Meet an innoFaither: Daniel Pryfogle
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.
What faith(s), if any, do you practice? How does your tradition and/or spiritual practice inspire or influence you as an innovator?
I am a Christian in the prophetic tradition. That tradition calls me to follow the Spirit into the structures of the world and to join God in the project of making all things new. But before I run ahead into doing on my own, the tradition invites me to pay attention to what’s already present and who's already moving toward God’s dream of justice, equity, and love — the Beloved Community. Innovation in this sense is about appreciating (“Notice first the movement of God” — Matthew 6:33) and then maximizing gifts already provided (“What’s that in your hand? — Exodus 4:2). I frequently repeat the guidance of H. Richard Niebuhr on this point: “The great Christian revolutions came not by the discovery of something that was not known before. They happen when someone takes radically something that was always there.”
What are you currently working on?
Sympara just launched two cohorts of North Carolina churches that want to reimagine their properties for social impact, including affordable housing. And we’re about to start cohorts in Chicago and Austin. In these programs, which include clergy, lay leaders, and community stakeholders, we explore technical questions of site analysis, market feasibility, and financial feasibility, but our larger frame is discernment. We ground our search for clarity in theological reflection and spiritual practices. We ask again and again “What’s clearer now?” as we seek the Spirit’s leading. These programs and practices also inform my teaching at Wake Forest University School of Divinity, where I co-facilitate the Theological Design Lab with Dean Corey D.B. Walker.
What can we find you doing when you’re not working?
I love to run. I’ve run five marathons and lots of shorter races. Over the past dozen years, running has become a spiritual and mental health practice for me, a way to listen to my body, calm my mind, and receive the gifts of a long trail or cityscape. I also love just being with my spouse, Chris. We enjoy gardening, finding treasures at thrift stores, eating doughnuts, watching movies, and taking naps.
What is piquing your curiosity these days?
I am curious about the possibility of creating a new kind of spiritual community through the reimagination of religious properties. This work of sacred/civic placemaking can bring us into relationship with neighbors of different faith traditions or no religious affiliation yet who share the common human longing for identity, purpose, and belonging. So, I am eager to experiment with faith communities. And I am excited to use participatory methods that bring many stakeholders into the task of shaping life together. I often say that Sympara’s work is about much more than real estate. What really interests me is how we might create spiritual community not for but with our neighbors.
What is something you’d like help on?
The growing number of professionals in sacred/civic placemaking are predominantly white. I want the movement to reflect the rich and varied gifts of all people. This is important as a practical issue — our engagement and impact will be severely limited without representation — and a matter of justice. In the next 10-20 years, there will be a massive exchange of capital through sacred/civic placemaking as faith communities repurpose property, denominations sell property, banks lend money, foundations give grants, and faith institutions hire consultants, brokers, architects, developers and their subcontractors. There is an opportunity for faith communities and other institutions to address historic wrongs. Sympara is purposefully partnering with Black-led and Black-owned development firms, and we are hiring and equipping Black consultants. But we need help. We need introductions to Black and Brown professionals and their organizations across the United States, especially in North Carolina, Chicago, Austin, the Bay Area, and Los Angeles. We’re looking for clergy and laity with experience in one or more of the following: community and economic development, social enterprise, community organizing, fundraising, impact investing, and participatory design. And we need partners and funders who share our commitment to call, equip, and pay people of color for the vocation of sacred/civic placemaking.
What is something you can offer others in the innoFaith network?
I love talking with other leaders about discernment and participatory design. So, I am always up for conversation on these topics.
You can find Daniel via Email or at sympara.org.
Meet an innoFaither is our series to introduce the inspiring optimists in the innoFaith world and what they’re working on and thinking about. We hope it helps you find and engage with each other across the network to advance faith-rooted social innovation and interfaith collaboration for social impact. Or just meet some cool people. Find the full series at innofaith.org/meet-an-innofaither.