Faith-Based Facilitation

The Faith-Based Facilitation process starts when people identify an issue which needs to be reviewed.

This might be a significant concern or just a regular pattern of activity that needs to be carefully examined to see 'what we are doing and why we are doing it'. Whatever it is, the event or issue needs to be clearly identified - preferably by a group of people working together.

Salvation Army facilitation teams have learnt four important things to remember in a home/community visit - Stimulate, Appreciate, Learn and Transfer (SALT). In other words, encourage people to talk (stimulate), listen to and value their perspective and resources (appreciate), learn from their experience, situation and ideas (learn), capture their learning and share it with people in other communities (transfer).

The event or issues identified are then described and analysed as fully as possible. Those who are reflecting (together or individually) try to think of every factor that has influenced the issue being explored. This builds a deep and comprehensive understanding of the experience.

It is important not to make superficial descriptions of the issues facing a community. Be as objective as possible. Keep carefully to description and analysis and avoid judgments and opinions.

This step of the process involves thinking through the factors that have emerged, and sharing ideas and responses.

People of faith find reading the Scriptures, prayer and quiet reflection to be helpful activities between Steps 2 and 3. It is at this step that careful evaluation is made, and tough questions need to be asked and answered. For example: How far does this project/activity remain true to its original aims and values? What insights or events or teaching from the Bible connect with this situation? What needs to be changed to make this situation better and of greater value for all concerned?

During this time of reflection and evaluation, it may be that a Kairos Experience emerges. Such experiences cannot be predicted or ordered, but are unlikely to happen unless the participants are in an open and receptive frame of mind. As well as time for prayer and reflection, taking time out, or engaging in a 'Creative Thinking' activity may result in greater receptivity.

Evaluation and reflection should never be rushed, and certainly never missed out! The major part of the time spent working through the process needs to be spent on this step.

A well-facilitated time of reflection using the Faith-Based Facilitation process will usually lead to decisions the participants can own and put into practice.

If it proves difficult to reach agreement it can be helpful to make a list of all possible options for action. Groups or individuals can then list the positives and negatives of each option. As these are shared in the larger group it may be that agreement will begin to emerge. Sometimes it may be difficult to reach complete agreement in a group for a particular course of action. If this happens it will be necessary for the facilitator to bring the group to a majority decision, seeking as much consensus as possible.

To make sure that the agreed decision is acted upon, it is helpful to ask:

• What resources are available to implement the plan? How will the gaps be filled?
• Who will be responsible for each of the agreed plans and when will they be carried out?
• What training and/or support may be needed?
• What safeguards need to be included?
• How should problems be approached?
• Who needs to be told about the plans and who will let them know?
• When will progress be reviewed?

Translating decisions into action is vital. Remember to list the action points, assess the impact of the action and collect appropriate data.

This will be needed during steps two and three of the next cycle. And then it continues: the Faith-Based Facilitation process does not stop at the last step, but continues on and on. After Step 5 Action, the changes made will lead to a new cycle:

• A new Step 1 Event or Issue: The action taken resulting from this process will lead to transformation and so there will be a 'new experience' at Step 1.
• A new Step 2 Describe and Analyse: A new description and analysis of the changed situation will be needed. (It is important to do this carefully. You may be surprised to discover how many changes the action has brought about.)
• A new Step 3 Reflect and Evaluate: This is the vital point where the changes brought about by the action can be reflected on and evaluated. It is essential to do this before continuing with any further action. It may be helpful to take a break at this step, to see what impact the action already taken may have in the longer term.

Unexpected ideas can occur at any step of the Faith-Based Facilitation process but especially during the times of reflection and evaluation and decision. People of faith can often sense God at work in these moments. A 'Kairos Experience' is the term used to describe these occasions.

There is a well known example of a Kairos Experience in Salvation Army history. William Booth, the founder of The Salvation Army said to his wife, Catherine, when he returned home after a meeting in the East End of London: 'Darling, I have found my destiny.' He felt God leading him in a particular way. William Booth had a Kairos Experience.

