Insights from a Ministry Innovator

In a 2024 research report, ministry leaders said “soft skills for leadership” is one of the top five areas they wish they were more trained in. These include skills like leading change, thinking creatively, and entrepreneurship – all of which are key for innovating in ministry. 

As with any ministry skill like preaching or pastoral care, the ability to innovate can be developed over time through real-life experience.

Paige Bach is the Director of Next Generation Ministry at Providence Presbyterian Church in Fairfax, Va. Providence recently completed their journey through the Ministry Transformation Lab’s Theological Innovation Process. 

In this interview, Bach shares lessons learned from her Innovation Team’s experience, which shine light on the perspectives and skills needed for transformational ministry in 2025. 

LF: What unexpected fruit emerged throughout the process of innovating? What was the impact on you and your team?

PB: Unexpected fruit in our innovation process was the community the Lab team formed. The intergenerational relationships that formed are truly remarkable. By being in an intentional community working together in the Lab, we realized just how important that was. Our innovative ministry called Food Truck Hangouts (FTH) exists now to help others form that same community.

LF: What were your top three challenges while creating something new in your ministry context? 

PB: Number 1 was trust. Our team was full of incredibly faithful people, but it was hard to trust the process sometimes because we as a team were afraid of failure.

“Failure is such a big thing in so many churches, and I think it comes from living in a scarcity mindset and not a mindset of abundance.”

We were able to name and claim that we were falling victim to an untrue and unhealthy fear of failure. But when we took a deep look into our church and our faith, we realized that it was unwarranted. I also reminded my team that we are resurrection people. It is okay for things to die because we believe in resurrection. 

Number 2 was timelines. The team are big thinkers and wonderers. We had a hard time staying on schedule with the Lab because we always wanted to take longer to ponder and wonder. 

Number 3 was balance. We struggled with the idea of adding another ministry program to people’s calendars that wouldn’t just be another task or obligation to complete, but something that added to their lives. 

LF: As your team started listening more to people in your community, how did your original vision for innovating shift?

PB: Luckily, we came into the Lab with no vision for our innovation. However, through our interviews in our community, we realized just how weary and overwhelmed folks are in our area. That made us realize just how important this work we were doing was. 

LF: How did you strategically introduce something new to the broader congregation and church leadership?

PB: We walked the church and leadership through the Lab process as we were going through it.

“What we were doing was never a surprise and, by sharing the Lab process with our leaders and congregation, they had some stake in knowing how things would turn out.” 

We also always made it clear that this was a “trust the process” thing, and that our Session (church leadership) had given their blessing on the Ministry Transformation Lab. We all just had to trust that the team was doing good and faithful work.

LF: What advice would you give to a fellow ministry leader who is feeling called to try something new in their faith community?

PB: Do it! The Ministry Transformation Lab brought new life to the entire church. The things we learned along the way have positively impacted the entire congregation. 

Our innovation has been on a break for winter, and the congregation is excitedly anticipating the spring launch! And more excitedly, they are thinking about other things in our church that may benefit from the openness to try new things! 

I would also say that sometimes trying something new isn’t as big and grand as you may have thought it would be. It’s okay for innovation to be small or an old thing reinvented.

“Our team put too much pressure on creating something new and never heard of, and that got in our way.”

Simple is good! Simple is holy. 

Curious where our Theological Innovation Process could lead your faith community? Set up a free consultation to learn how we can help you develop a thriving ministry through our Ministry Transformation Lab.