Faithful Innovation Online Community

Rediscover hope and energy in ministry with the step-by-step Faithful Innovation framework.

12
Modules
Monthly
Coaching Sessions
Materials
On-Demand
I'm Ready to Enroll

In a changing world, there are faithful and effective ways to follow God and reach your neighbors

Uncertain of how to move forward as a congregation? Unsure of where God is leading and guiding you? Is connecting with your neighbors harder than ever? Your congregation isn't the only one experiencing the effects of historic change, but we are not helpless as people of God.

What if there are ways to work with all this change and discover how God is at work in your community?

The Faithful Innovation Online Community is just that—a practice-driven experience where the faith leader of your congregation and a core group of lay leaders will learn, experiment, and cultivate practices that will help you move forward with discernment.

This is an opportunity for your congregation to reimagine ministry together.

 

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We used this process in our congregation to learn how to talk to our neighbors about what they felt like the neighborhood is missing. Now we’re working on getting their buy-in to create new ministries that meet their needs.

-Pastor Katie, New Promise Lutheran Church

 

Whether you...

  • Are wondering what’s next for your congregation...
  • Need direction from God about how to move forward...
  • Are hopeful about the future despite the current challenges...
  • Want partners who can journey with you on a new path...
  • Need a different set of expectations for your work...

You're in the right place!

The Faithful Innovation Online Community will introduce your congregation to the spiritual practices, tools for effective experimenting, inspiration, peer community, and unparalleled support you need to discern your next faithful step as a congregation.

 

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What Will You Learn?

By the end of these 10 weeks, you will have:

  • Engaged a step-by-step process for rediscovering God’s leading of your congregation – even in the midst of uncertainty and chaos
  • Helped equip and empower congregation members to discern God’s presence today
  • Clarity around what it takes to build a deeper connection with God, within your church, and with your neighbors
  • Access to coaching and an online peer group where weekly connections allow chances to share, reflect, and get the support you need to move forward.

 

Most importantly...

The Faithful Innovation Online Community will give your congregation a way forward for answering these two questions: What is God up to in our community? And how is God inviting us to join in?

 

How Does It Work?

As a part of our Faithful Innovation Online Community, you’ll spend 10 weeks uncovering the work God is doing in your life, the life of your church, and your neighbors’ lives. Through our go-at-your-own pace online lessons, online group coaching calls, and work in your community you'll be equipped for faithful ways to move forward.

 

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Step 1: Recruit Your Team

Once you sign up, you'll gain instant access to a training that teaches you how to recruit your guiding team—a small group of laypeople in your congregation who are ready and willing to listen to God, learn something new, and reflect on their experiences. This training will teach you what makes a great guiding team member and how to get them on board.  

Step 2: Work the Process

Once you've recruited your guiding team, you'll work your way through the 3-part faithful innovation process starting May 1st. We suggest gathering with your guiding team every two weeks for 60-90 minutes to go through the on-demand training modules and engage in the recommended activities.

 

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Step 3: Engage with Your Cohort

The best part of this learning experience is that you're not doing it alone; you have a private digital community with others who are going through the exact same process you are. Plus, optional weekly group coaching calls and up to two one-on-one coaching calls for support, insight, and feedback.

 

Here's What You'll Learn...

1

Dwell in the Word

In this part of the training, you will learn about Dwelling in the Word and several important things to keep in mind as you begin to practice this ancient spiritual practice together in community.

 

2

Ask God Questions

We want our focus to be guided by God as we trace God’s movement in our own lives, the life of our congregation, and our neighborhood. So, one of the core practices that we encourage you to engage in is asking “God Questions.”

 

3

Listen to Each Other’s Stories

Learn how listening to others’ stories actually increases our capacity to listen to God, why we need to be intentional about listening to others in our communities, and how to begin the practice of listening well to others.

 

4

Name God’s Activity

Learn the value of listening to your own life and stories as a way of becoming more comfortable naming what you think God might be up to in your midst by taking time to reflect on your personal story.

 

5

Walk Your Neighborhood

Discover anew what God might already be up to in your neighborhood and inviting your congregation to be a part of.

 

6

Share What You Learned From Your Listening Module

Learn the value of making time for reflection and the power of sharing your learning.

