The FaithX Project

Strategic Missional Consulting

FaithXperimental Spotlight: TryTank tries PitchTank

In our travels around the U.S., both digitally and physically,
we at FaithX like keep our eyes open for examples of people, programs, communities, or ministries doing creative, innovative, and experimental things in the arena of faith. And when we find one, we like to shine a spotlight on them in a FaithXperimental blog post.

By Ken Howard

There’s nothing that we at FaithX like better than shining a light on people and programs who are experimenting with new and innovative ways of creating and cultivating communities of faith… unless the people are doing it are one of our clients – then we love it!

On January 1 of this year, two Episcopal seminaries, Virginia Theological Seminary (VTS) and General Theological Seminary (GTS), joined forces to launch an innovative joint project focused on the future of the church. They called this exciting new program the TryTank: An Experimental Laboratory for Church Growth and Innovation.  

Led by the Rev. Lorenzo Lebrija, TryTank works to understand the forces threatening the church in order to identify creative ways to equip future leaders to reinvigorate the church, seeking to understand where new church models, business models, and technology can meet the needs of today’s church.

It is this focus on experimental learning that makes this program not simply a “Think Tank” but a TRYTank. As Fr. Lebrija describes it, “Any time we have asked ourselves, ‘what if’ as we do and are church, those are opportunities to explore and try. We are going to be doing a lot of that. And we know we’re going to fail. A lot. But that’s how we can discover new adjacent possibilities, by trying.” TryTank not only sponsors experiments but shares their stories across the church, “because something that may not have worked in one place, may just be perfect in another.”

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FaithXperimental Spotlight: Breakthrough, Chicago, IL

In our travels around the U.S., both digitally and physically, we at FaithX like keep our eyes open for examples of people, programs, communities, or ministries doing creative, innovative, and experimental things in the area of faith. And when we do find one, we like to shine a spotlight on them in a FaithXperimental blog post.

Today’s Spotlight article is about Breakthrough Ministries, based in Chicago, IL. We first learned of Breakthrough from a local news story by Chicago’s WGN 9, discussing their Broadcast Camp where they expose public school children to the life of public broadcasting. Because of Breakthrough’s repeated outreach and activities with local youth, it’s no surprise that they were involved with the summer camp. Naturally, of course, we wanted to learn more about Breakthrough and their other programs.

Breakthrough is a nonprofit organization that partners with those affected by poverty on Chicago’s West Side. Since its founding in 1992, Breakthrough has remained grounded in its mission to partner with those affected by poverty to build connections, develop skills, and open doors of opportunity. The organization currently has four locations in the East Garfield Park neighborhood, providing wraparound services such as housing, workforce development, health and wellness, and education. Breakthrough intentionally serves a diverse group of individuals, targeting those living within a 40-block zone in East Garfield Park, one of the most underserved neighborhoods on the West Side of Chicago. Each year, Breakthrough serves over 5,000 children, teens, and adults through these ministries with a dedicated staff of 100 people and 3,000 annual volunteers who increase the impact of their programs.

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FaithXperimental Spotlight: Compassionate Austin

by Darren Slade

In our travels around the U.S., both digitally and physically, we at FaithX like keep our eyes open for examples of people, programs, communities, or ministries doing creative, innovative, and experimental things in the area of faith. And when we do find one, we like to shine a spotlight on them in a FaithXperimental blog post.

FaithX founder and principal consultant, Ken Howard, bumped into (almost literally) Compassionate Austin in late March while presenting MapDash and FaithX consulting services at the New Story Festival in Austin, Texas (they were back-to-back in the exhibit area). While Compassionate Austin is not an officially religious program, there are many people and communities of faith involved, and Ken was struck by the underlying sense of spirituality that subtly infused the organization.

