In a time when congregations and related institutions need to experiment to make the work more sustainable, we need to discern which innovations to nurture. The discernment process starts with a simple question: Why?
Many leaders want change, but only some are willing to take the heat, says the senior vice president of Purpose Built Communities. Ask them, 'Are you willing to stand up and be an advocate for disruptive change?'
Mainline Protestants can still have an exciting and life-giving future. Living into that future will require us to learn deeply Harvard business professor Clayton Christensen's lessons of disruptive innovation, say three United Methodist Church leaders.
istock/franckreporter
Rather than lagging behind in the digital revolution, mainline Protestants should be leading the way, helping people embrace technology faithfully. Last in a series of articles on disruptive innnovation and what it means for the future of mainline Protestantism.
iStock/Nikada
Leaders in mainline Protestantism need to look beyond the stereotypical congregation to envision new ways of gathering as God's people.
Photo courtesy of Duke Divinity School
Mainline Protestantism has been slow to create new models of clergy leadership development that take into account the disruptive forces acting in congregations and the culture.
Photos courtesy of Duke Youth Academy
While mainline churches were looking the other way, marginalized youth ministries became laboratories of disruptive innovation. Fortunately, hand-wringing despair is not the only option.
Mainline Protestants can still have an exciting and life-giving future -- if they learn the lessons of disruptive innovation from the steel industry and other organizations, say three Christian institutional leaders.
The models that have worked for congregations and other Christian institutions have lost power. What innovations might change the way you operate?
Harvard Business School professor Clayton Christensen says innovations need, among other things, independence, leaders with varied experience, a new economic model and commitment from the top.