
of strengths. After meeting Bernard and Jean, they were inspired
to find a way to apply the process of uncovering strengths
in a workshop designed specifically for congregations.
Thus began an 18-month process of developing a partnership
between Luther Seminary and the Center for Dependable Strengths
to create a workshop for congregations and a training course
to teach leaders in congregations to facilitate the workshop.
Dependable Strengths® in Your
Congregation is a 3-day continuing education course
offered through Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. Combining
brief lectures with individual exercises and small group experiences,
this course is taught in two parts. The first 1½ days,
participants learn about their own pattern of unique strengths
by identifying and articulating core abilities, talents, and
skills – their “best self”. The second part
teaches participants how to plan and lead “Discover
Your Dependable Strengths” workshops in their own congregations.
They learn how to help others uncover their strengths and
apply this learning to situations in their homes, workplaces,
communities, and congregations. Knowing their dependable strengths
can lead church members to do more of what they do well and
enjoy doing and to lay claim to their callings in daily life.
The 1½ day workshop for congregations incorporates
many of the steps from the full 2½ day DSA training
course, including the 9 Dots, demonstration, quad work, strengths
exploration chart and reality test. Instead of the report,
each participant writes a one page “Statement of Ministry
and Call” that names their strengths and lays claim
to the use of those strengths (evidence of effectiveness).
The final paragraph identifies specific goals for making greater
use of their strengths in the future. A commissioning service
closes this step by celebrating the strengths and callings
of each participant. Finally, participants complete the workshop
with the Partnership of Excellence.
In the second 1½ days of the training, participants
learn how to effectively plan and lead workshops in their
own churches by practicing key steps, discussing potential
audiences and ways to publicize workshops and creating a specific
plan to take home.
Sara and Sally created three designs of the workshop for
churches – a 1½ day workshop, three half-day
sessions or six 2-hour sessions. Working with Allen Boivin-Brown
and Jean Haldane, Sara and Sally wrote a manual specifically
for congregational facilitators to ensure consistent delivery
of the DSA process in churches.
Congregational facilitators have enthusiastically embraced
Dependable Strengths and have found many ways to use it in
their churches. Examples are leadership teams, youth groups,
retreats, new member classes and transition groups.
Here’s what participants had to say after taking the
course at Luther Seminary:
“I learned to articulate and claim
the strengths that are unique to me … and am now able
to share these with others in all arenas of my life.”
“Great hands-on course with lots of
material to take back to the congregation!”
“This course has concrete application
for congregation members and their work in the world.”
If you would like to know more about Dependable Strengths
in congregations, check out www.centeredlife.org
or email the “church ladies” - Sally Peters
at speters@luthersem.edu
or Sara Fortin at sarafortin@comcast.net.
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