Developing Leadership Team Vision for the Oakville Community at the Oakville Adventist Company Through Appreciative Inquiry

Abstract

Oakville Adventist Company (OSDA) was a congregation that had not been growing and had no active presence in the community of Oakville. To help address these concerns, a leadership retreat was designed and implemented that used Appreciative Inquiry (AI) as a process to help the leadership team develop a clear vision for outreach to the community of Oakville. There were seven leaders who participated, and the outcomes of the retreat were analyzed. The project was aimed at facilitating the development of leadership team vision for the residents living in this community. Using AI processes, the leadership team looked at the vision for the Oakville community, developed a vision statement and committed to designing ways to serve the community needs. Findings from the research project indicated that participants developed a vision and a mindset to explore new possibilities to make an impact on the Oakville community.