Communitas Summer Workbook - Cohort 1

SUMMER WORKBOOK

Cohort 1

THERE ARE TWO QUESTIONS THAT WE HAVE TO ASK OURSELVES. THE FIRST IS 'WHERE AM I GOING?' AND THE SECOND IS 'WHO WILL GO WITH ME?' - HOWARD THURMAN

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WELCOME

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TIMELINE

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FOUNDATION BUILDING

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IDEA BOOK

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SUMMER WORK

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SUMMER WORK RESOURCES

COMMUNITAS IS THE INNOVATION HUB FOR MINISTRY WITH YOUNG ADULTS AT YALE DIVINITY SCHOOL.

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WELCOME TO COMMUNITAS! Communitas is a Young Adult Innovation Hub based at Yale Divinity School that seeks to create a working space for spiritual communities built by young adult leaders in congregations across the northeast.

While membership in the innovation hub will not be limited by race, ethnicity, or denomination, we will prioritize Black and Brown congregations in the greater New Haven area and the leadership of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) young adults. Based on the idea of Communitas, which refers to a state of intense community where all members are equal and share in common experience, we are reminded of the ways that young adults are searching for and creating community and the ways that congregations have served as liminal communities to nurture people through many of the struggles and transitions of human life. Therefore, we have designed this innovation hub to help us approximate the best of communitas.

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RESOURCES Participating congregations will receive the the following resources during their cohort season: A Young Adult Coach for the Project On-going Guidance & Support Grant Funds for Innovation Initiatives Training and Resources to Empower Innovation and Creativity

COMMITMENTS To ensure success in the program, participating congregations will commit to the following: Two-Year Cohort Involvement Attending Up to Four In-Person Cohort Meetings Annually (additional virtual meetings may be scheduled) Documenting Learnings Over Two Years Advising Future Cohorts

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YOUR TWO YEAR JOURNEY

COHORT TIMELINE JUNE 3, 2023 COHORT A LAUNCH MEETING IN-PERSON MEETING AT YDS

SEPTEMBER 30, 2023 DREAM & DESIGN TRAINING IN-PERSON MEETING AT YDS

DECEMBER 2, 2023 EXPLORE & EXPERIMENT CHECK-IN WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO FAIL WELL? VIRTUAL MEETING VIA ZOOM

FEBRUARY 2024 EXPLORE AND EXPERIMENT SHARE-BACK SHARE UPDATES ON INNOVATION PROJECTS VIRTUAL MEETING VIA ZOOM

APRIL 2024 ASSESS AND ACT AGAIN TRAINING IN PERSON MEETING AT YDS

JUNE 2024 ASSESS AND ACT AGAIN SHARE-BACK IN PERSON MEETING AT YDS

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SEPTEMBER 2024 DREAM & DESIGN TRAINING IN-PERSON MEETING AT YDS

DECEMBER 2024 EXPLORE & EXPERIMENT CHECK-IN MEASURING THE IMPACT OF INNOVATION VIRTUAL MEETING VIA ZOOM

FEBRUARY 2025 EXPLORE & EXPERIMENT SHARE-BACK SHARE UPDATES ON INNOVATION PROJECTS VIRTUAL MEETING VIA ZOOM

JUNE 2025 CLOSING CONFERENCE IN PERSON MEETING AT YDS

PLEASE REMEMBER...

THE FORMAT AND CONTENT OF THE GATHERINGS LISTED ABOVE ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE AS WE MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF THE PROGRAM. Innovation requires flexibility. Sometimes we liken It to building a plane while also beginning to fly It. Not only do we learn as we go, but, In many ways, the learning Is found In the going. We are asking you to develop projects with your community that are responsive to the community Itself and we are building a program that Is also responsive to our community (that's you!). We will, of course, do our very best to provide regular updates and ample notice in the event of a schedule change.

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01 FOUNDATION BUILDING The initial stage of our work together includes building the spiritual, attitudinal, and administrative infrastructure to center the experiences of young adults and to listen with them as they discern who they are and what kinds of communities they want to build and in which they want to be a part.

