Faithful Innovation Lead

Presbyterian Church USA•Louisville, KY

3d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Faithful Innovation Lead plays a critical role in cultivating the conditions for a thriving, future-oriented Presbyterian church. This role provides leadership and coordination across four interconnected ministries: 1001 New Worshipping Communities, the Office of Innovation, Futuring, and Discernment, Vital Congregations, and Mid Council Grants. Together, these areas represent the agency's commitment to growing the church in ways that are rooted in faith, responsive to context, and oriented toward who God is calling the church to become. The role requires a deep commitment to the mission and polity of the PC(USA), the ability to hold theological imagination alongside practical execution, and the relational capacity to build partnerships across a diverse and geographically distributed denomination. The Faithful Innovation Lead works cross-functionally with colleagues across PL&W, mid councils, and external partners.

Requirements

Master’s of Divinity or equivalent combination of theological education and experience.
8-10 years of experience in ministry leadership, denominational work,
Familiarity with mid council work
Deep familiarity with PC(USA) polity, culture, and the landscape of mainline Protestant ministry
Demonstrated experience leading teams and managing complex, multi-faceted portfolios
A theological imagination that can hold the tension between rootedness in tradition and openness to what is new
Strong facilitation, discernment, and collaborative leadership skills

Nice To Haves

Experience with new church development, church planting, or congregational vitality initiatives
Proficiency in one or more languages in addition to English
Familiarity with innovation frameworks, design thinking, or futures thinking methodologies
Experience with grant writing and management
Have a deep understanding and commitment to cultural and racial ethnic inclusiveness. Values diverse groups, ethnicities, genders, communities, cultural constituencies and points of view. Able to relate well to people from all walks of life and of varying theological perspectives.
Ability to speak one or more languages other than English very helpful

Responsibilities

Provide oversight and direction for the four, interconnected, Faithful Innovation ministries while developing the area of Faithful Innovation into a more cohesive resource for mid councils and worshipping communities at every stage of life (new worshipping communities, established congregations seeking innovative expressions of being the church in the world, support for mergers and closings etc...)
Partner with colleagues in Thriving Mid Councils and PL&W Leadership to set strategic direction for faithful innovation across the denomination fostering an ecosystem in which new communities of faith and existing communities of faith can intersect and flourish together
Directly supervise staff within each of the four portfolio areas, providing clear direction and consistent support to build a team rooted in God’s creativity and PL&W’s organizational values.
Cultivate and steward partnerships with external organizations, innovators, and practitioners who can resource and expand the church's capacity for faithful experimentation
Work with staff and partners to develop grant evaluation frameworks that reflect both programmatic outcomes and missional faithfulness
Consult with mid councils and PC(USA) partners to ensure that national innovation initiatives emerge from and are responsive to the realities and leadership of local contexts