Accentuating the Positive-Appreciative Inquiry
“You’ve got to accentuate the positive
Eliminate the negative
And latch on to the affirmative
Don’t mess with Mister In-Between”
~Johnny Mercer (1909-1976), singer, songwriter,
and communicant of Christ Church Episcopal, Savannah
What ever one chooses to focus on will tend to grow. Yet, groups tend to focus on what is not working, or what is irritating. Focus on that enough and even a healthy group can start to seem out of whack.
Appreciative Inquiry (AI) is the name given to one way of focusing on what is positive, what is working, or thriving. This is a process of discovery in which a congregation considers questions like “When was this church at its best in terms of both the congregation and its impact on the surrounding community?” “What did we do to make that happen?”
Moving to the present and a desired future, one asks, “What would be possible if we were to play on our strengths?” Appreciative Inquiry then moves beyond this toward definite steps to take toward the goal. The work is not done until there is not simply a plan, but the steps are taken, change is put into place and a group gathers to consider how it is going.
This is a greatly simplified view of a longer process with more steps. AI does not ignore the problems or challenges. Instead those are faced, but in the context of seeing your church’s strengths. If you find appealing the concept that appreciating what your congregation can and does do well can lead toward some definite steps toward a desired vision of the future, then exploring this tool further is the next step.
Appreciative Inquiry Resources Online
The Alban Institute’s Congregational Resource Guide has some helpful resources for those who want to learn more than can be shared in this brief article:
- Stories of using Appreciative Inquiry in a congregation are here: Memories, Hopes, and Conversations: Appreciative Inquiry and Congregational Change.
- You can find concrete steps alongside the principles at: The Power of Appreciative Inquiry: A Practical Guide to Positive Change.
- More on the theory is at: “Claiming the Light: Appreciative Inquiry.”
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Both the theory and practice of Appreciative Inquiry come back to Johnny Mercer’s sage advice to accentuate the positive. While that will not actually eliminate the all the negatives, it is a way to build on the proven strengths of a congregation in working toward a new vision of the future.
The Rev. Canon Frank Logue
Canon for Congregational Ministries
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