THIS INCLUDES

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A FOUNDATION FOR

INNOVATION LISTEN

Listen to young adults from your community.

This could include hosting storytelling and sharing events with a select group of young adults including students, local activists, artists, and organizers. Listen to young adults who are connected to your congregation, other communities, and to those on the margins.

DISCERN

Discern who your young adults are and what are your core values and the ways that you want to engage in this work. You will be helped in discernment through your summer work, along with the support and wisdom of your young adult coach, the advisory board, and Communitas staff.

IDENTIFY

Identify essential resources you already have within your congregation and community for ministry with young adults. Identify, also, areas for growth and training that will help you to become better educated about engaging with young adults. We will provide training in design thinking and ministry innovation to aid you in this process.

CULTIVATE

Cultivate relationships with the young adults in and around your congregation. Cultivate, also, relationships with community partners in your area who are leaders and exemplars of agencies and communities already centering the concerns and work of young adults.

STRENGTHEN

Strengthen and deepen relationships with internal partners, including your congregations' young adults, other congregational leaders, and member's of various ministry areas who will be essential to the successful implementation of your innovation project and continued ministry in partnership with young adults.

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02 IDEA BOOK idea (n) any conception existing in the mind as a result of mental understanding, awareness, or activity. a thought, conception, or notion a plan of action; an intention

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WHY AN IDEA BOOK? I like to think of myself as a creative thinker, as one who can move quickly and carefully from an idea to concept to a plan and so forth. But, in reality, most often my best ideas/thoughts never get realized…or turned into a fully executed plan…and that is okay.

Actually it is better than okay - it is how many of us operate, because we have way more ideas than we can ever know what to do with or have resources (energy, time, money, and so forth) to flesh out. However, I was often reminded to always try to capture my ideas, because, at first glance, you cannot know which ones to pursue. Thus, over the years, I cultivated a practice of always keeping a notebook with me—on my nightstand, in my backpack, a memo app on my phone, all for the purpose of being able to capture my many fleeting ideas.

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In many ways, this IDEA book serves a similar purpose. Our goal is not that every idea will turn into a realized/operationalized ministry or venture with young adults. Instead we want to cultivate practices of capturing ideas, listening to the Spirit, to ourselves, to our communities, and to young adults around us and of trying out a few things, and then learning some more.

This IDEA book also allows us to share out initial thoughts about the ways we want to intentionally move through the next two years. Please know, however, that like most good ideas, this book is constantly in process, and it is less of a rigid guideline and more of an invitation to “try somethings and see if they work.”

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INNOVATION

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INVITE & IGNITE You will engage in an ongoing process of inviting and igniting young adults and your congregation to partner in ministry, beginning with forming your leadership team and selecting a young adult coach.

DREAM & DESIGN Together with your coach, your team will dream of what is possible in ministry with young adults and design a project to that end. We will walk you through the design thinking process and introduce innovation models during various trainings throughout the program.

EXPLORE & EXPERIMENT we will help you begin exploring and experimenting with new ways of doing ministry. Grant funds will be made available to your innovation project to build capacity and encourage risk taking. Together, we will try new things and learn from failure as part reimagining ministry.

ASSESS & ACT AGAIN You will engage in an ongoing process of assessing and evaluating your relationship with young adults and your efforts to partner with them. Your coaches will guide your self-assessment as you determine effectiveness and impact of a ministry innovation. We will help you process your experiences and plan how you will commit to acting with and in support of young adults going forward.

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03 SUMMER WORK Use the summer months to take the following steps. We hope you'll get creative and imaginative on how to do so!

Don't be afraid to try things out and even change course. And, of course, we're here to help when you need it.

DOCUMENT EVERYTHING! We need you to document all of your summer work! Take pictures, journal your thoughts and observations, etc.

We will periodically collect this information along the way. If you choose to host a listening session or conduct any interviews, please find guides for prep and debrief in the resource section of this book.

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DO NOT DESPISE THESE SMALL BEGINNINGS, FOR G0D REJOICES TO SEE THE WORK BEGIN -ZACHARIAH 4:10

1. INVITE Form your team.

Many of you have already started this work of inviting a group of leaders and young adults to journey together in this process of forming communitas – of listening, dreaming, designing, and launching ministries in partnership with young adults in your community.

