Well Connected [Englisch] [Taschenbuch]

Phill Butler gives us one of those books that takes an action sport or skill that is usually performed on an intuitive or visceral level and reduces it to a formula.

Don't get me wrong. This is not a criticism. Many of us need precisely such a formula that provides a handle, a method, or a path. Butler has given us that, and is to be thanked for doing so.

Six more or less balanced sections move from top to bottom as they view the complex dance that leads to partnership among Christian churches, parachurch organizations, and related missional groups:

One: The Big Picture
Two: The God Design
Three: Behind the Scenes
Four: On the Way
Five: Working It Out
Six: Special Cases, Special Opportunities

After telling his own story in an introduction, the author utilizes Part One ('The Big Picture') to build a case for partnership based on both pragmatic and biblical principle. In the first instance - and since 'all truth is God's truth' - Christians have much to learn from the business world and its own experience of strategic alliances. What's more, we ought to anticipate that many of the dynamics that lead to success or failure in that arena will also prove to be operative in our own.

With respect to biblical instruction on partnership, Butler believes that partnership is akin to unity and that unity is near to the Father's heart. It may work, and that's all to the good. But it's also *right*, Butler would seem to argue, and that's almost justification enough for the significant and sometimes grueling exertions that true partnership requires.

Finally in Part One, the author defines the menu of alliances that are commonly available, subjugating structure and talk to matters of mission as he does so. Butler has a penchant for graphs, many of which repay careful analysis. He introduces his first one here in a visual that anticipates his perception that certain commonalities in form and process produce the possibility of discerning laws of partnership, though I am not aware that he uses such terminology.

In Part Two ('The God Design'), Butler unveils the theological conviction that drives his work. Many Christians launch facile declarations about 'unity' that mistake intense preoccupation with the matter and location of one's calling with a fractious spirit. This is an unfortunate and undeliberated conclusion, and one that Butler comes perilously close to adopting as he explains why unity is God's idea before it is ours.

Yet he skirts the danger by his confidence that unity is not only God's idea but God's project, thus only worthwhile as God births its, nurtures it, and teaches it to flourish. It is not essentially a feat of human engineering and is to be seen as a process that is watered by human laborers insofar as they offer prayer and relationship in service of its growth. In my judgment, Butler hits the mark with these observations and escapes the tendency of elevating partnership for partnership's sake to the top rung of an organization's strategic planning ladder.

Part Three ('Behind the Scenes') fleshes out how vision, prayer, and relationship join together like three strands of a strong rope.

It was not until reading Butler's Part Four ('On the Way') that I was persuaded I'd depart this book with something valuable in hand. Here WELL CONNECTED morphs into a practical manual for partnership-building to which I will refer frequently by taking it down from the book of well-thumbed manuals perched within reach on the shelf above my desk. In these pages, the author distinguishes himself as someone who has done the thing rather than as a dreamer of fine dreams that lose their pertinence by Thursday afternoon's leadership meeting. If you read only one portion of this book, start here.

Parts Five ('Working It Out') and Six ('Special Cases, Special Opportunities') move the discussion in the direction of case studies and special circumstances. In doing so, they link closely to the fundamental declarations of Part Four.

Phill Butler's WELL CONNECTED is not likely to be of service to you as a quick read. However, if you find yourself in leadership of a church or Christian organization, you probably already undertand that today's world is not kind to those who go it alone. If you embrace that apparent fact, then this book can prove a valuable manual as you seek to build the right partnerships for the right purpose at the right moment. It's value will only be multiplied if the coterie of leaders at the head of your organization covenant to read it together.

"Well Connected" has truly given me the kind of insight that brings community transformation into the realm of real possibility! I know worship and prayer are the key ingredients for transformation, but what are also the practical steps that really enables me to get a handle on getting started. "Well Connected" gave me the answers! And it really wasn't something new ... but how I needed to be reminded. Everything starts with relationships and then carefully and spiritually moves forward to collaborating and partnering about the work in our community that's on God's heart. And what we're discovering is, God already had in the community all the ingredients to accomplished His purposes for our city. We had just never connected the dots (real people and ministries). Now God is helping do just that ... and "Well Connected", by Phill Butler, is the catalyst God is using to help pastors and non-pastors learn and grow together in new Kingdom partnerships! This is going to help YOU a lot!
~ Joe Walsh, [...]Sacramento, CA

"They'll know we are Christians by our love." (How's that working out for all of us?)

What if the next verse to that song read, "They'll know we are Christians by our partnerships?" (Oops. That's not working out either.)

Here's the deal. Many Christian organizations--even in their mission statements--proudly proclaim that they are partners with the local church. Others have a "Director of Strategic Partnerships & Alliances" on their teams. But gut-check time: how competent are we in building and sustaining God-honoring partnerships?

There's help. Phill Butler's classic book, "Well Connected," is your Partnership 101, 201, 301 and 401 course and baptism into the hope of John 17: unity in the body of Christ.

You may want to just read the summary (Chapter 1) and then delegate your reading to a team member who will review the book at a future staff meeting. The appendix is worth the price of the book, especially the five-page "Partnership/Network Diagnostic/Evaluation Tool" for your current presumed partnerships. Or you can rate yourself with 10 questions: "Are We Good Partnership Material?" If you score 60 or less (100 is possible), Butler suggests you host a leadership meeting to look at your scores and discuss improvement options.

Finally, the "15 Critical Principles" of partnerships are excellent. For example:
#2. Lasting partnerships need a committed facilitator.
#4. Effective partnerships have limited, achievable objectives in the beginning.
#5. Effective partnerships start by identifying key felt needs among the people being served. (See "The Customer Bucket" in Mastering The Management Buckets: 20 Critical Competencies for Leading Your Business or Non-profit)
#8. Effective partnerships are even more challenging to maintain than to start.
#15. Effective partnerships expect problems and pro-actively deal with them.

If you're "partnering" and have never read this book, your partnerships could be dramatically enhanced in just one reading.