OUR STORY

 

WHY MINISTRY INCUBATORS?

 

We’ve worked with hundreds of young church leaders over the years (Mark as a consultant, Kenda as a seminary professor, both of us as youth pastors and seminar leaders). These leaders' jaw-dropping creativity, missional intuition, and innovative ideas for sharing Christ’s love leave us gob-smacked and inspired. 

 

But we began to notice two things. First, a lot of people didn't know how to translate their great ideas into action. Tools for developing sustainable ministries just were not in most young leaders' toolboxes. When economics forced churches to scale back, their ministries (and sometimes their jobs) were vulnerable.

 

The second observation was even more disturbing. Creative young adults who want to make a difference in the world seem to doubt that the church is the best place to do it. Some have told us they just can't see their church supporting innovative ministries. Others have shared their plans to leave ministry altogether because, as one youth pastor sadly said, "I feel like I have to choose between my creativity and the church."  

 

That particular conversation was a game-changer.

 

We are convinced that every church is a ministry incubator, called to turn hare-brained ideas into sustainable forms of mission. After all, God is the creative author of the universe; the resurrection of Jesus Christ was a game-changing innovation in ancient Judaism; and the Holy Spirit is forever blowing people, churches and entire communities into new territory. If creativity belongs anywhere, it belongs in church. 

 

But if churches are going to make a real difference instead of just a dent, we are going to have to think bigger--and there's a good chance that "bigger" is going to require a different kind of funding than what's coming from the offering plate. Nonprofit and for-profit and social enterprises like the Grameen Bank, Kiva, Watsi, Tom's Shoes, Teach for America, and charity:water already know this.

 

They are ambitious to change as many lives as possible, and like churches, they don't always get it right. But what they have done is together create a powerful "secular mission" movement of people whosse vision is not limited by their bank accounts. By using entrepreneurial, self-renewing and financially sustainable models, they are changing the world in ongoing ways, not just through token gestures of goodwill. Tragically, the missing partner in these social enterprises is the church. 

 

Not only do we think missional entrepreneurship is possible through churches and those who lead them--we think this is where ministry is headed, especially where young people are involved. Social innovation and churches have historically gone together.   Nancy Chan, founder of the Idea Catalyst, points out that it was a social innovation that spread Christian faith throughout the Roman Empire. For ancient Christians, one's daily work was an expression of faith that funded ministries like caring for the sick and the dying. In a pagan culture with no concept of charity, this generosity attracted many people to Christianity (Chan, 2014).

 

While some terrific social enterprise incubators exist (including Christian ones), we just haven't met as many people championing pioneers for missional enterprise through churches. Nor have we met many people trying to make ministry more financially sustainable.

 

Few resources exist when you are in the earliest stages of missional entrepreurship--namely, when you're still discerning God's call to become what the Anglican Church in the UK calls a "mission pioneer."  

 

We founded Ministry Incubators to encourage you--and to encourage congregations, denominations, theological schools, and teams of entrepreneurially-minded disciples--to say yes when this pioneering instinct hits. We see ourselves as "permissionaries," and we think prayer, faithful discernment, practical wisdom, a company of collaborators and coaching from experienced colleagues—people with established networks who know what to do, who to ask, and where to go for help—means the difference between dreaming of ministry and doing it.

 

That wild idea God has planted in you?  We're here to help it grow.