issue to bring a diverse gathering of participants on the same page and motivate them to take action . We invited Nancy Ammerman , to present on the changing religious landscape and the implications for sacred places . Speakers John Bridgeland and E . J . Dionne helped to put the issue of sacred places into the larger context of civic life , emphasizing their critical contribution to healthy communities . A panel was then organized with leaders from sectors who are stakeholders in the future of sacred places : academia ( Dr . Mark Chaves and Dr . Yusuf Ransome ), religion ( Rev . Luis Cortes and Bishop Daniel Edward Thomas ), government ( Hon . Sara C . Bronin ), and philanthropy ( Rev . Chris Coble ). They brought multiple perspectives , raised new questions , and offered insights from their sectors . This was followed by two one-hour breakout conversations in seven different groups — one was “ intersectoral ” ( with a random mix of participants ) and the other was sector-specific . Each was facilitated by a leader from the specific sectors and diligently recorded by Partners staff .
The final session , facilitated by Elizabeth Lynn , included reports from the sectoral groups after which she skillfully captured the common threads from the discussions . In conclusion , Bob Jaeger discussed next steps and wrapped up the Convening on a positive note .
Despite the multi-dimensional focus of the Convening , there was coherence due to intentional aspects of the planning , including :
1 . careful , detailed planning over a year and a half by dedicated staff members who met monthly and followed up on assignments . Every aspect of the event was discussed and potential snags anticipated .
2 . contracting with the Roberts Group , which facilitated all the logistical details , from meals to seating , as they liaised professionally and smoothly with the hotel .
3 . orientations the month before the event with all of the leaders to explain expectations for their roles : individual plenary speakers , congregation members from field visit sites , panelists , roundtable facilitators , roundtable recorders , and representatives from the congregation in the video .
4 . strategic communications . Most of those who attended had had individual conversations with Partners staff who personally invited and then followed up with them . There was a timeline of communications that rolled out emails regularly . The attractive graphic designs for the anniversary dinner and the Convening were carried throughout messaging and signage , contributing to the coherence .
There was an evaluation process that was immediately put into place . For this we were fortunate to secure the services of Barbara Wheeler , who has done extensive evaluation research for the Lilly Endowment Inc . Within two weeks of the Convening , each participant received a follow up email message from Bob Jaeger , asking three open-ended questions about their experience of the Convening . We had a response rate of over 40 % and responses were tabulated . The responses were overwhelmingly positive , and even enthusiastic . Participants were eager for the next steps , and in fact , many had already begun taking them . We tried to track as many of these follow-up actions as we could capture so we could map the direction of the energy . There were “ big picture ” actions ( such as an editorial by John DiIulio and John Bridgeland ); new ideas for research projects and collaborations ; and new partnerships for supporting the preservation of sacred places serving their communities in fresh ways .
It is from all these post-Convening sources that the next steps emerged that are presented in this summary report .
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