Much earlier, The Bible records that Peter, the disciple who had been with Jesus for a couple of years, eventually recognised who Jesus was and said: 'You are the Christ the Son of the living God.' (Matthew 16:16 NIV). Jesus told many stories about people having unexpected ideas, such as the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32) when the young man 'came to his senses' (v17) after a number of bad experiences and a long time of reflection. It was a Kairos experience that led to a wonderful reunion with his father.

Kairos is a Greek word (καιρoς) that isn't easy to translate into other languages – it means something like 'God's moment' or 'the right time'. Such flashes of inspiration may come when we are not actively seeking them. New insight may also happen gradually and not necessarily at a specifically defined 'moment'. Faith-Based Facilitation understands these experiences to be the work of God. Christians find the Bible, prayer and times of reflection can stimulate and lead to a Kairos experience.

Kairos experience has been placed at the centre of the diagram to indicate the presence and influence of God in all aspects of life. It reminds people of faith of the importance of always integrating beliefs with actions and the promise that God is always present.

Good listening is vital for all Faith-Based Facilitation work, and it is used at every step of the FBF process.

Being properly heard and understood helps people feel valued and cared for, and tells them that they really matter. This is one of the best gifts we can give someone, especially someone who has lost hope. Even if there is very little we can do to help in practical terms, our gift of compassionate listening can soften the pain and suffering.

In addition good listening will save us from making mistakes. When we listen well, we assess problems more accurately and are better able to support those seeking a way forward, rather than only half listening because we are wanting to intervene with our own ideas or perspective. Even worse, we can find ourselves offering a solution before we have understood the problem. Techniques for good listening may help but on their own they are not enough. Good listening begins in the heart!

Good listening skills include:

• Giving the speaker our undivided attention, which is much more easily said than done, especially if there are a lot of people to be listened to and time is limited. It is also difficult in a noisy environment or when we are distracted by other things going on around us. Whatever the difficulties, it is worth making this a high priority.
• Showing attention by body posture, and occasional gestures or sounds of encouragement. Show interest in the person speaking - do not interrupt.
• Reflecting back what the speaker has just said, often beginning with phrases such as 'So, as you see it...' or 'Can I check that I have fully understood what you are saying?'
• Paraphrasing or putting what the speaker has been saying into your own words, beginning with phrases such as, 'What I think you are saying is...' or 'It sounds as if...' Good use of paraphrase nearly always helps the speaker explore further without the need for questions. (This does work! If you don’t believe it, try it out.) When, as a listener, you ask questions, be sure they are designed to help the speaker clarify or explore what he or she is trying to say. Be careful to avoid questions that require them to say what you want to hear (See also Tool 2 Exploring).
• Identifying the feelings the speaker has about what they are saying. However, we need to make sure we are noticing and naming the speaker's feelings, and NOT expressing what we think we would feel if we were in that situation.
• Summarising: When the speaker has finished, try to sum up what he or she has said as briefly as possible. This helps the speaker know they have been heard, and it helps the facilitator check they understand what was said. Summarising is very important before moving on to the next tool, Exploring Questions.

A good facilitator is one who talks little. When the work is done and the aim fulfilled, they will say, 'We did it ourselves'. (Lau Tzu, 500 BC)

Exploring Questions are particularly useful at Step 2 (Analyse) and Step 3 (Reflect) when using the FBF process.

Exploring an issue with someone, or with a group, naturally follows on from good listening. When everyone who wants to speak has had a chance to do so, the facilitator needs to ask very careful questions to help people think about what they have said. These questions need to be specifically related to the issues, but might begin like these examples:

I couldn't quite follow the connection between what you said about ... and ... . Could you explain this a bit further?

I didn't completely understand what you were saying about ... . Could you say a bit more about it?

When you told me about ... I found myself wondering why...

There may be all sorts of feelings and history making it difficult to understand what is happening – even for the people involved – so a wise facilitator will always go slowly and gently when doing so.

It is always helpful to make your exploring or 'digging deeper' questions gentle and tentative so you don't sound as though you are arguing. Here are some examples of helpful questions:

• How did that work out?
• What did people feel when that happened?

The following are examples of unhelpful questions because they close down discussion or push people towards an answer people expect to hear:

• Do your children get sick often?
• You have a lot of problems in your community, don't you?

It is also important to include questions that explore the role of faith. For example:

• How have people coped with these challenges?
• How are the churches involved in this issue?