For others, the first task of the summer will be to form your core team (which must include young adults and congregational leaders) and to gather that team (virtually or in person as best meets the needs of your group).

The first gathering of your local team is a significant one, where you come together to pray, get to know each other, and get to know the purpose of your journey together.

The structure of the first meetings can be flexible but we will offer some suggestions/scaffolding for some essential elements.

How do we create space to listen and lead together? One helpful model comes from Another Way, and is simply the CARE model (Create hospitable space, Ask self-awakening questions, Reflect theologically together, and Enact the next most faithful step).[1] [1] Stephen Lewis, Matthew Williams, and Dori Baker, Another Way: Living and Leading Change on Purpose, (Chalice Press, 2020), 3.

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2. IGNITE PRACTICE SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES Pray for this work and for young adults in your community.

Cultivate a series of practices that help you to be more intentional about keeping young adults and your own spiritual journey at the forefront of your lives.

For example, you can take regular Girl Trek-esque prayer walks in your surrounding community, carefully observing and/or praying for the place you are, the ground you are walking on, the myriad ancestors who traveled this land before you and the many young people that you are discerning how to best partner with. Pray, walk, reflect, listening to a podcast by young adults, a special curated playlist, etc.

GATHER YOUR TEAM Gather at least monthly with your congregational team.

The gatherings of your local team provide time to begin to spark ideas together around what is at the core of your work already and the ways that you want to see it grow as you all journey together over the next two years.

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3. DISCERN & DREAM LISTEN Listen to yourselves and to your young adults.

You can do this by: Hosting listening sessions with young adults Interviewing a young adult Going to a young adult venue or event (take young adult field trip) Taking a community pilgrimage (walk your neighborhood)

DISCERN Discern who your young adults are.

When you hear the question, "Who are your young adults;" what and who comes to mind? Part of the listening and discerning process is to help you narrow your focus on “your target demographic” and the scope of the work that you plan to do.

“Your young adults” could be the young adult members of your congregation.

Your young adults could include those living around your church, but who are not at present connected to it (formally or informally). Your young adults could be from local colleges or teens who were part of your congregation, but are now off at college or starting life in other places.

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Some groups you may want to consider: Young families in the area and young adult activists, artists, seasonal workers, etc. in your community.

DREAM Dream about what is possible.

Often we enter ministry (and even industry design work) focusing on what problems need to be addressed or fixed. For example, when launching this work many people asked me “what problem is this grant going to address?” and there are a laundry list of things that young adults face and problems in the world around them.

However, instead of getting overwhelmed by seemingly insurmountable problems, we start both from an assets-based model that focuses on what gifts young adults and congregations have already and from the place of dreaming or imagining the future partnerships into which we want to live. So, here we invite you to DREAM and to document what your dreams are for young adults and the work that you can do with them.

Dreaming also means that we take the limits off. We don’t (yet) worry about how it will get done, but we just allow our minds to wander and our hearts to soar and just lean into what could be.

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04 SUMMER WORK RESOURCES The following section contains various activities and guides for your summer work. You won't need to try everything, but be sure to document what you do try. The following resources are collected from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary's The 787 Collective Discernment Guide and Stanford University's Design Thinking Bootleg.

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RESOURCE

ASUMME A BEGINNER'S MINDSET Design Thinking Bootleg, Stanford University

W H Y A S S U M E A B E G I N N E R 'S M IN D S E T We all carry our experiences, understanding, and expertise with us. These aspects of yourself are incredibly valuable assets to bring to the design challenge – but at the right time, and with intentionality. Your assumptions may be misconceptions and stereotypes, and can restrict the amount of real empathy you can build. Assume a beginner’s mindset in order to put aside these biases, so that you can approach a design challenge with fresh eyes.

H O W T O A S S U M E A B E G I N N E R ’S M IN D S E T Don’t judge. Just observe and engage users without the influence of value judgments upon their actions, circumstances, decisions, or “issues.”

