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Our Framework

3 Community

In working together as Partnership Collective, we are inspired by the way communities of practice work. A community of practice is defined as a group of people who share a concern or passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly. […]1

Specific choices we made

 

In order to function well as a community of practice, we as Partnership Collective have applied the aspects that are relevant to us. Here are the most important choices we made:

  • MPD is our shared focus and passion.
  • We function as a network of its own, in an informal way, but are supported by our own organisations.
  • We exist across organisations and stimulate interactions among members.
  • In practice, amongst members, we facilitate the sharing of resources, experiences, tools, and ways of addressing recurring problems.

Benefits for members

 

The benefits for members of the Partnership Collective include:

  • Supportive Culture – we promote a culture of trust, respect, unity in diversity and open, honest discussion.
  • Encouragement – we encourage knowledge sharing and learning.
  • Increased Capacity – we create stronger collaboration and enhanced skills by breaking down organisational silos.
  • Belonging – we build a sense of belonging and motivation.
  • Innovation – we drive innovation and best practices. All ideas are welcome. We encourage members to bring problems and issues we can solve together.
  • Shared Language – by working together we create a common understanding of best Partnership principles.

How it works

 

Our members are motivated individuals with relevant experience in the field of MPD (or newcomers eager to learn). Anyone can join in on our ongoing activities if they have a role associated with MPD, for example trainer or coach, HR person, or leader.

 

We focus on facilitating the equipping and connecting of MPD minded people. This protects the lightweight nature of the Partnership Collective. The following guidelines explain how we function:

  • Our get-togethers have a set rhythm.
  • We encourage open dialogue and trust by creating a safe environment.
  • We stimulate networking and facilitate a strong peer-to-peer vibe.
  • Leaders act more like facilitators than managers.

1Building successful communities of practice — Discover how connecting people makes better organisations (2016) Emily Webber, Page 4-5.

Our Interactions

4 gatherings

As Partnership Collective we have a set rhythm of three get-togethers:

 

  1. In-person gathering
    Every 2-4 years we organise an in-person gathering for MPD equippers from ministries in Europe.
  2. Online prayer and networking
    Every 2nd Thursday of the month we take one hour to pray and seek God together and learn from each other’s experiences. More details can be found about this here
  3. Continuous online interaction
    Our website is an online space to share resources, knowledge, training dates, and to foster collective interaction.

Contribution

 

As a member in the community of practice, there are benefits to the individual, and the organisation you represent. You can contribute to the Partnership Collective in the following ways:

  • Interested member:
    “I don’t have much time, but I’m interested in developing MPD in my organisation. I prioritise coming to in-person get-togethers and may occasionally join online.”
  • Active member:
    “I actively engage in the get-togethers by regularly attending the monthly prayer time and if possible working with a project or activity leader to play a role in helping things run effectively.
  • Project / Activity leader:
    “Next to being an active member, I take the lead in working with other members to carry out specific tasks within the Partnership Collective, for example  the next get-together or an ongoing task in the background.” 
  • Core team lead:
    “Next to being an active member, I work in partnership with the project and activity leaders to oversee progress on projects and keep activities in line with the Partnership Collective vision.”

 

Boundaries between these contributions are not strictly defined, and we appreciate that levels of commitment can vary over time. 

Projects

 

Our get-togethers are member led:

  1. Events – a team organising the in-person gatherings.
  2. Monthly hour – a few people making sure someone leads the prayer time and facilitates the networking time.
  3. Online space – a few people leading this with two main responsibilities:
    • technical – ‘light’ monitoring and moderation
    • relational – welcoming new people and connecting members

Activities

 

In the background there are ongoing admin tasks and responsibilities:

  • Welcome team
  • Monthly e-mail prayer time updates
  • Webmail
  • Finances
  • TPD
  • Website
  • Core Team lead

 

The Core Team consists of 2-3 people. They make sure things run smoothly and the work load is distributed well across the group. Important guardrails for the Core Team:

  • Leading lightweight: focus on facilitation.
  • Leading for a fixed time frame.
  • Mix in leadership styles: e.g. visionary, completer/finisher, admin minded, shepherding/pastoral care.

By facilitating the empowering of MPD equippers, we believe that we will reflect the body of Christ in action, people in mission can thrive, and we will see God’s Glory cover more of the earth (Hab 2:14).