It is especially important at this step for the facilitator to make sure that the voices of the quieter, younger or less confident people, or people new to the team or group, are heard (see Matthew 11:25). They may have special perspectives to offer at all steps in the FBF process, and particularly when decisions are made.

The best way to build relationships is to go to the people – not wait for them to come to you! This applies to all parts of Salvation Army life – corps, centres and headquarters.

It is highly recommended that this tool is used regularly throughout the FBF process so that we learn more about our communities, understand their concerns, abilities and challenges.

From its earliest days, The Salvation Army has understood the importance of being on the streets and visiting the homes of people. Once the listening and exploring skills have been explained, it is highly recommended that people walk around the area accompanied by members of the community. On this walk you and the community member must use all your senses to experience all the things around you and talk about them. Praying silently during the walk is also recommended.

If invited, visit people in their homes. The team should ask exploring questions when they meet people. The information gathered from this exercise can be followed up with a brainstorm or mapping exercise.

The mapping tool is a good way for people to learn about a community and helps members of a community to appreciate what they already have.

A team of people should undertake a mapping exercise ensuring that as many different opinions and perspectives are included. Community members are asked to draw a map of the area. The map can be used to encourage people to talk about their community, its resources, issues and concerns.

You will need:

• An Organiser – responsible for paper, pens, lime powder etc, ensuring that all team members are present and all members of the team understand the role they have to play.
• A Note Taker – responsible for listing age, names and background information of participants and important issues raised and for transferring a map drawn on the ground to paper if needed.
• A Facilitator – responsible for introducing the group, explaining the activity and making it clear not to raise expectations. The facilitator conducts the mapping exercise using open and exploring questions, and makes sure that the team allows the community to own the process. The facilitator ensures that no one dominates the mapping process, and, at the end, sums up the exercise and thanks the group for its participation.
• An Assistant Facilitator – assists the facilitator with the mapping exercise and questioning process. For example: 'What one thing would you like to see change in your community in the next 5 to 10 years?' and uses 'digging deeper' questions to probe more deeply into the issue.
• Observers – responsible for noting how the facilitator uses tools and techniques in the mapping exercise (interviewing, questioning etc) and the participation and body language of community members. The observers should also note what goes well and what doesn’t go well about the exercise, and keep track of time.

After the map is completed it is important to debrief and reflect on what has been learnt. The following questions may be helpful:

• What new insights were gained?
• What did we learn about each other?
• What went well and why?
• What didn’t go well and why?
• How did you start discussion? How do you know if this worked?
• Who started the drawing? Why? And what happened next?
• Did the participants seem interested in the map-drawing exercise? How could you tell?
• Did the facilitator sit back at all? At what point and for how long? What happened during this time?
• Out of the whole group, who participated the most and who participated the least? Why?
• What listening methods did the facilitator use? Were they helpful?
• What questioning methods did the facilitator use? Were they helpful?
• Was the map useful to your discussion and how?
• What could we do better next time?

Salvation Army team members in Latin America have found it helpful to focus on the following three questions when talking to people in the community:
1. What are your hopes/dreams?
2. What are your concerns?
3. How does the community see these concerns/hopes? Are they shared by others?

Brainstorming is often used when working through the FBF process, especially at Step 2 (Describe and Analyse) and Step 4 (Decide and Plan)

Brainstorming is a very simple tool which can be used by anyone almost anywhere with very little preparation.

To do it you need:

• a blackboard, whiteboard or flipchart, or a large sheet of paper;
• someone to write or draw to indicate each different point or suggestion made;
• a facilitator.

First of all the Event or Issue needing attention must be identified (Step 1). Then, at Step 2 the facilitator encourages everyone to talk about anything at all that relates to the issue. These may be thoughts, ideas, past events, customs, images, feelings or other related events. There are no wrong ideas at this step. The writer records them as quickly as possible, while the facilitator encourages people to keep giving suggestions. You can set a time-limit for doing this, or continue until everyone feels satisfied that they have said all they wish to say.

