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.
Max Nussenbaum and three other participants in Venture for America in Detroit started Rebirth Realty after buying this abandoned house at a tax auction and rehabbing it to live in themselves.
Photos courtesy of Rebirth Realty
Venture for America trains and mentors college graduates in entrepreneurship, which gives them business experience and helps revitalize American cities. Could this serve as a model for the church to encourage creative innovation among young Christians?
The Darkwood Brew set evokes a coffeehouse and jazz club. Photos courtesy of Darkwood Brew
An interactive Web television program features meditation, jazz, chat-room conversations and weekly communion.
The Rev. Audra Abt presides over the Spanish "Misa," or Mass, at a home service in Greensboro, North Carolina. Photos by Alex Maness
The Rev. Audra Abt started a Spanish-language Mass and a health access ministry, meeting neighbors’ needs and rejuvenating a small church in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Bishop James Hazelwood created an interactive card game as a companion to his book, "Everyday Spirituality." These cards are designed to begin conversations about spirituality. Image courtesy of James Hazelwood
The ELCA bishop encourages readers to search for God and spirituality in their lived experiences.
The young adults who work at Village Wrench do not need to have experience fixing bikes. They just need to have a passion for helping the community. Photos courtesy of Village Wrench
Village Wrench in West Greenville, South Carolina, helps meet tangible needs such as bike repair and transportation. But it also offers youth development and a community gathering place.
Hope Citadel Healthcare in Greater Manchester, England, embraces a holistic approach to wellness that includes more than just medical care -- its clinics offer counseling services, mothers' groups and food pantries, among other services. Photos courtesy of Laura Neilson
A British medical student, angry at the idea that a for-profit company would make money offering inferior treatment to her impoverished neighbors, founded her own clinic rooted in her Christian faith.
Bryan Ye-Chung, left, and Brian Chung are the co-founders of Alabaster Co., which is producing beautifully designed books of the Bible. Photos courtesy of Alabaster Co.
Two young Los Angeles artists talk about Alabaster, the company they founded to create books of the Bible that blend Christian faith with elegant design.
Windsor Jones and Country pause for a moment at the Common Soles clinic hosted by Church of the Common Ground, where Jones washed Country's feet. Photos by Branden Camp
Church of the Common Ground, an Episcopal congregation in Atlanta, avoids the usual attempts to “fix” people who are living on the streets. Instead, it seeks to be a living witness of love and compassion.
At dinner table churches like Simple Church, simple meals and breadmaking facilitate deep conversations and communal friendship. Photo courtesy of Simple Church
The hope of the church lies in a commitment to feast with one another, writes the author of the new book, “We Will Feast.”
RAWtools creator Michael Martin uses a saw to cut an AK-47 gun in half. Photo courtesy of Rex Harsin
Two friends launch a 37-city tour beating donated guns into garden tools to spread stories of people affected by gun violence and stir hearts toward change.
Composite illustration by Catherine A. Caimano / SmartMockups
An Episcopal “clergypreneur” innovates a new model of pastoral care in which congregations run their own churches and contract with her for services such as worship, Christian education and leadership formation.
Image courtesy of Ann Mei Chang
Not content to do just some good, the former senior engineering director at Google has tackled the question of how to help social organizations do more good. Her lessons: think big, start small and relentlessly seek impact.
Leadership Education at Duke Divinity teaches a way of thinking that holds the past and future in tension, not in opposition.
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