PIVOT!

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Pivot! is an eight-part collaborative process that applies design thinking concepts to help your congregation lean into God's call through deep listening and holy imagination.

By leaning into the Holy Spirit’s calling, your congregation will have the opportunity to discern new pathways and purposes for mission in Jesus’ name.

Through a curriculum written by pastors and design thinkers in the East Central Synod of Wisconsin, leaders of your congregation will engage in eight sessions centered on seven significant pivots. Each session will include time for dwelling in scripture and prayer, team-building activities and experiments, curating reflections through one-on-one conversations in your community, and active learning facilitated by a Pivot Facilitator.

  • Meet with Pastor Dara Clifford, Associate to the Bishop and Director for Evangelical Mission, to discern whether Pivot! is a good fit for your context. Receive a brief overview of today’s ministry landscape and begin an energy audit to evaluate your congregation’s capacity for renewal.

  • What is your congregation’s sense of who they have been and who they are today? By exploring your history and listening for congregational nostalgia, establish your starting point for this work.

  • God is at work in the world—the challenge is to listen and pay attention to where that is happening. In this session, your congregation will shift from assuming that “church people” have all the answers to adopting a posture of curiosity and actively listening to the needs of the world.

  • Explore servant leadership and recognize the importance of relationships. Get to know the community partners who share a common mission with your congregation.

  • This session will deepen your understanding of sabbath as a spiritual discipline, helping your congregation resist the temptation to rush into quick fixes during this process.

  • A retreat day for your Pivot Team to dig in and allow the Holy Spirit to guide creative work as you develop a plan for experimentation.

  • Reflect on the learnings from your experimentation and develop a springboard for where you’ll go next in your mission and ministry.

When we pivot, we make small steps toward greater movement and change. In partnership with a Pivot Facilitator, your community will stand at the foot of the cross and shift its posture toward the future to which God is calling. Pivot is about gathering leaders from your congregation to practice intentional listening, learning, and experimenting.

Pivot! is for congregations who:

  • Are feeling stuck

  • Are always searching for volunteers but can’t seem to get people excited to serve

  • Have programs that are dwindling in numbers or feeling less effective

  • Are experiencing low morale in meetings and ministry

What to expect from the process:

  • Your congregation will commission a small team of 4-10 leaders to form your Pivot Team. Together, they’ll engage in the process and keep your congregation updated along the way.

  • A trained Pivot Facilitator will guide your congregation through the process, offering insights and support.

  • Each session will include homework to be completed by the Pivot Team or other designated members of the congregation.

  • There could be some surprises from the Holy Spirit!

Learn more about Pivot! via this printable flyer (PDF).

What’s the cost?

We recognize that congregations across our synod vary in size and financial capacity. To accommodate this, we are excited to offer tiered pricing so congregations can pay at a level that works for them.

Costs cover the time and mileage for your Pivot Facilitator, as well as materials needed for the sessions.

The development of the Pivot curriculum was fully funded by the East Central Synod of Wisconsin.

This is our most subsidized level, and is made possible through a grant that covers 50% of the cost.

This level reflects a 30% subsidy.

This level reflects a 17% subsidy.

This level reflects the full cost of facilitator time, mileage, and materials.

Want to Get started?

Contact Pastor Dara Clifford, Associate to the Bishop and Director for Evangelical Mission, to discern whether Pivot! is right for your congregation or ministry.

Send an email to dara.clifford@ecsw.org.