Invent, Experiment... Innovate! A New Opportunity –

CYMT and MLI are partnering to offer the Innovation Lab

Ministry Leadership Initiative is pleased to announce a new partnership with the Center for Youth Ministry Training to help churches invent, experiment, and innovate. The CYMT Innovation Lab is a phenomenal opportunity, available to your church! Our MLI Director, Matt Vaughan, has been trained in the process through CYMT and he’s impressed by the changes the project has helped facilitate. This is a Lilly-funded project, so the research is extraordinary.

The Innovation Lab exists because we recognize a common problem: traditional models of Christian ministry are no longer effective in many contexts. Data about declining engagement with the church and rising religious disaffiliation among people of all ages tell us traditional models aren’t contributing to people’s spiritual lives like they used to. Simply put, if a ministry is not meaningfully inviting people into a deeper relationship with God and others, then it’s time for a different kind of ministry. It’s time to innovate. 

So how do we break out of the mold? We develop new ways of meeting people’s spiritual needs by bringing design thinking from the business world into conversation with theology. These new models better meet people’s needs and help them grow in their faith in our shifting culture. Since 2018, the Lab has walked with nearly 200 adults and teenagers across the country to develop innovative ministries so more people experience the love and grace of Jesus Christ.

The Innovation Lab’s mission is to help shape the future of Christian ministry by partnering with individuals and communities of faith to develop innovations that are responsive to people’s needs, theologically informed, and transformative.

“Sure,” you say. “Does this really make a difference?”

Yes! Here's a quote from a UMC youth minister in Dallas:

“Our experience with the CYMT Innovation Lab has been nothing short of transformational. Not just for our student ministry, but for our entire church. From our senior leadership on down, we’re learning how to innovate better. We’re learning how to listen to our community and our congregation better and to respond in a way that honors them and honors God. We’ve learned how to grow organically, and that’s something that’s pretty new for us, so I’m so proud of all that we’ve learned and all that we will continue to learn from the CYMT Innovation Lab and the Theological Innovation Process.” -Mark Bogart, Director of Youth Ministry, Memorial Drive United Methodist Church

Participation in a traditional Lab cohort includes walking through our five-phase Theological Innovation Process, working alongside a coach from outside the faith community, and making connections with other innovators around the country.

Our next cohort launches in September 2022. Church applications open this spring! If you’d like to stay connected to the work we’re doing and future opportunities to learn with us, sign up for our newsletter below. We’ll share resources related to innovative ministry in a variety of contexts and updates on cohort applications.

Visit https://cymt.events/labapply to sign up today! Please contact MLI Director, Matt Vaughan, for more information, or download the flyer. Scholarships are available.

April 2023 update: MLI and CYMT announced a strategic partnership. Read more.