Appreciative Inquiry in the Catholic Church

Decision-making in Catholic organizations doesn’t always come from the top down. Hoping to be more effective in their mission and to enhance positive energy, today Church leaders are experimenting with a cutting-edge process of participatory planning and decision-making based on intimate dialogue. Appreciative Inquiry in the Catholic Church (Thin Book, 2003, $12.95) describes projects that successfully got all the voices in the room, with results that have far exceeded the hopes.

Susan Star Paddock tells the stories of Catholic Relief Services, the Diocese of Cleveland, the Catholic Health Association of Canada, four different religious communities, Catholic schools and parishes, and many others. She explains that Appreciative Inquiry, an organization development process, is a new way of looking at the world that turns problem-solving upside-down by looking within our heart-felt memories for the undiscovered solutions that already exist. This quick-read is rich with how-to information from those who use Appreciative Inquiry for strategic planning, relationship building, transition, community development, and for spiritual renewal. The compatibility between Appreciative Inquiry and Catholic theology is well documented by comparing it with Catholic Social Teaching, an encyclical of Pope Paul VI on dialogue, biblical references and Vatican II.

Appreciative Inquiry in the Catholic Church was named best book by a small publisher by the Catholic Press Association in June 2004.