Strengthening Our Seminarians

Who better to promote the merits and benefits of StrengthsFinder than our future priests? In theory, this sounds nice, but how pragmatic is this concept? Well, the odds might be better than we think.

Our parish has been involved in StrengthsFinder since 2009. Over 1,000 people in our community have taken the assessment and most of them have been involved in our seminars, 7-week journey or one on one coaching. This does not include the countless teens we have also introduced StrengthsFinder to.

It has been my experience that the teens (middle school or high school) can be a tough crowd to work with when it comes to Strengths exploration. While they are willing to take the assessment, I find their overall enthusiasm and embrace of the concepts to be more of a mixed bag. Some are excited to learn about their talents while many seem to think it is a nice exercise that might have some value for them someday down the road – way down the road 😊.

I think this just has to do more with where they are at in life than anything else. Because of their youth and lack of life experience, they are usually not as introspective about things compared to adults who have plenty of things to reflect upon and see where their natural tendencies have played out (in family life, careers, etc.). You see the “a-ha” moments going off with adults when they now have words and descriptions to assign to what they experienced.

So it is with this backdrop that I had cautious optimism heading into a StrengthsFinder workshop/seminar that I was putting on for our local seminary. All of the seminarians were there along with their formators and rector. This particular seminary is a college seminary meaning that the guys are roughly 18-22 years of age.

To my pleasant surprise, their openness, curiosity and enthusiasm were off the charts. As I glanced around the room, they were genuinely interested and engaged with the process and what this meant for their continued formation and development.

As we know, these young men are not your typical 20-year-old guys. They are continually bathed in self-evaluation, ongoing personal and pastoral formation and discernment of where the Lord might be leading them. It is the air that they breathe at the seminary. StrengthsFinder was another tool for them to go deeper in not only understanding themselves, but also how they could cultivate their God given gifts to become even more effective witnesses of Christ. They really seemed to enjoy it and appreciate having this new addition to their discernment toolbox.

As I drove home that day, I kept thinking how great it would be if every seminary was able to introduce their men to StrengthsFinder. Not only would it help them in their own growth, but it would plant the seeds of effective ministry down the road. Imagine a Church where our pastoral leaders are enthusiastically leading the charge to help our brothers and sisters discover their God given talents and how they can more actively participate in sharing the Gospel in word and deed!

Bruce Baumann, Director of Faith Formation, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, Plano, TX

It All Started with a Lenten “Living Your Strengths” Journey

What a gift it is to study my StrengthsFinder assessment steeped in discussions related to the unique gift God has given me to be his disciple.  In late 2011, I and a small group were invited our Pastor to consider developing/adapting a program based on the Living Your Strengths materials from Gallup. (I didn’t think of it as a call then; I do now!)

With Lent just around the corner, it seems appropriate for me to reflect on my Top 5 STRENGTHS– how have I grown since Strengths for the Journey began in the Lenten Season of 2012?   More importantly, how will I continue to develop my innate talents to serve the Strengths Community of Saint Clement (Chicago) parish?

1. Strategic

“Make known to me your ways, Lord; teach me your paths” Psalm 25:4

I have met and worked so many people from my parish, and other parishes across the country allowing me to see more paths to engaging people through the strengths community I had ever thought about. Those ideas and resources serve me well as I and others generate plans to move our program and process forward. I am grateful to have in my mind’s eye what it could like going forward and how it fits with other ministries.

Going forward, the pandemic, a new Pastor and many new staff members and parishioners (not yet even seen in person) will require a new or revised strategy for maybe it’s a parallel strategy for maintaining a thriving Strengths Community. I will focus on strengthening the committee I chair with more diversity, more thoughtful planners, and executors.  

2. Individualization

“As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.”   Peter 4:10

Over the ten years of learning and working with strengths, I have affirmed my belief that no matter the differences people bring to our faith community, those differences are unique attributes that will enrich the program, people, and processes.  It is so important to relate to each in terms of her/his uniqueness.  It also pays off.  Thank you, God, for giving me the talent of individualization.

My Lenten focus --learning more about the uniqueness of our New Pastor and his core team.  Gratefully I have already learned that he is a champion for StrengthsFinder. I wish it were as easy as it sounds though like so many Pastors in pandemic times, there is little opportunity for face-to-face meetings. I will practice my strength in individualization to learn his communication preferences to discuss our team’s strategy in a way that moves is aligned with his vision.

3. Relator

Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. Ecclesiastes 4:12

Nothing makes me happier than working with a group of people aimed at the same goal. While there have been trying times growing our Strengths for the Journey program it has been successful because of the strong connections that have been formed in our group.  For me, the best part has been our growing into a faith centered small group – we pray together for the intentions of each other, for our personal discipleship and for the parish, we strategize together, and we execute the plans.

