Christian Social Innovation

Christian Social Innovation
Author :
Publisher : Abingdon Press
Total Pages : 101
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9781501825781
ISBN-13 : 150182578X
Rating : 4/5 (78X Downloads)

Book Synopsis Christian Social Innovation by : Dr. L. Gregory Jones

Download or read book Christian Social Innovation written by Dr. L. Gregory Jones and published by Abingdon Press. This book was released on 2016-05-17 with total page 101 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Everybody seems interested in innovation and entrepreneurship these days. Start-ups are generating new jobs, creating wealth and providing solutions to longstanding problems. People are also aware that old-line social institutions need innovative approaches that provide renewal, re-establish trust and cultivate sustainability. What do faith communities have to do with innovation and entrepreneurship? Faith communities have their own need for innovation, demonstrated in a growing interest in starting new churches, developing “fresh expressions” for gatherings of community and discussions about how to cultivate a renewed sense of mission. But do faith communities have anything unique to contribute to conversations about innovation and entrepreneurship, especially in “social entrepreneurship”? At first glance, the answer seems to be “no.” Burgeoning literature on social entrepreneurship barely mentions the church or other faith-based institutions — and when it does they’re often described as part of the broken institutional landscape. Recently much of the most innovative and entrepreneurial work in these sectors has been done apart from faith communities, whether through secular non-governmental organizations (e.g., Teach for America, Knowledge is Power Program schools) or for-profit businesses (e.g., hospitals and hospices). Indeed, it is now often assumed that faith and faith communities either are irrelevant to social innovation and entrepreneurship or are a significant obstacle. We believe too many people in faith communities, and faith-based organizations themselves, turned inward. They became preoccupied with managing what already existed rather than focusing on innovative renewal of their organizations and entrepreneurial approaches to starting new ones. However, Christian social innovation, at its best, depends on a conception of hope different than the optimism that often characterizes secular endeavors, a hope that acknowledges personal and social brokenness. Further, faith communities, at their best, have embodied perseverance, often bringing people together across generations and diverse sectors to imagine how common effort and faith might overcome obstacles. Although some faith communities have lost the “at-their-best” focus, new conversations and experiments are emerging beyond the goal of starting new congregations. But they tend to be “and” conversations: faith and innovation, faith and entrepreneurship, faith and leadership. We don’t think this goes deep enough. Faith might truly “animate” social innovation and entrepreneurship. In this perspective, faith is not held at a distance from the activities of life but is instead its vital force, providing the imagination, passion and commitment that lead to transformation.


Christian Social Innovation Related Books

Christian Social Innovation
Language: en
Pages: 101
Authors: Dr. L. Gregory Jones
Categories: Religion
Type: BOOK - Published: 2016-05-17 - Publisher: Abingdon Press

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Everybody seems interested in innovation and entrepreneurship these days. Start-ups are generating new jobs, creating wealth and providing solutions to longstan
Innovation and Scaling for Impact
Language: en
Pages: 257
Authors: Christian Seelos
Categories: Business & Economics
Type: BOOK - Published: 2017-01-04 - Publisher: Stanford University Press

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Innovation and Scaling for Impact forces us to reassess how social sector organizations create value. Drawing on a decade of research, Christian Seelos and Joha
Navigating the Future
Language: en
Pages: 297
Authors: Andrew P. Hogue
Categories: Religion
Type: BOOK - Published: 2021-01-05 - Publisher: Abingdon Press

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Traditioned innovation is a habit of being and living that cultivates a certain kind of moral imagination shaped by storytelling and expressed in creative, tran
Social Innovation and Territorial Development
Language: en
Pages: 182
Authors: Diana MacCallum
Categories: Political Science
Type: BOOK - Published: 2016-04-01 - Publisher: Routledge

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The concept of social innovation offers an alternative perspective on development and territorial transformation, one which foregrounds innovation in social rel
Creating Economic Space for Social Innovation
Language: en
Pages: 490
Authors: Alex Nicholls
Categories: Business & Economics
Type: BOOK - Published: 2019-12-12 - Publisher: Oxford University Press

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This book draws upon economic and sociological theory to provide a comprehensive discussion of economic space for social innovation, addressing especially margi