BUILDING A CULTURE OF INNOVATION IN MINISTRY

I love gameplay. It’s one of my favorite parts of ministry with young people. You plan a good game or activity, and suddenly the room comes alive. You create memories, laughter, and a reminder that the Church can be fun.

But I’ll admit—sometimes my ideas have been too big. One time I planned a relay race where kids had to untie knots to find a set of keys, and one key would unlock the SPECIAL TREASURE CHEST. In my mind, the game would take 15 minutes. After 30 minutes, we called it quits. These kids couldn’t untie anything!

Still, I love gameplay because it’s a chance to try something new and adventurous—and if it fails, that’s okay. The same should be true in our ministries. Yet, when it came to being innovative and creative with my programs, I used to be far more cautious. I worried that if I pushed the envelope too far, I’d end up with emails, phone calls, or a meeting with the pastor that started with, “What were you thinking?”

The truth is, we’re in a season where the Church needs innovation. We hear members of the Magisterium talking about it, and even dioceses are experimenting with new models of pastoral planning. We might not agree with every idea, but if the Church is going to grow, we need to learn how to build a culture of innovation—not as a business trend, but as a reflection of the Holy Spirit’s creativity at work in the Body of Christ.

So how do we do that?

TRUST AND COMMUNICATION ARE AT THE CORE

One reason innovation often fails is because it’s built on dysfunction. If your team doesn’t trust one another, even the best ideas will stall. Trust takes time, but it’s also intentional. It grows through prayer, shared experiences, and open communication.

If you’re not praying together, your team will struggle to stay grounded in Christ. If you’re not sharing life together, accountability and vulnerability will always feel forced.

Take time as a team to learn what trust and communication look like in practice. Read together (Dare to Lead or The Five Dysfunctions of a Team are great starting points). Bring in someone to guide team-building exercises or use assessments that help you understand each other better. But most importantly—pray together. Even if it’s just once a week, a meeting rooted in prayer will often be more productive than any strategy session.

DEVELOPING AN ORGANIZATIONAL SANDBOX

We all have work to do, deadlines to meet, and events to plan. But sometimes the best thing you can do for your ministry is create space to play.

At my first parish, our staff would take a day to sail, play ping-pong, or visit a museum. These moments weren’t a waste of time—they gave us new perspectives, sparked creativity, and helped us connect beyond the usual to-do lists.

Ask yourself: Where is my “safe space” to do something fun or creative? Maybe it’s a small corner of the office where people can doodle, paint, or build with Legos. Maybe it’s one day a month where your team does something completely unrelated to ministry, then comes back to reflect on what they learned.

When a team has permission to play, they also gain permission to stretch their imagination. And sometimes, that’s where the next breakthrough begins.

CELEBRATING RISK, FAILURE, AND BOLDNESS

I once lost $3,200 on a fundraiser. I was convinced my pastor was going to fire me. Instead, he said, “We just invested $3,200 in teaching you something. We’re not going to fire you.”

That one sentence changed the way I approached risk. It told me it was okay to try new things—even if they didn’t always work out.

Now, I’m not saying failure should be celebrated for its own sake. Reckless or unethical decisions are still wrong. But when mistakes happen, we can use them as moments of growth. The key is to set clear parameters and values so that people know how far they can go—and what to do if things start to go sideways.

In the end, celebrate those who take bold steps. Thank the volunteer who tried something new. Recognize the young adult who brought a creative idea to life. You never know—one “failed” idea might become the seed of something truly transformative.

OPEN DOORS FOR THE NEXT GENERATION

The older I get, the more I notice how easy it is to stay in my comfort zone. One of the best antidotes to that has been working with young people. Their ideas don’t always make sense, but their questions force me to think differently.

Sometimes, the most innovative thing we can do is hand them the keys. Let them lead. When young people are trusted with real responsibility—and know you’ll guide them when needed—they rise to the occasion. They bring new energy and ideas that we’d never have imagined ourselves.

I wish I could give you a clear roadmap for how the Church should reinvent itself. I can’t. Every context is different, and not every idea will fit your parish or diocese.

But here’s what I do know: we need to give ourselves and others permission to be creative again. Start small. Pray together. Play together. Try one new thing this month—something that might fail but could also spark something new.

After all, our faith itself was born out of holy innovation. The Incarnation was God’s boldest idea—love becoming flesh. If that’s the story we live from, then it’s time we let the Spirit make us bold again.