James Derkits

June: "So this is a group from several churches in town, some will order beer, some won't." Zach: "...." blink, blink.  James: "Hi, I'm James, I'll have the Brewer's Cut from Real Ale." Zach caught on quickly, but there was definitely a pause of confusion when June Pettit, owner of Beaches, explained why the Presbyterian and Episcopalian ministers were gathering people on the porch. We've adopted the name Theology on Tap for our gathering. And part of our discussion is actually about the "tap." I brew beer, and Reverend Bob enjoys learning about, and tasting good beer. The idea is to talk some about beer, brewing, etc., and then to share questions and insights about God (that's the Theology part.) Last week, while we asked some deep questions (who goes to heaven, and all that), it was boring in that Bob and I agreed. We hoped to have some different perspectives on things to provide some options for others to agree w...

I'm taking a training course in collaborative operating systems that explores moving from a hierarchical model of operating an organization to a way collaborative operating. Several times in the tele-seminar, I have felt like I was involved in a conversation about how the Holy Spirit works in community.Of course, I tend to bring a churchy lens to things, but I think there was more to the conversation than my own projections. Ownership of, and alignment around problems is  the big focus in this system of collaboration. To get to a high level of ownership and alignment takes time, trust building, transparency, and lots of open ended questions. I won't go into this too much right now, but behind this process is the basic assumption that everyone has something to contribute to solving the problem at hand. Everyone brings some perspective, wisdom, or insight that can help identify and solve whatever problem is being faced. I facilitate two Bible Studies; we open up to Luke...