One of the great things about being here this week with other partnership facilitators is that they “get it.” We don’t have to explain to each other what kind of work we’re in, because we’re all basically doing the same type of thing, but in different countries and regions of the world.
Recently I described my job to a friend of mine. She looked at me and said, “You’re a missions broker. You serve as a middle man between churches and personnel on the field.” You make recommendations based on what is good for both of them. I guess she was correct. At least that’s one way to look at it.
I’ve decided that I’d much rather be called a ligament. I love the image in the Bible that describes the body of Christ. Each body part has a part to play, and yet the parts are dependent upon each other. I like to think of myself as the part of the body that holds those diverse pieces together to better do their job. Now the ligament doesn’t get much credit, but it’s there nonetheless.
Most of my Baptist buddies in ministry understand the role of DOMs (Directors of Missions) within an association. One of the things that a DOM does is to pastor the pastors within their geographic region. That’s also one of the jobs of a partnership facilitator—plus mediate conflict, shape vision, map strategy, etcetera. It’s definitely more than just managing or facilitating a meeting when the “partners” come together.
I heard a new term this week—facipulation. At first it sounds rather negative. A facilitator is supposed to be objective. Manipulation should be avoided. The personal agenda of the facilitator must not sway the entire group. A consensus must be reached. However, some manipulation skills are needed at times to get things moving in the right direction. For example, one of the guys here said that he refused to ask someone to serve on a panel discussion because the person didn’t know when to say “amen.” Perhaps you know some folks like that! “Amen.” That’s when a skilled facilitator uses facipulation to achieve something that is best for the group. However, it is the agenda of the group—not the agenda of the facilitator— that is put first.
Recently I described my job to a friend of mine. She looked at me and said, “You’re a missions broker. You serve as a middle man between churches and personnel on the field.” You make recommendations based on what is good for both of them. I guess she was correct. At least that’s one way to look at it.
I’ve decided that I’d much rather be called a ligament. I love the image in the Bible that describes the body of Christ. Each body part has a part to play, and yet the parts are dependent upon each other. I like to think of myself as the part of the body that holds those diverse pieces together to better do their job. Now the ligament doesn’t get much credit, but it’s there nonetheless.
Most of my Baptist buddies in ministry understand the role of DOMs (Directors of Missions) within an association. One of the things that a DOM does is to pastor the pastors within their geographic region. That’s also one of the jobs of a partnership facilitator—plus mediate conflict, shape vision, map strategy, etcetera. It’s definitely more than just managing or facilitating a meeting when the “partners” come together.
I heard a new term this week—facipulation. At first it sounds rather negative. A facilitator is supposed to be objective. Manipulation should be avoided. The personal agenda of the facilitator must not sway the entire group. A consensus must be reached. However, some manipulation skills are needed at times to get things moving in the right direction. For example, one of the guys here said that he refused to ask someone to serve on a panel discussion because the person didn’t know when to say “amen.” Perhaps you know some folks like that! “Amen.” That’s when a skilled facilitator uses facipulation to achieve something that is best for the group. However, it is the agenda of the group—not the agenda of the facilitator— that is put first.
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