Asset Based Congregational Planning

1
Asset Based Congregational Planning

• Adapted from Luther K. Snows
• The Power of Asset Mapping How Your
  Congregation Can Act on Its Gifts. 2004.
• Herndon, Virginia The Alban Institute

Prepared by Research and Evaluation, Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America, August, 2006
2
Asset Based Planning

• Asset based planning is intended to shift the
  mind-set away from deficiencies to abundance.
• Asset planning is designed to build new action
  plans based on affinities among assets.
• Assets have their value uncovered and then they
  are connected to the assets of others.
• These connections can help people recognize new
  ways to act on faith.

Source Luther K. Snow The Power of Asset
Mapping. Herndon, Virginia Alban,
2004. Prepared by Research and Evaluation,
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, August,
2006
3
Asset Based Planning

• Asset planning is not intended to replace
  existing ways of doing things or getting things
  done. It is supportive.
• Asset planning is familiar as a potluck dinner.
  (Outcome based?)
• Asset based activities should snowball.
• Its cheap.

Source Luther K. Snow The Power of Asset
Mapping. Herndon, Virginia Alban,
2004. Prepared by Research and Evaluation,
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, August,
2006
4
Types of Assets (with sample process questions)

• Physical Assets Things you can touch, see, or
  feel like land, natural resources, buildings and
  space, equipment, materials, objects.

1. What are some of the physical assets of the
congregation? 2. What are some of the physical
assets that are unique to the congregation? 3. Wha
t are some of the physical assets of the
community? 4. Does the congregation have any
natural resources?
Source Luther K. Snow The Power of Asset
Mapping. Herndon, Virginia Alban,
2004. Prepared by Research and Evaluation,
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, August,
2006
5
Types of Assets (with sample process questions)

• Individual Assets The talents, experience,
  perspectives and skills of individuals.

1. What are some things you care a lot
about? 2. What are some things you know a lot
about? 3. What are some of talents or skills you
see in someone else in the congregation? 4. Whats
something you can do that people in the
congregation dont even know about?
Source Luther K. Snow The Power of Asset
Mapping. Herndon, Virginia Alban,
2004. Prepared by Research and Evaluation,
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, August,
2006
6
Types of Assets (with sample process questions)

• Associational Assets Voluntary groups,
  associations, networks, and organizations of
  individuals, who gather to do something they
  could not do on their own. They might be more
  formal groups with a name, or they could be
  informal groups like the people who have coffee
  on Tuesday.

1. What are some groups of people you get
together with from the congregations? 2. What
groups or associations are you part of outside
the congregation? 3. What are some groups you
know about but are not part of? 4. What are some
groups that are not represented here? 5. Whos
the most famous or powerful person you know?
Source Luther K. Snow The Power of Asset
Mapping. Herndon, Virginia Alban,
2004. Prepared by Research and Evaluation,
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, August,
2006
7
Types of Assets (with sample process questions)

• Institutional Assets Business firms, public
  agencies, and nonprofit institutions with
  budgets, staff, and places of business.

1. What are some institutional decisions that
affect the people in the congregation and
community? Which institutions make those
decisions? 2. What are some institutions
represented in the congregation? 3. What
institutions does the congregation itself partner
with or do business with? 4. What institutions
have something in common with the congregation?
Source Luther K. Snow The Power of Asset
Mapping. Herndon, Virginia Alban,
2004. Prepared by Research and Evaluation,
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, August,
2006
8
Types of Assets (with sample process questions)

• Economic Assets Spending power, investing
  power, the productive capacity to provide
  valuable goods and services.

1. What is something the congregation spends
money on? 2. What is something you spend money
on? 3. What is something you can make or do that
people would pay you for? 4. What businesses are
represented in the congregation? 5. What space
does the congregation control that could be
rented or charged for?
Source Luther K. Snow The Power of Asset
Mapping. Herndon, Virginia Alban,
2004. Prepared by Research and Evaluation,
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, August,
2006
9
An Overview of the Process

• Step 1 An Opening Bible Study
• 1. What is Gods will for this community?
• 2. What is Gods will for your congregation in
  this community?

