We’re thrilled to share this essay by innoFaith founder, Danielle Goldstone, published in Duke Divinity’s Faith & Leadership. In it, she shares an insight emerging from the 2024-25 Mapping Spiritual Innovation Project in which innoFaith was a collaborator: Spiritual innovators and legacy religious institutions both have important roles to play in supporting the flourishing of our communities, so let’s design thriving local spiritual ecosystems that empower all spiritual stakeholders in a place to bring their gifts into collaboration for the good of all.

Meet Dr. Fallon Wilson, public interest technologist and digital inclusion leader and innovator. Fallon is Executive Director and Founder of the BlackTechFutures Research Institute, as well as Vice President at the Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council, a civil rights public interest tech organization. Fallon, who lives in Virginia, just outside of Washington, DC, leads at the forefront of the digital equity movement, driving research and advocating for policies that support digital infrastructure for Black people and building opportunities for Black people to excel in the emerging tech democracy.

Wherever we sit or stand—in a pew or behind a pulpit, in a policy meeting or at a community action, behind a screen or in front of a classroom—AI is raising questions that matter to all of us. And some of the most thoughtful responses are coming from places you might not expect.

Meet Daniel Pryfogle, Cofounder and CEO of Sympara, which helps communities reimagine underutilized religious properties for social impact. Daniel has been at the forefront of a movement of sacred/civic placemaking that re-envisions sacred spaces as civic spaces, transforming the tangible real property of religious institutions into assets for the broader communities where those institutions sit. With deep grounding in spiritual discernment, Daniel helps faith communities look outward, engaging with the people and organizations beyond their doors, to see and seize opportunity to help their neighborhoods and cities thrive.

Both the corporate and social impact sectors use a methodology called human-centered design to create solutions that meet real human needs. In this methodology, the "how might we" question creates the launch pad for innovation. This question defines what we are trying to solve for, helping scope the problem for which we are designing a solution.

Meet Mohammed Al Samawi (known as Mo), Founder and President of Abrahamic House, a multi-faith co-living and co-creating space in Washington, D.C. to learn, share, pray, celebrate, connect, and serve. Mo’s personal journey, from war-torn Yemen to the U.S., led him from harboring a deep suspicion of other faiths to becoming a devoted peace and interfaith advocate. Mo, who lives in Virginia, wrote a gripping memoir about his journey that is now being made into a movie.

We hear often that we must innovate to survive, to progress, to succeed, but being told to innovate can be like being told to relax—easier said than done and incredibly frustrating to be told. That’s why I appreciate Leah Kral's book, Innovation for Social Change. Kral demystifies an intimidating concept, breaking it down into an accessible roadmap, including stories that ground it in reality and tools that make it actionable.

Meet Cristin Cooper, founder of Coop’s Soups, a social enterprise that builds community through soup. Cristin makes the best soups we’ve ever tasted, but soup is more ministry than business for her. Committed to deepening relationships where she lives in Brookeville, MD, Cristin uses soup to encourage people to come together, to support neighbors experiencing food insecurity, and to uplift her community.

Focusing on impact sometimes makes people in the faith sector uncomfortable, but when building an organization, initiative, program, or enterprise with the goal of social change, social impact is the reason for its existence. There's a temptation to say, "It's not all about impact… we build relationships, and relationships matter." That’s true, and we can ask why do those relationships matter? That's the impact. We also might say, "It's important to be in solidarity with people, to show up even when it doesn't make a difference." Indeed, solidarity matters, and it has an impact. Here's a simple exercise to try - create an impact hypothesis.

So much has felt out of our control this past year. For me, the work of social change in these times has been an emotional roller coaster. I find myself swinging wildly between doubt about whether anything we're all doing is working and certainty that the work matters, between feeling defeated and finding great joy and inspiration, between fear of where the world is headed and optimism that love and goodness will prevail.

Meet Mat Cotton, Race Discourse Officer with the Bahá’í Office of Public Affairs, where he advances racial justice and unity and cultivates a shared vision for the future of the U.S. Deeply rooted in the Bahá’í concept of unity, Mat builds dialogue and collaboration across lines of difference in pursuit of social progress. Mat spends a lot of time in Washington, DC, where his office is based, but he was raised and resides in Chicago, which is also home to the beautiful Bahá’í House of Worship for North America.