As with all facilitation work, it is important to include and encourage quiet, shy and younger people. However, don’t force them to speak. Equally, people who tend to dominate and keep repeating the same point need to be encouraged to listen and allow others to speak. At the end of a brainstorming exercise the facilitator will need to help the group decide what to do with all their ideas. The group will need to agree on aims and objectives. Some of the other tools may help in this process (such as Tool 2.8, Prioritising).

This tool is often very useful at Step 4 of the FBF process (Decide and Plan). It is one thing for a group or a community to decide on a course of action or a project they would like to work on, but quite another to assess whether they actually have the resources and abilities, between them, to make it happen.

The starting point for Faith-Based Facilitation is the appreciation of the many assets, gifts and resources that people have in themselves, their families and friends, and their community. Every person – rich or poor – has unique gifts and abilities which need to be recognised and affirmed.

Although every person, family and community will have some assets to contribute, they may not have enough. This tool can help to identify existing strengths and resources as well as identify any gaps which may need to be filled with help from outside the community.

An interesting way of approaching this is to divide the group into two.

• Ask Group A to brainstorm the resources and strengths that are within the community or available to them;
• Ask Group B to brainstorm the resources and strengths needed to carry out the suggested course of action.

Then bring them back together to compare the two lists and identify the gaps between 'what we have' and 'what is required'. Finally, everyone can give their ideas for how the items from the 'missing' list can be found or alternatives that could be used instead, so that the task agreed can be undertaken. At this point the CPMS system may be helpful in identifying external resources.

There are different ways of listening to the wisdom of the Bible in relation to facilitation and reflection on 'what we do and why we do it'.

1. Look for biblical themes, images and stories which relate to the issue or event that has been identified (Step 1 of the FBF process). You will probably need a Bible concordance or index to help find the themes. This approach will take a lot of time but it can lead to unexpected insights and learning.
2. Brainstorm. It works well when a group of people identifies a number of the passages from the Bible that relate to the issue or event. Having identified a number of possible passages, agree on one to begin with, and then study it together. This approach can help people see things in new ways as different group members share their responses and spark insights off each other. It is important to encourage the group to choose Bible passages that will challenge them, not just ones that reinforce what they already believe. Remember the Holy Spirit is sometimes a 'disturber' as well as a 'comforter'.
3. Learn by using 'given' passages. Sometimes fresh insight and understanding of an Event or Issue can come by focusing on a particular passage. Or, if you are reading your way through a particular book of the Bible you could take that day's chapter and see if there are truths that are particularly relevant to the situation. Or you could respond in the same way to a passage 'given' to you through a sermon or a Bible study at church. Diligence and honesty in responding to the questions raised by verses of the Bible are, of course, key to the value of the exercise.
4. Bible passages helpful as a background for facilitation work. Please do not restrict your Bible study, in relation to facilitation, to the passages and verses suggested below. However the following selection may be helpful:

• Deuteronomy 10:12-20; Love of God includes love for widows, orphans and strangers
• Ruth; Read the whole book
• 1 Samuel 16:7; The Lord looks on the heart
• 2 Samuel 12:1-13; David's misuse of power for his own ends, and his recognition and admission of wrong
• Jeremiah 1:10; Tear down and plant
• Isaiah 61:1-4; Good news for the oppressed; the repair of ruined cities and the devastations of many generations
• Ezekiel 37:1-11; The Spirit of God gives new bodies and breathes new life into what was previously just a valley of dry bones
• Hosea 1-3; Hosea's commitment to his wife in spite of her unfaithfulness is compared with God's continuing love for his people, even when they have forsaken him or disobeyed him
• Matthew 4:1-11; Jesus' temptations in the wilderness
• Mark 6:30-44 and Luke 9:10-17; Compare these two accounts of the feeding of the five thousand
• Luke 5:12-16; Jesus heals a person affected by leprosy
• Luke 8: 42-48; Healing of the 'unclean' woman with a haemorrhage
• Luke 15:1-7; Jesus' love of the lost and the rejected
• Luke 18:9-14; Pharisee and sinner
• John 4:1-26; The Samaritan woman at the well
• John 8:1-11; The woman caught in adultery
• John 9:1-5; Jesus heals a man blind from birth (infirmity and sin?)
• Colossians 3:3; Life hidden with Christ in God
• 1 Timothy 3:1-13; Qualities expected of leaders
• James 2:1-13; What it really means to love your neighbour
• 1 Peter 3:4; A gentle and quiet spirit
• 1 Peter 4:13; Sharing the sufferings of Christ

This tool is helpful if there are several issues needing attention at Event or Issue (Step 1). It is also useful at Step 4 (Decide and Plan) to help choose options for action from a number of possibilities.

