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The Bridgebuilder Intervention Process

Anxiety and conflict exist in all systems, and of course the church is no exception. The Bridgebuilder process was created by Peter Steinke, a well-known church consultant and author of several books on church conflict. After working with hundreds of churches experiencing the effects of conflict, Steinke created a process for assisting churches in working through their anxiety and moving in the directions they want, toward health and growth. Sarah Wilson and Paul Wolff have been trained as Bridgebuilder consultants and have worked with several churches in the Northern Illinois Synod. We invite you to read about the process in these introductory materials and contact us for a consultation. At that time we will discuss fees and responsibilities with the pastoral staff and council.

The purpose of the process is to lead the church

• From a focus on weakness to strength

• From a position of “stuckness” to adaptation

• From anxiety to clarity

• From problem to challenge

• From condition to response

• From confusion to options

• From reactivity to response

• From conflict to peace

The structure of the process includes six steps (See below for more detail):

• Entry Meeting

• Learning Event

• Interviews

• Action Report

• Action Planning Process

• Aftercare

The timeframe of the consultants’ roles in the process involves 15-25 hours of direct contact with church members during a period of 3-4 months. Additional hours of process preparation and report preparation are also required. The timeframe of the church’s role in the process is 3-4 months of focused interaction with the process followed by additional months to implement the goals and tasks created during the time with the consultants. While this may sound like a long process, and anxious systems want immediate relief, time is required for the process.

The role of the pastoral staff will vary from church to church. In those churches where the Action Planning Process Committee has determined that developing lay leadership is a goal, pastors may consider staying out of the process as much as possible in order to allow this to happen. In those churches that prefer pastors to be more involved, this should be made clear by both the pastoral staff and the lay leadership. In any case, it is helpful for the Action Planning Committee and the pastoral staff to be clear on their expectations for pastoral involvement in the process.

Bridgebuilder Consultants

Bridgebuilder Intervention Process

1. Entry Meeting

·         Initial contact

·         Exploratory Meeting

a.        Determining readiness

b.       Clarifying expectations

c.        Outlining processes, assigning tasks

d.       Forming a contract

2. Learning Event (3-4 hours plus a meal)

·         Workshop (Teaching)

a.   Understanding emotional processes

·         Workshop (Dialoguing)

a.   Small group discussion with set of questions

·         Tell it to the Consultants (Open Forum)

a.        Participants speak directly to consultants

b.       Ground rules guide the process

3. Interviews

·         Create Interview Schedule

a.       10 leaders

b.      10 members of the parish

c.       All staff members

4. Action Report

·         Action Report formulation time

·         Feedback meeting (report distributed and discussed)

·         Use of Report for Action Planning Process

5. Action Planning Process

·         Meet with Action Planning Committee (6 hours)

a.        Planning Process

§          Issues

§          Goals

§          Tasks

b.       Focus groups created and group leaders trained

·         Action Plan presented to congregation through focus groups

a.        Focus groups receive congregational feedback which is given to the Action Planning Group

b.       Action Plan finalized by the Action Planning Group

·         Action Planning Group presents final plan to the Congregation
for implementation

6.     Aftercare (Call back within 12 months)

·       Process check-up session(s)