In October, innoFaith co-hosted a conversation in Chicago on spiritual innovation and local spiritual ecosystems. This conversation emerged from a national Mapping Spiritual Innovation project that we've collaborated on over the past year with Chaplaincy Innovation Lab, Glean Network, Faith Matters Network, as well as a range of other supporters and advisors. The research and our conversations with spiritual innovators have pushed us to ask not only about the role of the innovators but also that of legacy religious institutions in the midst of this shifting landscape. We are inspired by the different ways people and institutions nurture spiritual and religious life and how, out of that commitment, they create positive social change. We see enormous potential for the revitalization of faith and spirituality, in both old and new ways, as well as the thriving of communities if we can nurture and connect the roles that these different actors play.

In early November, in partnership with Union Theological Seminary’s Technology, Innovation and Digital Engagement Lab (TIDEL) and their Center for Community Engagement & Social Justice (CCESJ), innoFaith hosted a webinar on the topic of “How Faith Communities Drive Local Civic Engagement and Strengthen Democracy.” The conversation highlighted how faith communities have always been places where people gather across generations, backgrounds, and beliefs, making them important laboratories for democracy. Not because they’re hosting political debates, but because they’re practicing what democracy really is—showing up for one another, organizing around real local needs, and taking action together.

Meet Brittany Koteles, Co-Founder and Director of Land Justice Futures, where she accompanies religious communities to discern choices for their land that promote racial and ecological healing. Brittany, who lives two blocks away from Lake Michigan in Milwaukee, WI, thoughtfully embraces tradition and innovation in her quest to live out love and support others to do the same. A community of Catholic sisters that Brittany and her team accompanied recently returned land to a Native nation, the first land transfer of its kind from a Catholic order.

At a time of divisive national politics, work to sustain democracy at the local level has never been more important. As deeply local institutions and places where people of diverse socio-economic and political backgrounds can find common connection, faith communities play a significant role in this effort. They are important hubs for learning, connection, dialogue, and engagement. Join us to learn from some innovative leaders offering new visions of civic engagement and the unique opportunity that faith communities have to help drive civic participation and strengthen democracy in their communities.

Often in our endeavors, whether personal or professional, transformative change eludes us because we address only the surface symptoms of a problem. Despite our efforts, the underlying issue remains unresolved. This can lead to frustration, burnout, or acceptance of the status quo. The 5 Whys technique will help.

Meet Dr. Reggie Blount, Co-founder and Executive Director of the Oikos Institute for Social Impact, educator at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, ordained elder in the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, former pastor, and champion of faithful imagination. In his roles at Oikos, Garrett, and beyond, Reggie supports faith leaders to see abundance and possibility in the resources of their communities and uplifts the role of congregations as anchor institutions driving social impact. Reggie resides in the Chicago area, a place he credits with greatly supporting his ministry, teaching, and innovation efforts.

As the climate crisis deepens, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. But faith communities remind us that despair is not the only option—hope, action, and solidarity are also possible. Faith leaders, through their trusted roles in their communities, are educating, mobilizing, and inspiring people to action, helping communities see climate change as both a moral crisis and a solvable one. From congregations going green to chaplains helping people navigate climate grief, spiritual traditions offer both courage and wisdom for this moment. 

Meet Rev. Dr. Neddy Astudillo, Presbyterian minister, eco-theologian, and Coordinator of the Spanish Climate Justice & Faith online Certification program at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary. In addition to teaching eco-theology to people throughout the US and Latin America, Neddy has deployed her passion for faith-rooted environmental justice in a number of ways, including pastoring, community organizing, and co-founding a farm-based organizing and educational non-profit. Neddy currently lives in Florida.

In this free 4-hour event, high school students will have the chance to work with a team of their peers from faith communities across the DMV area, to learn the basics of problem-solving systemic issues in their communities. Each team will work with our trained facilitators, to go from having a small idea to developing a fully-fledged solution to an assigned issue. At its close, students will have explored ways to connect their beliefs with action, collaborated with peers from all backgrounds, and will walk away with key presentation and problem-solving skills, feeling empowered to take effective action in their communities! This event is 100% free for all attendees, and lunch will be provided.