Memories, Hopes, and Conversations: Appreciative Inquiry and Congregational Change

In this 2004 book published by the Alban Institute, Mark Lau Branson introduces the reader to the concept of appreciative inquiry in the context of its implementation in one particular congregation. Branson is a professor at Fuller Theological Seminary, and shortly after his family moved to Pasadena for him to teach there, they had begun attending First Presbyterian Church of Altadena. The majority of the congregation is Japanese, two or three generations removed from the original immigrants. They were in the transition between pastors, and their denomination requires that they answer certain stock survey questions about their church in order for the church to understand their direction and who could best serve them as their next pastor. Branson says that the congregation was starting to suffer from aging and apathy and was having trouble with the process. When the congregation learned that Branson taught at a seminary, they asked him to be a consultant to them in the process. Branson reluctantly said yes.Branson decided to introduce the committee to appreciative inquiry, and this book combines the abstract concepts of appreciative inquiry with how it actually played itself out in this Japanese and Presbyterian congregation. Branson knew the committee needed a new way to approach this effort, because they had done it after the departure of every pastor, and people were starting to express apathy about the Presbyterian survey's usefulness: "We've done these mission studies before. They're in the church office, gathering dust," one man said (1). Branson introduces the committee to appreciative inquiry (or, AI) by letting them experience it themselves. In doing so, the committee is led to reflect on their strengths and their most cherished stories. Branson contrasts AI with problem solving. "When the problem solving approach dominates, most discussions are about problems and inadequacies...This is not dissimilar to Western medicine and its focus on illness, targetable causes, and invasive procedures" (21-22). Rather than treating a congregation system mechanically as problem solving does, "appreciative inquiry assumes that all organizations have significant life forces, and these forces are available in stories and imaginations" (23).Branson includes a chapter reflecting on the role of this positive orientation in the Bible. Drawing largely from the Pauline epistles, pastoral letters, and the psalms, Branson points out the large role that gratitude plays in the scriptures. This relates to AI's focus on the good and life-giving aspects of any congregation. He notes how Paul started even his most scathing letters with gratitude for the receiving church and for how they had shown their faithfulness in the past. Also, the structure of the psalms and prophets "indicate that remembering and giving thanks are primary means of receptivity. And these memories are essential to their children" (49).In the second half of the book, Branson details how this process worked and what the results were in First Presbyterian Church of Altadena. Although there is no need to summarize those details here, Branson does share several important insights from this one particular church's experience. For example, this church received very positive feedback about sharing interview questions beforehand so that respondents had time to think about them, finding this to be important to successful interviewing. Also, the church found important generational distinctions through the process and used positive descriptions of each group's contribution to create contextually relevant "provocative proposals." (Provocative proposals are statements that describe the church's vision for its ministry in the present tense as if it's already happening).Branson's book has numerous strengths. First and foremost, it strikes a realistic chord about the nature of the church. The author contrasts appreciative inquiry with problem solving and demonstrates a keen awareness of how easily church's slip into a downward spiral of despair and demoralization, especially in today's culture where so many churches are declining. In First Presbyterian, he noted that even when positive stories of successful programs came up, they were often followed with comments like, "I don't know how long we old folks can keep doing this" (6). The book is also strengthened by its description of how appreciate inquiry worked itself out in a particular congregation, and the author was honest about what worked well, what didn't, and what he would have changed. Third, the book has a good basis in post-modern theory and science with conclusions that ring true in real life. For example, whereas modern Newtonian science assumed linear cause and effect relationships, new science has discovered much more complexity and unpredictability and that systems work as a whole. Family Systems Theory argues quite convincingly that the same is true with humans. Finally, Branson's biblical commentary was very well argued and presented. It is a thorough hermeneutic that does not proof-text and present isolated verses that only appear to support his case.Branson's book has one main weakness: it seems that the process could be kept much more simple. Particularly in the second half of the book when the author shares the specifics of First Presbyterian's process, things start to get somewhat convoluted with numerous steps, prescribed time frames, and multiple subsets (see especially pp. 65-85). A process that could potentially be very fluid and adaptable becomes a bit burdensome as the book moves along. Another example of the lack of simplicity is found in the thematic descriptions and provocative proposals of First Presbyterian. Several of them seem far too long to be helpful or memorable. Nevertheless, this book represents a good primer on the concept of appreciative inquiry and builds a solid case for its potential effectiveness in many congregational settings. It holds many possibilities for current emphases on missional transformation and congregational change.

A beautiful book to help a church remember the things positive they have done that gave them joy, hope and the result is peace. Useful for a congregation with some troubles. By remembering people, places and things that moved us to know joy and find an appreciation for all the people who went before us and continue here and now. The 3 wishes of hope for the future are most revealing to knowing the secret heart's desires for your church that sits in the pews and is often not asked what is your dream for your church. I found it healing when I just did a few interviews with key people of our congregation who may be waiting for change but have not felt empowered to ask. In one word I found a peace just by reading and doing the work. The result in the people I interviewed was joy. Thankful for Appreciative inquiry story in the book. Very helpful.

Good read. I’ll continue to refer to it. It was used, which surprised me, but it’s nice to see what piques different readers’ interest.

Appreciative Inquiry provides congregations and other faith-based organizations an opportunity to build on the narratives of their faith journey to find a way forward to a desired future. This work gives an account of how one congregation did just that. Easy to read, this is a great introduction for a church leadership group considering Appreciative Inquiry as a process for finding a way forward and renewing their shared commitments. I have facilitated Appreciative Inquiry for many congregations of different denominations and recommend this as a great first introduction to the process. It will inspire looking at a strength-based approach that is so congruent with the beliefs of faith communities.

