Failure-Sparked Innovation: The Key to Ensuring the Future of Local Churches
Ebook
As the western church faces challenges in declining membership and effectiveness due to religious disaffiliation and general discontent with organized religion, innovation must be a central focus within all aspects of ministry in the Christian church. With the focus that the local church must put on innovation, one aspect that will continually be an important factor is how the church understands, interprets, and utilizes failure. Yes, the church must fail! However, the church must not simply fail for the sake of failure. The challenge for the local church is to rethink its notion of failure, which will allow for creativity, new life, and ultimately, transformational innovation. By establishing a proper framework and definition of failure, the church will be able to embrace good failure and the benefits it can offer.
“Can we learn productively from failure? The design firm IDEO urges people to ‘fail quickly so you can succeed sooner.’ In this thoughtful book, Kaury Edwards urges congregations to learn from failures to ignite innovative and faithful ministry. Drawing from past examples, he offers wonderful insights and practical suggestions for revitalizing local church ministry. A terrific resource!”
—L. Gregory Jones, president, Belmont University
“In this much-needed book, Kaury Edwards recovers the richness of a Wesleyan view of innovation grounded in failure to empower the church to participate in God’s mission. Yes, failure. The plot-twist in this excellent project digs deeply into a theological understanding of good failure to empower Christian innovation.”
—Laceye Warner, associate dean for Wesleyan engagement and hybrid programs, Duke Divinity School
“In certain circles failure is fashionable. ‘Fail fast and fail forward,’ Silicon Valley-types tell us with an almost maniacal glee. But most of these folks have never stepped foot in a church. Thank goodness for Kaury Edwards who steps into this gap. Edwards knows the creative possibilities born of failure, and Edwards knows the church. Here he helps us let go of the idol of success and trust in the God who leads us in, with, and through failure.”
—Ken Hood, author of The Irrational David: The Power of Poetic Leadership
“Can we learn productively from failure? The design firm IDEO urges people to ‘fail quickly so you can succeed sooner.’ In this thoughtful book, Kaury Edwards urges congregations to learn from failures to ignite innovative and faithful ministry. Drawing from past examples, he offers wonderful insights and practical suggestions for revitalizing local church ministry. A terrific resource!”
—L. Gregory Jones, president, Belmont University
“In this much-needed book, Kaury Edwards recovers the richness of a Wesleyan view of innovation grounded in failure to empower the church to participate in God’s mission. Yes, failure. The plot-twist in this excellent project digs deeply into a theological understanding of good failure to empower Christian innovation.”
—Laceye Warner, associate dean for Wesleyan engagement and hybrid programs, Duke Divinity School
“In certain circles failure is fashionable. ‘Fail fast and fail forward,’ Silicon Valley-types tell us with an almost maniacal glee. But most of these folks have never stepped foot in a church. Thank goodness for Kaury Edwards who steps into this gap. Edwards knows the creative possibilities born of failure, and Edwards knows the church. Here he helps us let go of the idol of success and trust in the God who leads us in, with, and through failure.”
—Ken Hood, author of The Irrational David: The Power of Poetic Leadership
- Title: Failure-Sparked Innovation: The Key to Ensuring the Future of Local Churches
- Authors: Laceye C. Warner, Will Willimon, Kaury C. Edwards
- Publisher: Cascade Books
- Print Publication Date: 2023
- Logos Release Date: 2023
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Ebook
- ISBNs: 9781666749724, 9781666749717, 1666749710, 9781666749700, 1666749702, 1666749729
- Resource ID: LLS:9781666749724
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2023-12-05T22:08:03Z
Kaury C. Edwards is an ordained elder of the United Methodist Church. He received his Doctor of Ministry from Duke Divinity School in 2021. He has served as a missionary with the General Board of Global Ministries in South Korea, served in rural and urban local churches in northwest Texas and Kentucky, and actively serves in a local United Methodist Church in the western North Carolina Conference.