Source Luther K. Snow The Power of Asset
Mapping. Herndon, Virginia Alban,
2004. Prepared by Research and Evaluation,
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, August,
2006
10
An Overview of the Process

• Step 2 Recognizing Assets
• 1. People are arranged in small groups of four to
  eight people. (Single or multiple
  congregations?)
• 2. Half-sheets of paper are distributed with
  markers.
• 3. The facilitator takes the participants through
  the questions for each asset. There are obvious
  assets and the hidden assets. Recognizing assets
  happens in stages.
• 4. People are asked to think specifically and
  broadly about the assets-to dig deep (What do we
  take for granted?) and think big (Engaging the
  famous or the powerful).

Source Luther K. Snow The Power of Asset
Mapping. Herndon, Virginia Alban,
2004. Prepared by Research and Evaluation,
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, August,
2006
11
An Overview of the Process

• Step 2 Recognizing Assets
• 5. Each person is asked to write their assets on
  a single half-sheet to generate a stack of
  assets.
• 6. Assets are read out loud to the small group.
• 7. The half-sheets are stuck to the wall in any
  order.

Source Luther K. Snow The Power of Asset
Mapping. Herndon, Virginia Alban,
2004. Prepared by Research and Evaluation,
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, August,
2006
12
An Overview of the Process

• Step 3 Connecting the Dots
• 1. Each of the groups gathers by the wall.
• 2. Think about Gods will for your congregation,
  the assets God has given you, and the actions you
  can take by using these assets.
• Make a new thing happen by creating a new link
  between two or more existing assets.
• Brainstorm.

Source Luther K. Snow The Power of Asset
Mapping. Herndon, Virginia Alban,
2004. Prepared by Research and Evaluation,
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, August,
2006
13
An Overview of the Process

• Step 3 Connecting the Dots
• a. When Bibles are put together with faith and
  the fellowship room, there is the possibility of
  a Bible study.
• b. Car repair skills and the youth group can
  produce a car repair clinic.
• c. Sunday school classrooms with people who take
  in children for care on weekdays can produce a
  day care center.

Source Luther K. Snow The Power of Asset
Mapping. Herndon, Virginia Alban,
2004. Prepared by Research and Evaluation,
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, August,
2006
14
An Overview of the Process

• Step 3 Connecting the Dots
• 3. The assets are clustered by moving the
  half-sheets to show how assets are connected.
• There should be a few clusters of assets
  representing a particular action discovered
  through brainstorming.
• 4. Assets should be organized around actions (not
  similarity). Actions include a project an
  event a performance a campaign a protest a
  celebration a demonstration or making, growing
  or fixing things.
• 5. The actions should be given names.

Source Luther K. Snow The Power of Asset
Mapping. Herndon, Virginia Alban,
2004. Prepared by Research and Evaluation,
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, August,
2006
15
An Overview of the Process

• Step 4 Vote With Your Feet
• 1. Each group reports on its assets, connections,
  and named actions.
• 2. Then the participants vote. The participants
  are asked which of the actions they would most
  like to take part themselves. They are asked to
  stand next to that action.

Source Luther K. Snow The Power of Asset
Mapping. Herndon, Virginia Alban,
2004. Prepared by Research and Evaluation,
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, August,
2006
16
An Overview of the Process

• Step 4 Action Plan
• The participants are asked to develop an action
  plan
• a. Define the job.
• b. Organize the people.
• c. Use the assets.
• d. Determine when to meet again as whole group to
  report on what occurred toward realizing the
  action plan.

Source Luther K. Snow The Power of Asset
Mapping. Herndon, Virginia Alban,
2004. Prepared by Research and Evaluation,
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, August,
2006
17
Positive Cycle of Assets and Opportunity
Asset Mapping Community Members Identify Their
Own Assets
Bottom-Up Development Members Connect Community
Assets to Take Action
New Opportunity Partnerships Increase Assets
Available to the Community
Resource Leveraging Development Creates
Opportunities for Partnership with Outside
Resources
Source Luther K. Snow The Power of Asset
Mapping. Herndon, Virginia Alban,
2004. Prepared by Research and Evaluation,
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, August,
2006