Question everything. Question even (and especially) the things you think you already understand. Ask questions to learn about how the user perceives the world. Think about how a 4-year-old asks “Why?” about everything. Follow up an answer to one “why” with a second “why.”

Be truly curious. Strive to assume a posture of wonder and curiosity, especially in circumstances that seem either familiar or uncomfortable.

Find patterns. Look for interesting threads and themes that emerge across interactions with users.

Listen. Really. Lose your agenda and let the scene soak into your psyche.

Absorb what users say to you, and how they say it, without thinking about the next thing you’re going to say.

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RESOURCE

INTERVIEW PREPARATION Design Thinking Bootleg, Stanford University

W H Y P R E P A R E F O R A N I N T E R V IE W Time with users is precious; you need to make the most of it! While you must always allow room for the spontaneous, blissful serendipity of a user-guided conversation, you should never abdicate your responsibility to prepare for interviews. Especially in following up with users (after testing, etc.), it is imperative to plan your interviews. You may not get to every question you prepare, but you should come in with a plan for engagement.

H O W T O P R E P A R E F O R A N IN T E R V IE W 1. Brainstorm questions Write down all of the potential questions your team can generate. Try to build on one another’s ideas in order to flesh out meaningful subject areas.

2. Identify and order themes Similar to “grouping” in synthesis, have your team identify themes or subject areas into which most questions fall; once you’ve identified the themes of your question-pool, determine the order that would allow the conversation to flow most naturally. This will enable you to structure the flow of your interview, decreasing the potential for hosting a seemingly-scattershot interaction with your user.

3. Refine questions Once you have all the questions grouped by theme and order, you may find that there are some redundant areas of conversation, or questions that seem strangely out of place. Take a few moments to make sure that you leave room in your planning to ask plenty of “why?” questions, plenty of “tell me about the last time you _____?” questions, and plenty of questions that are directed at how the user FEELS.

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RESOURCE

INTERVIEW FOR EMPATHY Design Thinking Bootleg, Stanford University

WHY INTERVIEW You want to understand a person’s thoughts, emotions, and motivations, so that you can determine how to innovate for him or her. By understanding the choices that person makes and the behaviors that person engages in, you can identify their needs, and design to meet those needs.

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HOW TO INTERVIEW FOR EMPATHY Ask why. Even when you think you know the answer, ask people why they do or say things. The answers will sometimes surprise you. A conversation started from one question should go on as long as it needs to.

Never say “usually” when asking a question. Instead, ask about a specific instance or occurrence, such as “tell me about the last time you ______” Encourage stories. Whether or not the stories people tell are true, they reveal how they think about the world. Ask questions that get people telling stories.

Look for inconsistencies. Sometimes what people say and what they do are different. These inconsistencies often hide interesting insights.

Pay attention to nonverbal cues. Be aware of body language and emotions.

Don’t be afraid of silence. Interviewers often feel the need to ask another question when there is a pause. If you allow for silence, a person can reflect on what they’ve just said and may reveal something deeper.

Don’t suggest answers to your questions. Even if they pause before answering, don’t help them by suggesting an answer. This can unintentionally get people to say things that agree with your expectations.

Ask questions neutrally. “What do you think about buying gifts for your spouse?” is a better question than “Don’t you think shopping is great?” because the first question doesn’t imply that there is a right answer.

Don’t ask binary questions. Binary questions can be answered in a word; you want to host a conversation built upon stories.

Make sure you’re prepared to capture. Always interview in pairs. If this is not possible, you should use a voice recorder—it is impossible to properly engage a user and take detailed notes at the same time.

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ACTIVITY

YOUNG ADULT INTERVIEW Discernment Guide, The 787 Collective, Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary

Interview one or more young adults outside of your church community (or maybe you want to do this together with a group of young adults).

The purpose is twofold: To listen deeply to the fears, longings, and needs of young adults in order to get a clearer sense of how your church might be called to respond.

To notice what it's like to engage with young adults. (Is it uncomfortable, boring, invigorating? Do you feel empathy or disinterest as you listen to these young adults?

