Contemporary mission and ministry, as well as best practice in secular government, emphasize partnership and working together. Yet this can be easier said than done.

At its best, working together brings energy and synergy and enables you to achieve something you could never do alone. At its worst, it's a nightmare that you may well wish you had never got into.

Skills for Collaborative Ministry will help you to work more effectively with other people, bothinside and outside of the Church. Each chapter focuses on a particular skill - such as team building, facilitation, diversity skills, conflict resolution and evaluation techniques - outlines the theory and the theology behind it, and gives practical guidance and advice.

Written by an experienced team, the book includes exercises for both individuals and groups, along with a range of ideas that can be adapted to your own context. It will enable you to work collaboratively with confidence and skill.

1 Introduction to collaborative ministry 1
What is collaborative ministry? 1
Theological perspectives 4
Some denominational perspectives on collaborative ministry 5
What's in a name? 8
What are the qualities ofa collaborative worker? 9
Barriers to collaborative ministry 10
Leadership in collaborative ministry 12
Conclusion 15
Points for reflection,discussion and action 15
2 Groupwork processes for collaborative ministry 17
What is a group? 17
Stages ofgroup development 18
Joining groups 23
Group norms and culture 23
Organizational culture 24
Group roles and behaviour 26
Group dynamics 27
Analysing and responding to group processes 31
Points for reflection,discussion and action 31
3 Facilitation skills 32
Self-awareness 33
Issues ofpower in facilitation 34
Autonomy 35
Culture-setting 35
Encouraging participation 39
Facilitating discussions 40
Reluctance to contribute 41
Collaborative facilitation 42
A biblical perspective 44
Points for reflection,discussion and action 45
4 Reflecting skills 47
What is reflective practice? 48
Reflective practice processes and tools 50
Theological reflection 52
Key questions to move from reflective practice to theological reflection 53
What do you reflect on? 54
When to reflect? 54
Theological reflection process 54
Issues around reflection 56
Reflecting in a group 58
Problem-solving 59
Theological perspectives 60
Reflection and collaborative ministry 61
Points for reflection,discussion and action 61
5 Vision-building skills 63
Theological perspectives for vision-building 65
What does a vision look like? 67
Vision-building processes and tools 68
Conclusion 75
Points for reflection,discussion and action 75
6 Teamwork skills 77
Theological perspectives 79
Identity and structure 80
Aims 81
Team leadership 82
Roles 83
Belbin's team roles 84
Building or growing teams 86
Task, individual,team 87
Communication 89
Some potential hazards 89
Points for reflection,discussion and action 9
7 Supervision skills 92
What is supervision? 94
Attentive and active listening 96
Responsibilities in supervision 96
Supervision contracts and covenants 97
Models of supervision 99
Metaphors of supervision 100
Group supervision 101
Theological perspectives 101
Issues and problems in supervision 102
Making supervision work 103
Tools for supervision 104
Points for reflection,discussion and action 107
8 Conflict skills 108
Sources ofconflict 109
Theological perspectives 109
Personal responses to conflict 110
Mental models 111
Defence mechanisms 112
Group-level defences 113
Approaching conflict situations 113
Needs, interests and positions 115
Helpful ways forward 117
Skills for responding to conflict 117
Tools for responding to conflict 121
Surviving conflict 123
Points for reflection,discussion and action 123
9 Diversity skills 124
Principles 124
Inclusiveness 125
Anti-oppressive practice 126
Theological perspectives 127
Perspectives on diversity 130
Challenges and issues 134
Growing in diversity skills 136
Points for reflection,discussion and action 136
10 Evaluation skills 138
What is evaluation? 138
Theological perspectives 140
Evaluation brief 141
Ethics 142
Personal evaluation 143
Methods and tools for evaluation 144
Presenting findings 150
Points for reflection,discussion and action 152
11 Conclusion 153
Do the right things but do them right 153
Final thoughts 154