CWM

Shaping the future

Tuesday, 23 June 2009 13:39

As CWM reached the 30-year mark, calls were made to define a clearer purpose, direction and identity for the organisation with greater focus on the future. We wanted to take stock of where CWM was today but more importantly – establish where was it headed. These questions posed a clear need to redefine a common vision, mission and goal for the organisation over the next decade.

This is a simple overview of the process we undertook to produce a new strategic framework document that sets out the purpose of our work and mission for the future.

Call for strategic review 2006

Having recognised the need to set out a vision and clear goals for the future, CWM called for a thorough review of its life, work and witness in preparation for Assembly 2009.

Plan the process

We set up a strategic framework planning group to help us deliver the review and create a framework document to shape our vision and future goals. Once created, this framework would provide the perfect springboard from which to launch the new CWM strategy.

Gather views, ideas, suggestions: In preparation, we spoke to more than 230 people across the CWM global community to hear their views on the way CWM works. We heard that people are not always clear about CWM’s mission and what it stands for, and that there are also concerns about how CWM is governed and managed.

But the feedback also indicated that CWM made its members feel part of a wider international community.

Share responses

These valuable responses were shared with CWM trustees, general secretaries and staff to give them insight into the views of the global community and provide them with an opportunity to share their own thoughts.

Shape framework

Next we set up special workshops to help our planning group create a new framework to shape the future strategy of CWM. During these workshops, we posed key questions to help focus our vision, mission, goals, and identity and the effect all these have on the way we work as an organisation.

Get feedback

We took the new framework document back to CWM trustees, general secretaries and staff to get their views on our plans for CWM’s vision and future based on the research carried out so far.

Refine framework

Armed with fresh feedback we made some further changes to the framework before producing the final document that will guide our trustees in CWM’s vision, mission and purpose over the next nine years.

Vision, mission, strategy

The new strategic framework sets out:

CWM’s vision

“Fullness of life through Christ for all creation.”

CWM’s mission

“Called to partnership in Christ to mutually challenge, encourage, and equip churches to share in God’s mission.”

CWM’s expression of its mission

We will work to fulfil our mission purpose in five ways:

• Building life-giving community
• Equipping for mission
• Seeking renewal and transformation
• Sharing common resources
• Engaging with the world

Key recommendations

The following key recommendations have been made by the strategic framework planning group to the trustees:

• Adopt the Strategic Framework building blocks of vision, mission, values and expressions of mission, which will form the foundation of the CWM Strategy
• Undertake a Strategic Planning process to begin in June 2009, building on the Strategic Framework and delivering the CWM Strategy for 2010-19
• Institute a review of CWM’s governance arrangements, by accepting (or amending) the draft Terms of Reference
• Accept the need for a management review, to be launched in adoption of the Strategy and completion of the Governance review (ie June 2010)
• Form a working group to review the location of the CWM Secretariat
• Adopt the revised by-line for CWM (CWM – a partnership of churches in mission)