Transcript PowerPoint 3-15 Asking system questions 1 (compact version)

Living System Ministry
Asking System
Questions
Training Ourselves to Think
Systemically
© 2012 Emmanuel Gospel Center
Two questions
What is the difference between these two
questions:
“How do I do the job?”
“How does the job get done?”
© 2012 Emmanuel Gospel Center
“How do I do the job?”
Asking this question casts a narrow vision, limiting
the answer to:
 my energy level
 my resources
 my perception
 my own capacity
for problem solving
To see system-wide change, we
must move the focus away
from ourselves!
© 2012 Emmanuel Gospel Center
“How does the job get done?”
System questions acknowledge that there is a
large, living social system at work, leading us to:
 have a learning attitude
 learn how the system works
 look for system-wide,
macro solutions
 understand how the
system is dealing with
the issue
© 2012 Emmanuel Gospel Center
System question examples




“How is housing for the poor being provided?”
“How are Christian leaders preparing their own
training programs?”
“How are churches started in this city?”
“How does crime get stopped?”
Can you think of others?
© 2012 Emmanuel Gospel Center
Organization vs. organism
How about asking: “How does my church or
ministry do the job?”

This question is still not enough because it:


Ignores the living system design of your organization
Neglects how your ministry fits into the larger social
system around it
Asking system questions helps us
overcome our tendency to see
ORGANIZATION rather
than ORGANISM.
© 2012 Emmanuel Gospel Center