Graced Crossroads

Catholic religious communities, like many faith-based organisations, are at a crossroads. They are experiencing a seismic transition not only in their demographics but also in their identity, integrity, and relevancy—indeed, their very soul. Dr. Ted Dunn explores these Graced Crossroads by addressing four central questions:

1. What are the graced crossroads religious communities are now facing and the deeper invitations calling them to the inner work of transformation?

2. What are the challenges and opportunities in our world and within Religious Life that have brought communities to these graced crossroads?

3. How might communities assess their capacity to engage in communal transformation, what will it ask of them, and what can they expect to come from it?

4. What does a Journey of Transformation truly involve and how can communities proactively engage in this Divine Mystery?

Despite all the books on transformation, few take an in-depth look at how transformation occurs, and even fewer describe how to engage in this type of work as a community. There are those who write about personal transformation from a religious, faith, or psychological perspective, and there are those who address systemic change and transformation from a business or corporate perspective. Very few authors cross over and integrate both personal and organisational transformation from an integrative multidisciplinary perspective. Dunn bridges this gap and draws upon the wisdom of not only faith traditions, but also contemporary understandings in psychology, spirituality, systems theory, and cultural evolution.

Communities wishing to engage in deep change and transformation need to have a better handle on what it is and what they can expect from it in terms of its promise and its peril. They need to know how to approach this work, what it will require of them, and have ways to assess their capacity to do this kind of work. The hard truth is the vast majority of communities and organisations fail in their efforts to transform their lives and give birth to new life. The good news is that research tells us why. Those who engage in this work need to know these pitfalls ahead of time so they can proactively address them and improve their odds of success.

The Journey of Transformation is a comprehensive, multidimensional, and multilayered approach to communal transformation. It is comprehensive in addressing every facet of community. It is multidimensional, addressing three primary dimensions of community: personal, interpersonal, and organisational. It is also multilayered in that it not only addresses what you see on the surface (e.g., bricks and mortar), but the layers of life that lie beneath the surface (e.g., patterns, structures, and soul of community).

The Journey of Transformation is a new way of integrating planning and visioning efforts along with the inner work of transformation. What Dunn refers to here is a way of transforming your lives and planning your future, not so much in terms of writing a grand plan, but by engaging one another in the discipline of dreaming, dialogue, and discernment in order to co-create your community's future. This is a way of shaping your future together that transforms your way of thinking, relating, and serving our world. It is a means for creating new mind-sets, heart-sets, and skill-sets needed for the work of transformation.

This book focuses on Catholic religious communities, and even though Dunn addresses them, it is well suited for any value-based or faith-based organisation facing similar crossroads. While he will reference several specifics regarding Religious Life, his experience with other organisations in the United States and internationally has also informed the material in this book. Thus, the foundations, principles, and approaches involved in the Journey of Transformation can readily be applied to other religious or civic communities and organisations seeking transformation.