Innovation

Office of Innovation

Innovating to engage the biggest challenges in God's world.

The Office of Innovation is devoted to amplifying faithful innovation throughout the PC(USA) and building a network of innovators keen on paving new ways of participation in God’s kin-dom.

Land Stewardship

AI and the Church

Do you need a shot of energy and hope? Have your events grown stale and predictable? Do you long for an engagement that will help your mid council, team, congregation, or New Worshiping Community lift their heads to taste and see a different horizon? Invite us to design and deliver an event with you.

Corey Schlosser-Hall speaking on stage — Corey Schlosser-Hall, Deputy Executive for Vision and Innovation

Innovating Your Way into God’s New Vision for Grace Presbytery - May 2022
Inspiring teaching that focused on embracing an iterative process of living in a new direction, developing

From Inspiration to Incarnation: Vision and the Presbytery of Western Reserve - January 2024
A “zoomified” engagement to incarnate the next steps in a fresh vision, this gathering stimulated what it meant for the presbytery to become a 21st-century church and cultivate a renewed understanding of themselves for a new day.

COM/CPM Summit in Synod of Lincoln Trails (SOLT)
Multiday learning events focused on “Innovation” (2023) and “Energy” (2024) Synod leaders seeking to catalyze innovation (2023) and generate energy (2024) invited us to lead plenary sessions and help design these multi-day events to accomplish those objectives.

DeEtte Decker, Manager of Vision Integration and Constituent Service

Re-inventing Ministry for the Reign of God. Donegal Presbytery Feb-May 2024
A gathering to embrace the future and welcome God’s possibilities for opportunities in congregations, ministries, and the presbytery. Introducing participants to a model of ecclesial innovation, relating to the future, and ways to give and share courage as we open ourselves to new pathways and possibilities.

Imagining a Future Beyond Systemic Poverty and Structural Racism - March 2024
PC(USA) ruling and teaching elders and members gathered on Zoom to consider our role in shifting the future, a future where systemic poverty and structural racism are history. These webinars catalyze solutions-focused imagination, innovation, attitudes, and actions.

An Innovation Lab is a dynamic space where individuals from different domains of ministry, the community, and backgrounds come together to explore, experiment, and cultivate fresh ideas. It's a sacred space where faith, creativity, and transformation intersect. Innovation labs empower the church to envision the future, embrace the change it will take to get there, and faithfully impact lives.

Generating New Possibilities - The primary purpose of an Innovation Lab is to ignite creativity. Participants collaborate to brainstorm innovative approaches to ministry, outreach, and community engagement. It’s a place where the conventional boundaries are pushed, and novel solutions emerge.

Exploring Uncharted Territory - An Innovation Lab encourages bold exploration. It invites people to step beyond their comfort zones, question assumptions, and envision new ways of serving God and the community. Whether it's reimagining worship experiences, digital outreach, or social justice initiatives, the lab provides a safe space for experimentation.

Adapting to Changing Contexts - The world evolves, and so does the church’s mission. An Innovation Lab equips congregations, presbyteries, and mid councils to adapt. It helps them respond effectively to shifting cultural, technological, and social landscapes. By fostering adaptability, the lab ensures that the church remains relevant and impactful.

Nurturing Collaborative Spirit - Innovation thrives in an environment of open dialogue. The lab encourages diverse voices—laypeople, clergy, youth, and seasoned leaders — to contribute. It’s a place where ideas collide, merge, and evolve. Collaboration becomes the catalyst for transformative ministry.

Testing and Refining Ideas - Within the lab, ideas are not just conceptual; they're prototypes waiting to be tested. Participants experiment with new worship formats, community programs, or outreach strategies. They learn from both successes and failures, refining their approaches along the way.

Inspiring Hope and Vision - Innovation Labs infuse hope amid challenges and uncertainties. It reminds us that God's work is ongoing, and fresh possibilities await. As participants catch a glimpse of what could be, they become ambassadors of hope within their context and beyond.

Examples

Bubble Up
“Bubble Up: Conversations to Carbonate Your Imagination” in the Lake Erie Presbytery.

Innovating beyond
Innovating beyond the solo pastor model with Presbyteries in Tennessee, Missouri, and Kansas.

Economic Model innovation
Congregation going from $40,000 in congregation sources in 2016 to $832,000 from diverse sources in 2023.

Design Sprint
People from different domains and interests coming together in a common challenge creating something for the church.

Innovative partnerships between a mid council and a curated team from PCUSA national agencies inspire imagination and tackle challenges head-on. These partnerships are marked by negotiated objectives and key results to pursue. They are designed to help mid councils make specific and focused evolutions in their vision, mission, culture, and operations that they discern as important to their future — bringing together the best of that mid council’s self-knowledge and understanding of their context with resources and ideas from around the country and world.

How is God calling you to innovate for the Gospel of Jesus Christ?

Do you have a great idea? Want to share a story of faithful innovation? Have questions about resources for next steps? Reach out to any of us or complete this short Innovate Form, and one of us will contact you.