Though the participation of parishioners’ averages about ninety a year; with an everchanging parish membership it would be wonderful to reach even more.  I need to keep looking for ways to meet and develop meaningful relationships with new parishioners, young adults, and others – inviting them to participate in the Strengths learning groups and other ministries.  A challenge during the pandemic!         

4. Arranger

Plans fail with no counsel, but with many counselors they succeed. Proverbs 15:22

Arrangers figure out how to get things done…. over the last ten years we have indeed had many opportunities for just that. 

Our challenge for the next few months. Can we, should we, how would we provide strengths learning and development in asynchronous and synchronous ways?  What would it take to make it happen? The discussions have begun, and exciting ideas are emerging.

5. Adaptability

Do not worry about tomorrow, tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for a day is its own evil.  Matthew 6:34

Could anything have drawn on the theme of Adaptability more than a pandemic?  I don’t think so.   I wonder if Matthew foresaw Zoom in the future when he said tomorrow will take care of itself.  Zoom filled the bill for the years nine and ten of our growing Living Your Strengths program.  Our trusty Saint Clement Strengths Team applies their unique gifts to regroup to invite parishioners to join Strengths for the Journey and join they did with better attendance on Zoom than in person.

The pandemic experience has given me confidence to continue modifying our deliver techniques to reach more people, to keep those who have already participated engaged developing their talents AND supporting them to “hear” the call to use their strengths in doing the Lord’s work.

Lord, you have given me strengths to hear and answer your call; help me today and every day to do your work. Amen

The five “CliftonStrengths Theme” names listed above are registered marks of Gallup, Inc.

Finding Hope in the Kindness of Others

How can we use our strengths to help us, and others, face the COVID-19 Pandemic?

I wrote the following bulletin article for the Catholic parish where I serve as the Parish Administrator.  Although I reference Saint Olaf, it could be any workplace where we are challenged to find ways to channel our strengths to be the person each of us is called to be, finding that hope – and then sharing that message of hope with others we encounter.  

Stay well, Strengths and Engagement Enthusiasts!

Mary Kennedy, Parish Administrator- Saint Olaf Catholic Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota

FINDING HOPE IN THE KINDNESS OF OTHERS

Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts. Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope, but do it with gentleness and reverence…

1 Peter 3:15-16

I am a glass half-full kind of person. It is one of my strengths and one that I have called upon a lot lately to get me through the morass of dark stories, which have filled the media and my senses since March. What started out as an unbelievable story of a “new” illness, occurring in a city on the other side of the world, has morphed into an epic, life-changing pandemic. We are in unchartered waters, trying to keep steady and safe. We are battered daily with news of more loss - lives, freedoms, and more. How do we find the hope, the positivity? Perhaps the answer is right in front of us. To be more exact, the answer lies inside each of us, living in our core of faith and in our hearts, from the lessons of love shared by our family.

We hear in the readings this weekend of the need to keep Christ in our hearts, but also to be ready to share the message of hopefulness we receive from our faith. Yes, we as Christians are expected to share the message: to evangelize. Banish the thought of knocking on doors and shouting out Bible verses, that may be one form of evangelizing; one that certainly is not practical in the world today. In reality, the concept of evangelizing boils down to sharing the Good News. That sounds much simpler. In looking for examples of finding hope in the kindness shared by others, it did not take me very long to come up with several instances where words or deeds of others helped me find peace and comfort. I know you, the reader, will also find a reason to smile and be proud of Saint Olaf and our community of faith.

The email from a parishioner who wrote: This evening I got a phone call from a neighbor who said she called me because she wanted to tell me how much she enjoys watching the Mass from Saint Olaf on TV. She said she has watched the Mass on EWTN but prefers watching ours...

The parishioner who stopped by and donated fabric masks and the daughter of mine who sewed another dozen masks, to cover our staff’s faces so we can protect ourselves as we serve the people in the heart of the city.

The check that arrived from Hastings where the donor had discovered and “Loved the TV Mass” and decided that even though she has a limited income, she could get by without her “Stimulus Check.” So she split it up and sent the money to different organizations and even though she had never been to Saint Olaf, we were one of those recipients.

The many notes, emails, and phone calls that inspire our priests to keep up the good work.

Four giant boxes of socks, the package of men’s pants, and more, that appeared unsolicited to give when we re-open our Samaritan ministry again. (We are not ready to receive any more clothing/supplies quite yet, but very soon we will!)

We may not be able to gather, celebrate the Eucharist, or enjoy the company of our friends and family, but we must remember that someday we will do all of these things and more – we need to embrace hope, find hope in the kindness of other’s actions, and share that hope.

