Faithful innovation requires more than just a great idea. You need a structured process, a guide, and a community of support on the journey with you. Innovation Lab's Lab Cohort is an 18-month, guided experience to develop, test, and launch an innovative ministry.
ecoAmerica expands climate leadership beyond traditional environmental circles. They are building a diverse network of major institutions and thought leaders in five sectors — faith, health, communities, higher education, and business — who have the power to inspire tens of millions of Americans on climate change, in counties and communities nationwide including the heartland. Watch this video to learn more about their programs and hear leaders speak.
Mindful Leaders Lounge is a supportive conversation space for leaders who are working on themselves so that they can be creative, mindful, adaptive and resilient through change. Part of her Defy the Trend Community, it is moderated by Nicole Havelka of Nicole Havelka Consulting. Learn more at defythetrend.com.
The BTS Center is a private foundation in Portland, Maine, building on the legacy of the former Bangor Theological Seminary.
Today The BTS Center seeks to catalyze spiritual imagination, with enduring wisdom, for transformative faith leadership by offering theologically grounded programs of continuing education and spiritual formation, including workshops and retreats, learning cohorts, public conversations, and projects of applied research.
Join the BTS Center on a journey of discovery and exploration at the intersection of spiritual leadership and ecological imagination.
They are collaborative, committed to partnering with others in the pursuit of synergy, strength, and sustainability.
Fresh Expressions is a movement; a band of misfits, visionaries, prophets, evangelists and creative entrepreneurs from across all church traditions who can see what isn’t there and have the grit and faith to go out, listen, love, serve, tell people about Jesus and work with new communities to create a new and authentic expression of church that makes sense to its participants.
Visit the website to learn what a Fresh Expression Church is, and to get equipped, connected, and inspired.
The skills improvisers use to create compelling stories are valuable off-stage too. In their workshops, Danger Boat facilitators guide groups through exercises to enhance listening, collaboration, and creativity. Participants will gain skills in: adaptive leadership, navigating different perspectives, creative brainstorming, deep listening, and comfort in the unknown. Workshops can be tailored for any group size and duration, from 55 minutes to multi-day retreats. Discover new approaches, bring your group closer, and build a “yes, and...” culture all while having fun.
The Art of Difficult Conversations with Tane Danger of DangerBoat Productions/Theater of Public Policy
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This year-long learning community will grow together, developing the confidence to lead with a solid foundation in church history, theology, and essential leadership skills like conflict resolution. This program
Successful innovation is never a solo endeavor. Whether you serve a denomination, church, or other organization, Innovation Lab can help you break out of the traditional molds of ministry. They offer customized training, workshops, coaching, and resources that can meet your unique needs.
The Church can and should be an agent of justice in this world, and you can be a part of that story. “Faith, Lies & Spies: Bonhoeffer and You” is an immersive experience led by renowned theologian Dr. Andy Root and designed to deepen your sense of purpose, strengthen your awareness of divine guidance in your life, and prepare you to take deliberate action in the face of so much division and uncertainty.
Based on their discussion with Clara King about lay-led ministry Faith+Lead decided to dedicate an entire Q&A episode to address them.
In this listener-inspired episode, Rev. Dr. Dwight Zscheile, Rev. Dr. Terri Elton, and Dr. Alicia Granholm dive into the shift from clergy-led to lay-led ministry models, tackling audience questions head-on and exploring the implications of this change for churches like yours.
The Art of Difficult Conversations with Tane Danger of DangerBoat Productions/Theater of Public Policy
Departure: Why I Left the Church by Alexander Lang
Gretta Vosper is passionate about the work of capturing the “off-label benefits” of religion for individuals and communities for which religious belief or practice is no longer meaningful. She has served West Hill United Church for over twenty-five years, supporting its transition to a theologically non-exclusive community, the first of its kind within traditional Christianity.
A best-selling author, Gretta has written three books: With or Without God: Why the Way We Live is More Important than What We Believe, Amen: What Prayer Can Mean in a World Beyond Belief, and Time or Too Late: Chasing the Dream of a Progressive Christian Faith. Gretta’s blog, A Whole Lot of Broken, is on Substack.
No matter where you are in the process of reimagining ministry, Innovation Lab offers resources and tools that will catalyze innovation in your context. Their resources are designed with busy leaders in mind and can fit within the demands of any ministry setting’s schedule and budget.
7 Suggestions for Outsourcing Your Church’s Staffing Needs
5 Indigenous Women Asserting the Modern Matriarchy
They’re reclaiming the tradition of female leadership and turning the old, white, male-dominated perspective of history on its head.
BY CHELSEY LUGER / Yes! Magazine
MAR 30, 2018
Image: A Sisterhood Is Sacred. Left to Right: April Chavez (Kewa), Talavai Denipah-Cook (Ohkay Owingeh/ Hopi), Jazmin Arquero (Cochiti/Zuni), Dina DeVore (Jemez/Kewa/Laguna), Alexis Wade (Laguna), Marquel Musgrave (Nanbe' Owingeh), and Kim Smith (Diné). Photo by Cara Romero
Agile Church was founded to help church leaders and congregations navigate the tidal wave of change affecting growth and threatening the survival of mainline churches. Agile Church is a proven system that combines decades of church leadership experience; a diverse range of consulting services; innovative technology; and a library of proven resources into a single church growth system.
The Ministry Collaborative (nice name!) is committed to 'creating a national support system for pastors, ministries, and congregations". The provide cohort and immersive programs 'to improve community engagement'; their Christian podcast is a supplemental tool covering topics such as 'preaching, racial justice, community, and the cultural attitude toward congregations'. Find the podcast here.
The Soul of Transformation: Exploring Vocations in Social Justice is a podcast and resource for future leaders who not only see and name the realities of injustice in the world but can start imagining new and better solutions. This is for change agents, people who want to work towards achieving authentic racial justice, mitigating the dire impacts of climate change, facing the challenges of immigrants and refugees, and ensuring equality for people of all gender identities and sexual orientations. Learn more. Contact Rev. Dr. Justin Sabia-Tanis and Rev. Dr. Gary F. Green II for more info
The Risk of Trying to Please Everyone
Mike Bonem says a process of meaningful change can be slowed, interrupted, or completely stopped if a leader insists on trying to please everyone. What is critical is building enough genuine support so that the effort can move forward. Read more.
Krista Tippett interviews Priya Parker, author of The Art of Gathering, in Remaking Gathering: Entering the Mess, Crossing the Thresholds
![](https://pictures.abebooks.com/isbn/9781455523092-us.jpg "When "Spiritual but Not Religious" Is Not Enough: Seeing God in Surprising Places, Even the Church: Lillian Daniel")