Compassionate Austin describes itself as a growing grassroots movement united to promote, strengthen, and celebrate compassionate action in Austin, Texas and its surrounding areas. Their vision is to exemplify and champion empathy in its purest form by creating a livable, vibrant, inclusive, and caring community in which all have the opportunity to thrive. By their actions, Compassionate Austin hopes to inspire everyone to become aware and conscious of the importance of showing compassion in the world today (taking care of others, yourself, and the earth). They seek to strengthen people’s empathy skills, tenderness, charity, and accountability toward meeting the needs of their community.

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FaithXperimental Ministry Spotlight: The Stepping Stone Gathering

Courtesy: The Rev. Peggy Bryan

From time to time, our FaithXperimental Spotlight series shines a light on particular faith-based communities or organizations that are engaging missional opportunities or challenges in their neighborhoods in innovative and experimental ways. Today’s spotlight is focused on an innovative ministry partnership in San Jose, California.

The Stepping Stone Gathering is a ministry partnership between St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Saratoga, California, and Grace American Baptist Church, a radically-inclusive Baptist church in downtown San Jose.

Their weekly ministry starts with a Sunday morning worship service at Grace American Baptist (shown above), which is then repeated in the afternoon at the county jail (Santa Clara County Elmwood Correctional Facility, Men’s Dormitory Unit). Both services involve Jail and Reentry Worship Team members and clergy from St. Andrew’s and Grace members join in the morning worship. Upon release, formerly incarcerated men come to the service at Grace where they are welcomed by friendly and familiar faces and tangible reentry support, including groceries, clothing, transportation, and more.

Every Sunday, 50 or more men meet for worship in Stepping Stone Gathering’s worship service at the jail. Meanwhile, as many as 20 reentering men, along with their families and members of St. Andrew’s and Grace gather together for worship and support at the Stepping Stone Gathering’s urban church. The ministry maintains an active communication network via a Google Group and Facebook Page.

Renee, 41, made the rounds between prison and jail for the past 17 years since his early 20’s. At his last stint in jail he responded to an invitation to join the first jail-based Education for Ministry (EfM) class in the country, facilitated by Saint Andrew’s mentors. He proudly graduated from Year 1, was released, and six months later celebrated another graduation from rehabilitation, after which Renee and his mom Clara were confirmed and joined Saint Andrew’s (see their picture above with Bishop Mary Grey-Reeves). On Sundays he gets up early to participate in the Stepping Stone service, then doubles back, picks up his mom, and attends the midmorning service at Saint Andrew’s. Renee currently serves on a parish committee that reviews and awards grants to outreach agencies and is organizing an IBIY (I Believe in You) team to join the 545 mile LifeCycle ride to end AIDS.

“I have never been part of any church community,” says Renee, “but since those very first days when I hesitantly signed up for the EFM class held in my jail unit and then accepting the invitation to come to Saint Andrews, I see what real community is. The support I need is always there and it inspires me to live into a strong Christian life.”

St. Andrew’s and Grace launched Stepping Stone’s Sunday morning reentry/recovery service in October of 2018 and is part of of a larger jail ministry, which has been in operation since 2014. The Jail/Reentry Ministry is led by the Rev. Peggy Bryan, whose position is fully funded by grants from The Episcopal Church and Saint Andrew’s.

For more information on this innovative and collaborative partnership, contact Peggy Bryan at pbryan@st-andrews.org and 1-408-679-0240.

The Rev. Peggy Bryan is pastoral associate at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Saratoga and spends much of her time in the community visiting with the recently released.

She is from Santa Cruz and Dinkey Creek, California and is a graduate of the University of Southern California. (“Go Trojans!”). Peggy’s hobbies include swimming, hiking, and indie films. She also enjoys film festivals, Christian contemporary music, bluegrass music, Mexican Train, dancing, walking, social media, paying it forward, baseball, 49ers, and strong coffee. Her favorite Bible verse is Micah 6: 8 – “What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”

Is your faith-based community or organization doing something innovative and experimental to engage or transform the neighborhoods and communities it serves? Write about it and send it to ken@faithx.net. You might find your story featured here.

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