 

7

Dive into Action Learning Experiments

Learn what action learning experiments are, why they are helpful as part of the Faithful Innovation process, and how to design a successful experiment for your Guiding Team and congregation.

 

8

Identify Listening Themes

The consequence of not using listening work as the foundation for our experiments is to continue to do a lot of good things that might not be God things. You will learn how to identify themes that are emerging for you to learn more about what God is up to.

 

9

Choose an Experiment

Learn two different approaches for your action learning experiment, the specific action learning experiments that your Guiding Team can choose between and plan your own experiment for your Guiding team and Congregation.

 

10

Reflect on Your Experiment

Learn the ins and outs of processing the experiment that you and your congregation engage in order to learn from any failure, discover new energy in your congregation from the experiment, and to start uncovering the vision God might have in mind for your congregation’s future.

 

11

Share Your Stories with Others

Learn the transformational value of sharing your stories, why it is a vital part of discerning where God is leading your congregation, and how to do so.

 

12

Discern Were God Is Leading You Next

Learn how to ask God questions of your stories, the different options you have for discerning what your next steps could be, and you will begin to imagine and plan for what your Guiding Team and congregations will do next.

 

Enroll Now

Gain Access to…

  • The entire Faithful Innovation curriculum
  • A comprehensive workbook to help you engage core practices with your congregation
  • A facilitator handbook
  • Hands-on coaching and guidance
  • Community, Support, and Accountability
  • 12-months of access to the on-demand video modules
  • Peace of mind – no matter what the future holds

 

Single Payment

Multiple Payments

$149

3 monthly payments

I'm Ready to Enroll

The Faithful Innovation Process

Get to know the transformative practices that will cultivate a spirit of faithful innovation.

Tracing God's Movement in our Lives and Neighborhoods

The way forward begins with listening: to God, each other, ourselves, and the world around us. Listening to God together through Dwelling in the Word and Dwelling in the World helps us name what God is up to in our midst. Listening to stories about what we long for and what we've lost (or are afraid to lose) as well as listening to our congregation, neighbors, and community leaders help our hearts align with what God cares about most.

Using Action Learning to Discover God's Leading

The way forward also involves congregations cultivating life together through spiritual practices. These practices aren't new; they are ancient ways through which followers of Christ experience connection with God's Spirit.

Alongside this, there are practices of experimenting, prototyping, and evaluating faithful new expressions of ministry.

Sharing Stories about What We've Learned

The way forward also involves making time for practice of reflection and sharing stories of discernment. Without the practice of reflection, the first two practices of "listen" and "act" will be little more than a moment of trying something before moving on to something else. Sharing stories of what we did and learned is where we begin to see transformation unfolding.

Frequently Asked Questions

Any size congregation can engage in the Faithful Innovation framework and process. We have had small, medium, and large sized congregations engage in this work, as well as those without a designated clergy person leading the congregation.

 

Yes. Congregations without traditional pastors have taken part in the FIOC process and found this process to be especially helpful as they discern where God is leading them.

 

In addition to one church leader (lay or ordained), select 5-8 congregational members that represent the diversity of your congregation to create your guiding team. The participation of your guiding team is included in the cost, and we teach you exactly what to look for in guiding team members and how to do it.

 

We recognize that every congregation is unique. Faithful Innovation is a customizable process that equips and empowers you to faithfully discern what God might be calling you to next with any challenge that you face. It includes a proven and tested set of practices that have been used in hundreds of congregations.

 

We know things come up in ministry and life. Meetings are recorded and shared for later viewing.

 

The Faithful Innovation process works with every denomination as the process was developed using ancient Christian spiritual practices and innovation best practices.

 

Don’t see your question addressed?
Email us at [email protected] for more information. We’ll be delighted to connect!

Meet Your Trainer

Alicia Granholm
Alicia Granholm

Alicia Granholm is the Director of Operational Strategy at Faith+Lead. She is a leadership and church consultant based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. Dr. Granholm helps pastors and leaders engage culture to make a lasting impact. For nearly two decades, she has trained, equipped, and empowered followers of Jesus to engage their local communities by contextualizing the Gospel and its application. Alicia compassionately crosses cultural boundaries having lived, studied, traveled, and served in 25 countries on six continents. Alicia has a Doctor of Strategic Leadership, Global Consulting (Regent University), MDiv (Bethel Seminary), and MA in Teaching (University of St. Thomas).