The 'Wiki Encyclopedia of CityReaching' is collaboratively sponsored by the 'Center For Urban Innovation'... "Producing Innovative Multicultural CityReachers."

Innovative... the 'DARE' component of cityreaching...

"Prayer, Care, Share... and Dare"

(Part of the series, defining a '21st Century Urban (Christian) Leader')

(Part of the 'Operation Timothy' series -- we're developing a special new unit called 'Dare To Be Innovative'.)

"Innovation isn't so much about technology

as it is... about opportunity." 

 [Also see 'Future Considerations of CityReaching'.]

Definition from Answers.com...

• "Characterized by or productive of new things or new ideas: creative, ingenious, inventive, original. " 
•  Not the same as what was previously known or done: different, fresh, inventive, new, newfangled, novel, original, unfamiliar, unprecedente

  INNOVATIVE tags

Comments... Add your thoughts, ideas, links so we can soon build a helpful ministry definition...

• We're NOT talking about simply being adept at the latest gadgetry.
• Here's LifeChurch.tv's senior pastor, Craig Groeshel's 4 key elements of an innovative leader.
• "New Media for Urban Change".... the first course from the 'Center For Urban Innovation'

• Indianapolis will be attempting to initiate an innovative 'Great Commission Series' in 2008... a thought-leadership forum to discuss some of these 'big questions' and develop actionable conclusions.  Ideas anyone?

• Caveat:   King Uzziah was apparently 'innovative'... and had lots of powerful gizmos... and he became PROUD... and fell into sin.  So take to heart the issue that 'knowledge puffs up, but love builds up'.
• The implication is of course, we're talking about creating GOOD changes... albeit sometimes taking some risks that our changes may not turn out to be successful/good.
• Another implication is that innovative connotes fairly RADICAL changes... not simply incremental changes.  Example: Simply getting new or different hymnals would hardly be considered 'innovative'.
• Innovative, Change, Learning, Growth, Sanctification, Radical, Catalytic, Born-Again.... are they synonyms? 
• One example of 'innovative'... during an information explosion MIGHT be... thinking through what it takes for a 'team' to "pay attention"... ie, focus on key communications during this information deluge. 
• Innovative in the 21st Century surely suggests a certain level of e-capability (ie, communicating at the speed of Light), does it not?  At the very least, we should consider exploiting every new opportunity created by changes we see in the world around us.  One example might be... taking advantage of this new-found ability to re-connect the Church.
• Innovation = Spinning straw into gold.   And I don't mean that regarding MONEY... I mean VALUE.  An innovative type looks around at his/her underutilized assets (say straw)... and figures out how to maximize ROI by somehow 'innovatively' turning it in a goldmine of productivity in the Kingdom mission.  Biblical example:  Miracle of the Loaves & Fishes.  Or today... perhaps spinning carefully-linked RELATIONSHIPS into HIGH VALUE.  (social networking of 'the team').
• Prayer, costing $nothing, yet yielding extraordinary impact.  Now THAT's 'innovative'.
• From Scott Wilder:  "Generally, Innovation to me is the ability not only to conceptualize completely revolutionary ways to think of and execute ideas; but it's also the action of doing it. The gasoline engine became truly innovative when it actually became a reality.  In regards to the Great Commission. Innovation happens when we not only understand the abstraction that evangelism today can't look like it did in the 70's; but when we're willing to let go of all the "tried and true" ways of doing things and are willing to do what's possibly unpopular to the christian establishmen, and simply focus on doing whatever is necessary to spread the name of Jesus."
• Countdown to Innovate podcast (from Granger, IN)
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• Article... "2007 Models of Ministry Innovation"
  •  Feedback?  (which models appealed to you most?  Which seemed most biblical?)
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• Article... "2007 Most Innovative Churches"
  • Feedback? 
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• Compiling EXAMPLES of 'new media for urban change'
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• Is there such a things as "Innovation Theory"?  If so, we'll be linking to great research, articles, etc.... and use it all for our course... "New Media for Urban Change".  Here's perhaps a starting place 'Innovation Theories' for researching that question asap.
• Everett Rogers'  "Diffusion of Innovations" (bell-curve)
• Disruptive Technologies (with examples of Disruptive Innovations)
• Tim O'Reilly's white-paper re Web2.0 concepts and applications... is a great study of innovations theory (IMHO).
• [look into 'heuristics'... esp. George Polya entry re his classic... 'How to Solve It'.]
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• "Ten Websites Every Pastor Should Know"
• "Ten (or so) Websites That Every Church Tech Should Know"
• "The Power of a Pennie" -- by Tabitha Lewis
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Coordinating with Others Geographically throughout Indy...

 

• North,   East,   South,   West,   Urban

• Greater Indianapolis Map... and geo-mapping concepts

   

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•  'innovative' tags