We each are called to share the Good News in the way we speak, live, work, and share. Each of us has different gifts to share, and each gift makes a difference. Who can you call? Who can you write? Who can you pray for? What can you do? How can you share the Good News of the Risen Christ in your world today?

Mary Kennedy, Parish Administrator- Saint Olaf Catholic Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Strong Couples

Strong Couples

Four years ago, I was able to make a dream come true! 

I had been trained as a Gallup Faith Coach in 2010, and the experience transformed me in profound ways. Originally, I used Strengths with the students I served in Campus Ministry. But the more I worked with Strengths, the more I KNEW it could be transformational for couples as well. So the dream was born to give couples the Strengths tools to build stronger relationships. And finally, four years ago, we hosted our first Strong Couples course. It has been an incredible blessing to couples and our parish!  We now host one Strong Couples course a year with monthly “Boosters” to help participants continue to build their relationships and keep the tools sharp!

Here is a brief outline of how we run our course: 

Pre-Work

All couples are asked to register and given codes to take the assessment ahead of time and bring their results with them to the first meeting.

Week 1

We provide a nice dinner and facilitate table discussions and fellowship. After dinner, I present basic Strengths information, philosophy, and activities. We allow couples time to highlight their report and trade reports with their partner so they can highlight anything else that they see in their partner. They are given homework for the next week: Strengths Spotting.

Week 2

The whole group gathers for a potluck appetizer “meal,” and to chat and re-connect. We ask couples to find a quiet spot where they can discuss last week’s homework together. Then we break up into small groups (no more than 6 couples / 12 people), answer a few questions, and talk about any insights or epiphanies couples had from the homework. Then they get the homework for the next week: Where do our Strengths compliment each other and where do they create friction.

Week 3

The process follows the previous week’s structure: eat, chat, review homework with partner, meet as a small group, answer questions and share insights. Homework for the following week: Strengths-based Partnerships – Role Review.

Week 4

The process follows the previous week’s structure: eat, chat, review homework with partner, meet as a small group, answer questions and share insights. Homework for the following week: Strengths-Based Love Letters. 

Week 5

We gather together for a pot-luck meal. After dinner, we meet one-on-one with our partner and read each other our love letters. Then we gather together as a large group and debrief/review our time together. What did couples love? What do we need to change? Etc… 

I can tell you that so much of the value of this course is in our small group time. There, we build trust and connection with other people on this path. There’s a lot of laughter, sometimes some tears, but always a deeper understanding of ourselves and our partner, and the sense that we have companions on the journey.

Kirsten Hangas, Christ the King Parish, Missoula, Montana

Kirsten’s CliftonStrengths Signature Themes: Input ~ WOO ~ Adaptability ~ Connectedness ~ Maximizer

CSEC Regional Groups

Why start a Regional Meet-up?

CSEC is a great partner for faith communities and individuals working with Strengths and Engagement, however sometimes it is better to be able to discuss face-to-face with others who are working in the vineyard just like your organization, many of whom may be facing the same issues. 

We found this to be the case in the Minneapolis region and our answer was to create CSEC-MSP, a regional meet-up, and its purpose is to bring strengths champions together for quarterly discussion about all things Strengths and Engagement.

CSEC-MSP has been meeting since 2017 on a quarterly basis. At each meeting, we have welcomed anywhere from 6 to a dozen strengths champions to discuss topics, share best practices, and support each other’s strengths and engagement programs. 

We started by sending out an informational flyer to all the faith communities that we knew had offered Living Your Strengths programs and asked if they saw their community in any of the following:

• We have heard about CliftonStrengths® (StrengthsFinder®) and its use in faith communities–we want to know if this would be a good fit for our faith community.

• We have started a Living Your Strengths program...now how can we grow this program?

• We had a Living Your Strengths/Strengths Quest program and it seems to have fizzled, how do we breathe some life into our program?

• We aren’t connected or comfortable online, can we just meet to discuss?

We also shared other benefits to joining in this charter group:

• Learn what other faith communities are doing with their Strengths program

• Share Ideas

• Get answers to your questions from others in the Strengths Community

• Discuss best practices

• Get access to resources that have been used successfully by other churches

We have covered all sorts of topics, including:

• Engagement

• Starting a Living Your Strengths program

• Facilitator 101

• Balconies and Basements

• Strengths Domains

• How to get Gallup certified as a facilitator

And we have shared resources, figured out new tactics, explored best practices, and received great support from one another as we built our own community – CSEC-MSP.

If you would like to start your own regional meet-up and have questions, feel free to contact CSEC Board members, Martha Buelt, mbuelt@talentstrength.net or Mary Kennedy, mkennedy@saintolaf.org.