Appreciative Inquiry

The seminar is scheduled to begin on July 14th with lunch at noon and end after lunch on July 16th.

Appreciative Inquiry focuses on a congregation at its best—and in helping leaders and members re-organize for change around what works already. 

This seminar is for everyone who is tired of problem-based and deficit approaches to renewing and improving congregational life – and it’s especially for anyone who wants to enhance their ability to help congregations and other religious organizations work constructively toward purposeful change.

We will focus on:

• Learning the principles of Appreciative Inquiry and the emerging discipline of Positive Organizational Studies
• Utilizing the practices of the Appreciative Inquiry cycle of inquiry in various aspects of congregational life: worship and program renewal, staff and committee development, whole-systems planning and strategic thinking
• Designing tools and conversational processes for specific challenges and direction in your own religious organization
• Incorporating Appreciative Inquiry in a processes of congregational discernment
• Making creative applications of Appreciative Inquiry in one’s own religious leadership

About Larry Peers

Larry Peers is a consultant with the Alban Institute. Beginning in his doctoral program in Organizational Change, Larry has studied with some of the main developers of Appreciative Inquiry in the United States and has used AI for staff team development, whole systems planning (the AI Summit), congregation program re-orientation, and re-orienting judicatory processes.