February 11, 2016
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Reflections In Ministry Part 2
Students, Faculty and Friends of FBC.
Here is a follow up, or continuation of our subject on reflection we began about a week prior.
The Nash’s book on “ Tools For Reflective Ministry “ truly does help you to evaluate in a practical way so many things we take for granted. Or, are too busy to take time for consideration, and go on our merry way. Give me your feedback on some of those things mentioned here in this section. Also I am curious how you might answer the questions they pose.
Purpose of reflection
Reflection has many purposes in ministry; it may:
• develop self-awareness;
• help us understand how we learn;
• enable us to see how we are integrating values into practice;
• help us explain what we do to our stakeholders;
• empower us as practitioners as we grow in confidence and have a better understanding of what we do;
• liberate us from some of our preconceptions or assumptions about ourselves, others or our ministry;
· help us solve problems in a creative rather than formulaic way;
• encourage us to work with metaphors and images that bring fresh insights;
• lead to action or decision;
• develop our capacity to deal with new situations as they arise.It has helped us with things like accepting both our gifts and limitations, recognizing more of the unique contribution that we make in our contexts, developing appropriate ways of working, leading, studying, finding a rhythm of life and work that sustains us in ministry and making our relationships work! Our aim through our work is to develop reflective practitioners and it is always encouraging to get an email or have a conversation where people talk about often drawing on what they learnt at college in their new context.
For further reflection use the following questions or statements to trigger your own reflection:
• What causes you the greatest fear and how constructively do you deal with it?
• Just because you can, should you?
• Why are you doing this?
• For whose benefit are you doing this?
• If it is all there is, thirsty people will drink dirty water and very thirsty people will drink very dirty water.
Comments (1)
I believe that reflection does help greatly with flexibility. My greatest fear is being robbed of my independence in thought and action. There are many, both within and outside a given Faith, who seem to thrive on exercising control over others.