Appreciative Inquiry is a new way of looking at situations in organizations, especially in congregations.Ideas, questions that we have asked in the past do not work now.Branson does excellent job of pointing out how cultures and times and traditions have changed.This is not just some ideas; it is an actual project with a real brick and mortar congregation.I'm anxious to try Appreciative Inquiry with a group of people. To see a new way to approach situations.

I think this work was well written and interesting. Appreciative Inquiry (AI) is an alternative to problem-based planning. It makes sense for a church to pay attention to its strength(s) and move forward along that dimension. I think AI also makes sense because it is a more optimistic planning method, aligned with Christian hope.I thought Branson was detailed enough in his explanation to cover areas of possible confusion. Our Long Range Planning Team is modeling our next 5-year plan after Branson's model -- it makes sense.

Mark Lau Branson offers appreciative inquiry for the local church and provides the framework to effectively implement this process. While AI has been an important tool in the business world, not all business models or language works within the local church. Mark Lau Branson makes AI real for the church!

Great book!

Mark's book Memories, Hopes, and Conversations: Appreciative Inquiry and Congregational Change, arrived on my desk after an afternoon reflecting on the potential of narrative therapy as a healing process. I had made the further connection to memory, and hope, and salutogenesis: I was ready for some further reflection on processes of communal healing and growth.A friend had participated in a workshop with Mark. Here s what David Fitch wrote: 'Mark Lau Branson presented a workshop where he talked about the work of leading transformation in congregations. It described the contrast between typical church 'problem solving', (i.e. go into a church, study the problems, talk solutions and then propose a plan to implement solutions), and Appreciative Inquiry , asking questions about where God has been at work and then stoking the imagination as to how to further participate in these ways as a body. He called the latter interpretive leadership. He said the deadest churches he had been had still been places where God had been wonderfully at work, but there were no witnesses.''Mark said every epistle of Paul (except Galations) begins with a thanksgiving prayer. Branson asked, 'when you begin like that, how does that shape your imagination?' He said starting out with appreciative questions about where God is working shapes the imagination totally differently than starting out by asking 'what's wrong with this church, where have we failed? What are the problems in this church?' He described powerfully a community getting engaged missionally in their neighborhood. I came away stoked! I recommend his Memories, Hopes and Conversations.'Appreciative Inquiry is a systematic discovery of what gives life to a living system (ie. in our case an organization) when it is most alive, effective and constructively capable. AI is the art and practice of asking questions, of asking the unconditional positive question.The more positive the question, the longer lasting, more powerful and energized the change process.The underlying principle of AI is that organizations grow in the direction in which they inquire. The perspective is that inquiry is intervention. Enquire into the negative, into the gap .. and that is what you will achieve. In AI, the premise is that every living system has a positive change core, so that if we can find it, understand it and grow it, we will be supporting growth and change in a positive, humanistic way. We grow what we notice and attend to. (In biblical terms 'we become what we worship').You can hear echoes of other streams of thought here, even some of the streams coming from the recent campaign around The Secret. But it is true that healing is very difficult for people who are consistently negative, and it is equally striking that the focus of our medical system on disease rather than health has produced more therapies rather than more healing. We need alternative imagination in order to make the shift to communal engagement, and these have to be both storied and hopeful.This is a constructivist framework, and I find it compelling for many reasons. Social constructivism connects language and the building of the world we experience. It recognizes in particular the power of images, metaphor and symbols. Mark quotes Watkins and Mohr who state,'we socially construct our world.. and ..we have the power to create what we imagine. It follows that a process for facilitating organizational change would consciously focus on empowering employees to believe they can make a difference; rewarding leaders who know how to empower others; and directing the energy of the system towards the positive, generative, and creative life forces ..' (39)A fundamental perspective connected with AI is the recognition of an interpretive community. A congregation is not just structures and programs,, nor is it merely a social network. Mark writes, 'While operations and relationships are essential to congregational life, and leaders need skills and wisdom to serve in these spheres, the third sphere concerns the meanings that are at the core of a congregations self-understanding and activities.' (23) AI assumes that real interpretive work the discovery of meanings and the formation of local meanings is the work of the congregation. We learn to pay attention to numerous texts.AI Assumptions1) In every organization, some things work well. Even the most dysfunctional organization has some stories and practices that can resource a hopeful future2) What we focus on becomes our reality. What we pay attention to tends to define the whole. It is important to center on strengths3) Asking questions influences the group. No research is neutral. No consultant remains outside the organization. Memories, perceptions and hopes are shaped in the midst of conversation and questions.4) People have more confidence in the journey to the future when they carry forward parts of the past. The unknown generates fear. But confidence and trust are built when we create links to the best memories and practices.5) What we carry into the future should be the best of the past. Organizations embed purpose and meaning in structures.. But structures often remain when meaning is lost. Generative change must displace meaningless structures.6) It is important to value differences. Change should not be a zero-sum game. Mutual respect must become the norm when visioning different futures.7) The language we use creates our reality. Stories, motivations, behaviors remain hidden if not brought into the conversation.8) Organizations are heliotropic. Plants lean toward the sun, and organizations lean toward the source of energy, whether it is healthy or not.9) Outcomes should be useful. Interview data is brought to an interpretive process that should help participants envision and create their way toward a new future10) All steps are collaborative.