The Innovation Gap: Why Local Churches Need Their Own Labs

The culture is being shaped by those bold enough to experiment—and the church can't afford to be left behind.

In a modest North Dakota town of 7,800 people, WCCO Belting created the "gold standard" for agricultural equipment used in 20+ countries. In rural funeral homes, directors are using AI-powered communication systems and VR training programs. Insurance companies are deploying robotic dogs for claims assessment. Even laundromats have become innovation hubs, transforming mundane chores into community experiences with specialty coffee and co-working spaces.

The pattern is unmistakable: organizations willing to experiment are the ones shaping tomorrow's culture. Meanwhile, many local churches—institutions that should be leading human transformation—are still on the sidelines of innovation happening all around them.

Here’s the rub 

God has inventors, too. They are called apostles, prophets, and evangelists and are distributed throughout his body. Not only do the Ephesians 4 gifts speak to innovation, but the global history of innovation runs through the body of Christ. Wheelbarrows, eyeglasses, and printing flow from God’s people. Not to mention the hygiene practices practiced by the nation of Isreal under God’s instruction.

And the driver for these Ephesians 4 inventors is to innovate how the Gospel impacts the culture. They are hard-wired to move the church forward and bring people into his Kingdom in whatever method fits the current need. But these innovators have do their innovation somewhere else-- usually as entrepreneurs or in nonprofits external to the church, because the church is too often organized to maintain not innovate.

The Denominational Lead

Progressive denominations have already recognized this reality. The ELCA Innovation Lab operates with a clear mandate: "The way people hear and receive the gospel is changing at an increasingly rapid rate... The Innovation Lab gives us the space to experiment and innovate in real-time so more people can know more about Jesus." Their Congregations Lead Initiative has equipped churches to "unleash and harness their collective genius and discover new and useful ministry innovations."

Missional Labs goes even further, functioning as "an innovation lab for the Church" that equips leaders to "harness emerging technologies—AI, digital media, and new platforms—to advance evangelism, discipleship, and mission." They're not just talking about innovation; they're actively incubating ventures that tackle Great Commission challenges.

The Presbyterian Church's Office of Innovation has created partnerships between denominational agencies and local congregations, bringing together "the best of that mid-council's self-knowledge and understanding of their context with resources and ideas from around the country and world."

The Local Church Opportunity

But here's the reality: innovation can't be franchised. The most transformative experiments happen at the intersection of local context and creative courage. While denominational labs provide valuable frameworks and resources, the real laboratory needs to be in the sanctuary, fellowship hall, and community where your church actually lives and serves.

Consider what's already working:

• Life.Church saw 97 people attend their first metaverse service, with two people committing their lives to Jesus
• A Lutheran church in Berlin drew hundreds to experience an AI-generated sermon
• Churches are creating Arabic-language radio stations for diaspora communities
• Innovation labs in small churches are prototyping new ministry models with grants as small as $49

Why Now?

The window is closing. Culture moves at digital speed now, and the organizations that shape tomorrow are those experimenting today. While churches debate whether new technologies are appropriate, entire generations are already living, learning, and building relationships in virtual spaces.

The entrepreneurs in rural North Dakota didn't wait for permission to revolutionize agricultural equipment. The funeral directors didn't wait for an industry mandate to embrace digital innovation. They saw an opportunity to serve people better and moved.

First Stop, Set the Table for the Innovators

Since this group of gifted innovators hasn’t found a place to express their gifts inside the church, there needs to be a paradigm shift, both inside the church and in the hearts of those who have been forced outside to express their gifts. These innovators, often entrepreneurs, believe that they have gifts that were given to them to glorify God, but they are stuck on “how and with who.”

The Founder’s Table Network offers an experience and discipleship program designed to foster this kind of change. Learn more.

What drives the Ephesians 4 catalysts is not invitations to pre-packaged programs that they are asked to support. They are driven by needs and gaps. Their wheels start to turn when they see opportunities.

Innovation that is disconnected from the Body of Christ can’t ever yield what Ephesians 4 tells us is required for maturity- working in unity. It’s far too common for people with an innovative idea to get a hard “no,” from overworked, and under-visioned church staff. The net result is that the catalytic sending side of the church is missing while the covenant gathering side is maintained. That makes for a static church in a rapidly changing culture - and that’s both tragic and dangerous.

Building Your Church Innovation Lab

Every local church can become an innovation hub. Here's how:

Erase the Secular-Sacred Divide

• Don’t create boundaries that isolate business models from ministry
• Create budget and leadership space for experimentation 

• Train every innovator to think and live Kingdom

Start Small, Think Big

• Designate space for experimentation
• Allocate time for trying new approaches to ministry challenges
• Create permission to fail, learn, and iterate
• Identify mentors who can both disciple and strategize
• Encourage teams that can join together following Paul’s apostolic model
• Embrace big challenges - the bigger the need the greater the drive for innovators

Focus on Local Context

• What unique challenges does your community face?
• Where are the gaps between how people live and how your church currently serves?
• What would happen if you could experiment without the pressure of immediate success?
• What are the barriers to human flourishing in your community?

Reserve the Corners of Your Field

• Follow the example of Boaz in the Book of Ruth to leave the corners of the field for gleaners
• Add budget in the church to fuel innovation
• Create space in social media, public announcements, and platform focus for innovation
• Give regular platform focus to experimenters 
• Routinely publicly bless and pray for those trying something new

Build Innovation Culture

• Build a culture of “yes” that finds a way to encourage and resource
• Celebrate experiments, not just successes
• Learn from other industries—what can churches learn from laundromats, insurance companies, or agricultural equipment manufacturers?
• Involve diverse voices—innovation thrives when different perspectives collide

The Stakes Are Higher Than We Think

This isn't about keeping up with trends or appearing relevant. This is about stewarding the most important message in human history in a rapidly changing world.

When WCCO Belting revolutionized conveyor belt technology in rural North Dakota, they didn't just improve their business—they changed how agricultural equipment works globally. When churches embrace innovation labs, they're not just improving their programs—they're participating in how the Gospel shapes the digital age.

The question isn't whether culture will continue to evolve at digital speed. The question is whether local churches will be passive observers or active participants in that transformation.

The most effective churches of the next decade won't be the ones with the biggest budgets or the most traditional programs. They'll be the ones willing to experiment, fail, learn, and try again—all in service of the unchanging Gospel in an ever-changing world.