Appreciative Inquiry for Kingdom Leaders
A facilitation guide for vision, strategy, and team alignment — Rise Crew Strategy pillar.
What is Appreciative Inquiry (AI)? A strengths-based planning method that asks: What is working? What is life-giving? How do we build more of it? — instead of starting with problems and blame.
Kingdom version: We add testimonies, prophecy, and organisational storytelling to the classic four themes.
Session length: 90 minutes (can split into two 45-min sessions) Group size: 4–12 leaders or team members
The Four Themes (Kingdom-Adapted)
| Classic AI Theme | Kingdom Adaptation |
|---|---|
| Discover (best of what is) | Memories — testimonies of God's faithfulness |
| Dream (what might be) | Dreams — prophecies, visions, Spirit-inspired hopes |
| Design (what should be) | Appreciative Questions — strategic inquiry |
| Destiny (what will be) | Organisational Storytelling — narrative we live into |
Pre-Session Setup
Facilitator: _______________ Date: _______________ Organisation/team: _______________ Prayer opener: Invite the Holy Spirit as senior partner in planning.
Ground rules:
- No criticism during discovery — only in designated discernment phase
- Honour every voice
- Test prophecy and vision against Scripture and fruit
- Specific stories beat abstract opinions
Phase 1: Memories (Testimonies) — 20 min
Prompt: "Tell a story of when God moved powerfully in or through this team/ministry — a moment you're grateful for."
Each person shares 2–3 minutes. No interruptions.
Facilitator captures key words on board:
| Name | Story theme | Gift/virtue displayed |
|---|---|---|
Group reflection (5 min):
- What patterns do we see?
- What gifts keep appearing?
- What did God already establish that we should not despise?
Phase 2: Dreams (Prophecies & Visions) — 20 min
Prompt: "Without editing for practicality — what do you sense God wants for this team/ministry in the next 3–5 years?"
Allow silence. Allow boldness. Write every contribution.
Capture:
| Person | Dream/vision/prophetic sense | Scripture echo (if any) |
|---|---|---|
Discernment filter (5 min):
- Which dreams converge?
- Which produce love, faith, peace?
- Which require more testing before adoption?
Phase 3: Appreciative Questions — 25 min
Choose 3–4 questions from this menu:
- What would it look like if we were fully operating in our 5-fold gifts?
- When have we been most alive as a dual-realm leadership team?
- What structures already produce increase — and how do we protect them?
- If honour were our default culture, what would change Monday morning?
- What would "healthy family" feel like for new people joining us?
- Where is administration anointed — not just functional?
- What would we do if we were 10x more courageous — and 10x more rested?
Small groups (15 min): Discuss chosen questions. Report back one insight each.
Phase 4: Organisational Storytelling — 15 min
Craft a one-paragraph "future story" in present tense:
"It is [date 3 years from now]. We are a team that _______________________________________________. God has _______________________________________________. People experience us as _______________________________________________. Our fruit is _______________________________________________."
Each person contributes one sentence. Facilitator weaves into single narrative.
Read aloud. Pause. Pray.
Phase 5: Strategic Commitments — 10 min
From the session, extract:
| Priority | Owner | First action (30 days) | Success marker |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | |||
| 2 | |||
| 3 |
Schedule 90-day review: _______________
Facilitator Debrief (private)
What converged strongly?
What needs pastoral follow-up?
What should NOT be pursued (yet)?
Appendix: Pairing with Strategic Quadrant
After AI session, map commitments to Paul Manwaring's Strategic Quadrant:
| Quadrant | Question | Our answer |
|---|---|---|
| Strategic Planning | What will we build? | |
| Strategic Discovery | What is God revealing? | |
| Strategic Leadership | Who leads how? | |
| Strategic Outcomes | How will we measure fruit? |
Rise Crew · Share freely · Strategy pillar · Team retreats & planning days