This exercise might inspire you to have conversations with all kinds of young adults. Suggested interview questions are below. Feel free to modify them. You don't have to ask them all. Record answers if you are able (through writing or phone audio recording) for sharing with your team members or for your own further reflection. Do ask young adults for permission to record. After each field trip, take some time to reflect and debrief.

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS Where do people your age gather?

What are your favorite movies, television shows, books or podcasts?

Who is an older adult that you admire and would like to be like when you get older? Why? If you were in trouble and needed help who could you rely on?

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Do you have a community? If so, who is your community? If not, what kind of community would you like to be part of?

There are hundreds of Christian churches in our area. What do you think the purpose of these churches is? Do you think they are meeting their purpose?

What do you think are the biggest fears of people in their twenties today?

What are the primary longings of people in their twenties today?

What social issues or injustices are you most concerned about?

What kind of person are you seeking to become? What/who do you need in your life in order to become that person?

What do older generations need to understand about people in their twenties? What do people in their twenties need from older generations?

Do you think most young people believe in God? Can you describe the God they believe (or don't believe) in?

Is there anything else we should know about young adults that we didn't ask? Or anyone else we should speak to?

P O S T - I N T E R V I E W D E B R I E F Q U E S T IO N S What feelings did I feel during the interview? What was it like to spend time with this/these young adults?

What stood out to me in the interview?

What needs did I hear?

What gifts were revealed to me?

Do I have a sense of God's movement or invitation at this moment?

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ACTIVITY

YOUNG ADULT FIELD TRIP Discernment Guide, The 787 Collective, Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary

Either individually or as a group take a field trip to an event or gathering space where you are likely to encounter young adults. Possibilities Include free and low-cost concerts, coffee shops, festivals, art events, improv theaters, story telling events, and open mic nights. Hopefully you have gotten some recommendations from the young adult Interviews. Observe or become a participant observer. After each field trip, take some time to reflect and debrief.

Q U E S T I O N S T O C O N S I D E R D U R IN G Y O U R F IE L D T R IP Who and what do I see? Smell? Hear? What music?

What is the energy level? Emotional tone? Demeanor of individuals?

Are they in groups? Single or mixed gender? Age difference?

What do you notice about those who are alone? What do you notice about the use of technology?

How are they connecting with each other?

What are they talking about?

How much money are they spending?

Are they responding to your presence?

What surprises you?

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P O S T - F I E L D T R I P D E B R I E F Q U E S T IO N S What am I like when I encounter young adults in this space?

What feelings did I feel during the experience?

How did this experience affect my stereotypes, prejudices, or assumptions?

What do I sense about the longings, fears, gifts, or spiritual yearnings of these young adults?

What could our church offer these young adults?

What is God's invitation to us as I encounter these young adults?

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ACTIVITY

CULTURAL RESEARCH Discernment Guide, The 787 Collective, Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary

Listen to what young adults listen to. Spend some time with books, movies, podcasts, social media, etc. that might give you some insight into the life of young adults. Do a little digging online. You may have suggestions from young adults you interviewed.

Read about young adults, but proceed with caution. "Reading about" too often takes the place of all other information gathering and truncates discernment and empathetic observation. Here, we offer some suggestions you may want to put in conversation with your experience.

Two relevant pieces of particular interest to church people, written by two Harvard theology students Angie Thurston and Casper ter Kuile, can be found on the internet: "How We Gather" and "Something More." Communitas staff can provide additional book recommendations if you need them. Check out YouTube for speeches and Interviews with authors as you make your choices.

It is also very important to read and listen things about young adults and also by young adults. In our digital age, folks in their twenties are visible on social media and online. Look for blogs or short form videos that may offer insight as you conduct your research.

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ACTIVITY

MINE THE DATA Discernment Guide, The 787 Collective, Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary

Dig into the demographics of the community your congregation serves. Find out how many young adult people live there, what work they do, where they live, and anything else that can give you a bigger, more accurate picture than what you immediately see. You cities website may be a good place to start collecting demographics data. Also, folks in your congregation who work In advertising, business development, social services, education, or other areas that rely on such data my be a helpful resource to you as well.

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Cami King, Assistant Director, Communitas cami.king@yale.edu