Faithful Innovation

Faithful Innovation is a process that invites participants to engage in simple spiritual practices and small experiments to develop deeper relationships with God, fellow faith community members, and their neighbors. In times of crisis, crossroads, or "stuck-ness," these practices will give you and your faith community the muscle memory to know what to do when you don't know what to do. Rather than focusing inward on deficits, this process invites you to focus outward, to where God is already at work in the world around you! New life doesn't come from a rehashed budget or yet another program, but from seeing where God is already bringing new life into our midst and joining up with that work.

What's the Commitment?

Guiding teams of 3-8 lay leaders from participating faith communities will gather three times over a 9-10 month period. These teams will learn spiritual practices that will help you:

• Listen
• Act
• Share

Between trainings, teams will engage regularly in the spiritual practices taught during the sessions, share those practices with their faith community, meet monthly with a trained coach to check in and process learnings, and undertake small experiments to learn more about what God is up to in the lives of their neighbors.

Each participating group will be asked to sign a participation covenant, found in the registration sign-up.

Logistics:

South
The Inn at Shattuck-St. Mary's
1000 Shumway Avenue, Faribault
Saturdays from 10am-3pm:
July 23, 2022
November 12, 2022
April 1, 2023
Registration is closed.

North
Lafayette Community Center, Evergreen Room
3026 Minnesota Avenue, Duluth
Saturdays from 10am-3pm:
September 10, 2022
December 3, 2022
May 20, 2023
Registration is closed.

Metro
ECMN Gathering Space
1101 W. Broadway, Minneapolis
Saturdays from 10am-3pm:
January 7, 2023 (Snow date: January 21)
April 15, 2023
July 15, 2023
Registration is closed.

Metro Process #2
ECMN Gathering Space
1101 W. Broadway, Minneapolis
Saturdays from 10am-3pm:
June 3, 2023
October 7, 2023
March 2, 2024
Register here.

Is this a program my congregation is expected to participate in?

No! Faithful Innovation is not a program, and there is no expectation your congregation will participate. It’s a process that becomes a way of life. It has been used by over 400 congregations and 50 judicatories (including a couple of dioceses) with amazing results. However, it’s only for congregations that want to participate and can commit to full participation.

What’s the cost?

The cost is $100 per congregation to cover the cost of food and materials. However, money should be no barrier to participation, and scholarships are available. 

Want to participate?

Click the links above to register your team. One person from each faith community should register your whole team, so assemble them before registering!