The word “innovation” can sometimes feel out of place in church conversations. It sounds too business like, too trendy, or even too risky. Yet at the heart of the Christian story is the boldest innovation the world has ever seen: “Behold, I am making all things new” (Revelation 21:5).
God is in the business of transformation — and that means change is woven into the life of faith. Creation itself is an act of divine innovation. God imagines a world that did not yet exist and speaks it into being. The Incarnation — God becoming human in Christ — is a radical, imaginative intervention in human history. Pentecost, too, is a Spirit-filled moment of new beginnings, fresh language, unexpected community.
Innovation is not about change for its own sake. Nor is it about discarding what is good and true. It’s about faithful responsiveness: listening to what the Spirit is saying to the Church (Revelation 2:7) and having the courage to step forward.
When we innovate in ministry — whether through new ways of gathering, new uses of technology, or new forms of service — we honour a God who continually moves towards renewal. The Church is not called to preserve methods; it is called to proclaim hope.
As leaders, our call is not simply to manage decline or maintain traditions. It is to dream with God. To imagine with faith. To act with courage. Innovation, rightly understood, is an act of co-creation with the Living God — trusting that He who began a good work will carry it through (Philippians 1:6).
The real risk is not in trying new things.
The real risk is in imagining that the Spirit has stopped moving.