Abstract
ABSTRACT
Leslie A. Stewart
Mar 11, 2024
Christian Innovation Communities: A Wicked Problem Framework for Church Innovation
This dissertation uniquely proposes a “Wicked Problem” approach to Church Innovation. It introduces the term Christian Innovation Communities to the Church Innovation discussion advocating for a local and regional innovation ecosystem. The framework for Christian Innovation Communities uses a cross-discipline approach combining adaptive leadership principles, a collaborative systems design approach, asset-based community development principles, pastoral discernment, and missional theology. These are synthesized into a visual, action-driven, practical guide. It shows adaptive leaders how to lead a leadership team through an innovation process. A significant aspect of that leadership is the strategic use of narrative. While initial research on church innovation has focused on pairing Appreciative Inquiry with pastoral discernment, that approach fails to address the super-complex or “wicked” context of the Church’s problem space: the uncertainty of a quickly changing cultural condition; external boundary-spanning issues that involve diverse stakeholders that lack a shared perspective, language, or values; and that same level of internal complexity among church members, while demands on parochial leaders continue to increase. This necessitates the use of a “wicked problem” systems design approach. The first chapter outlines the need for this approach. Chapters two through four provide scriptural, historical, and theological support for Christian Innovation Communities. They are also narrative entry points for leading church innovation. The final chapter provides a visual framework for innovation so Christian Innovation Communities can become inventors for love’s sake and bear witness to the triumph of God’s love.
Degree Date
Spring 5-2024
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
D.Min.
Department
Ministry
Advisor
Susanne Johnson
Second Advisor
Hugo Magallanes
Number of Pages
156
Format
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Stewart, Leslie, "Christian Innovation Communities: A Wicked Problem Framework For Church Innovation" (2024). Doctor of Ministry Projects and Theses. 32.
https://scholar.smu.edu/theology_ministry_etds/32
