Appreciative Inquiry

I've been doing a lot of reading about a strategy for organizational change called Appreciative Inquiry. While it's not new to the corporate world it seems to be rather slow in catching on in churches. The premise of AI is that all organizations have some positive things going on. By capturing the spirit of those positive things the organization should be able to move forward much more quickly without spending so much time, energy and money on putting out the fires of "problem solving." As I've read the case studies and poured over the concepts I've been struck by the simplicity of the concept. But I've also begun to see some of the Biblical basis for this change strategy.
Jesus' introductory discourse (Matt 5-7) is built on the concept of highlighting successes. The Beatitudes as we call them, are pronouncements of blessing because of the attitudes and actions of those who receive the blessing. The basis of the gospel message is one of recounting the victory of Jesus' over sin and death with an eye toward our own similar victory (1 Cor 15). The entire letter to the Hebrew Christians is filled with stories of the successes of Christians and was written for the specific purpose of showing the strength of an enduring faith in Jesus Christ.
As I continue my journey toward the educational pinnacle of a Doctor of Ministry degree, I am looking forward to employing the principles of AI in helping the congregation I serve to become a highly evangelistic, productive body of God's people. With His help, our memories and the sharing of stories we will do just that.