Having identified a number of changes or improvements that need to be made, the group or community representatives will need to decide, with the limited resources available, which suggestions to work on and in what order.

After a brainstorming exercise there may be as many as 30 ideas but the group will need to identify three or four to begin with. A simple but satisfactory way to enable a group to agree on priorities works like this:

• Suggestions are listed carefully, each being indicated by a word, phrase or picture.
• The facilitator makes sure everyone understands what each represents.
• The word, phrase or picture for each suggestion is written or drawn on a separate piece of paper. These are then put in different places around the space available.
• Everyone is given an equal number of pebbles, beans or counters.
• Each person places a certain number of pebbles etc by each suggestion, to indicate the priority they would give it. For example, if it is very important to them they can put down 5 pebbles. If it is not important in their opinion they can give it one pebble or none.
  When everyone has finished, the pebbles, etc for each suggestion are counted. The more pebbles a suggestion has, the important the group thinks it is.
• The results are then discussed with the facilitator's help.

This tool is often helpful at Step 3 – Reflect and Evaluate. It can also be used at any step in the process when there are problems or things feel a bit stuck.

People think in different ways. For some people 'creative thinking' comes more easily than thinking in words and everyone benefits from trying more creative approaches from time to time. This is especially true when being reflective and seeking to be open and receptive as at Step 3 in the FBF process.

Encouraging people to draw or act out their responses to particular situations or suggestions, or to make music or drama together to express their feelings, can be helpful part-way through any facilitation exercise. This makes the work fun and gives participants a break from discussion.

After such a period of creative activity, and perhaps a time of prayer and sharing, new thoughts and ideas may occur. In particular, connections between themes and passages from the Bible may come to mind and make an important contribution to the process of evaluation and reflection.

This tool may be useful at any step if people stop participating in the process or if there are differences of opinion.

Working through the Steps of the FBF process with a good facilitator is usually enjoyable and worthwhile. Sometimes though, when participants are tired or stressed, hey may have difficulty staying with the process of evaluation and reflection and become impatient for action.

At other stages people may lose interest and begin to think about other things. If this happens, it may help for the facilitator to:

• Outline what the problem seems to be and what may be causing it (keeping to issues rather than blaming anyone).
• Ask people why they think there is a problem (staying with issues and avoiding blame).
• Invite group members with strong differences of opinion to change places with each other and then to state the other person's opinion or belief as honestly and accurately as possible. This will help them to 'stand in each others' shoes'. After this has been done, invite comments on how this felt for those taking part.
• Suggest having a break and spending a set amount of time on a creative activity together before returning to the present task.
• Invite suggestions for ground rules to be agreed on to assist in completing the task.
• Seek agreement for a timetable for completing the task.

If an external donor has been involved, there may be other evaluation tools to be used. However, it is strongly recommended that the self-assessment tool is also used as it will involve all group members in a discussion as to who their task is progressing. This will increase their personal ownership and input into the work.

Self-assessment helps the group see whether they are making progress in meeting their aims and objectives. This simple tool has been very helpful among many different Salvation Army groups.

During the group meeting, use the brainstorming tool to agree on the aims and objectives which the group wishes to be assessed against. For example, if it was a youth group undertaking self-assessment they might include factors such as the number of people attending; the range of activities on offer, the quality of the food available; time for prayer; the number of new people invited; the number of people discussing concerns with the leader.

Use a large sheet of paper (flipchart size) and draw the two lines of a graph (usually called X and Y axes). On the Y axis (vertical) write numbers 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 in ascending order. Leave the X axis (the line going across) empty until the group meeting. Having agreed on the factors to be assessed, the group now discusses the ranking to be given to each one, from 0 = extremely disappointing through to 5 = best effort.

After completing the rankings, group members plot this on the graph and then discuss what can be done to improve the factors which are weak.