Teams of 3-7 people: Early Bird $995 (ends 2/18/2025) Regular price $1195

Discover a better way Innovate

Q: What if I can’t attend all the live sessions?

Great question! You'll have the best experience by participating in all of the live sessions. However, each session will be recorded and emailed weekly for the benefit of any participants who may have had an unexpected conflict.

Q: Will it work for teams in the Majority World?

Yes! Innovate will work for your team regardless of your ministry context. Please note: Innovate is delivered in English and requires a broadband internet connection for video calls.

Q: How long will I have to access teaching content?

One year! Each week you'll get a recording of the class that you're welcome to reference back to.

Q: How much time will I need to commit?

Each week you’ll spend 2 hours in a coaching session (online via Zoom) and around 2 hours outside working on your team homework and with your community. Over the course of 8 weeks, you'll need to set aside about 30 hours to complete this innovation journey.

Q: Who should be on my team?

Innovate is designed for teams of 3-7 people. The process works best with a diverse and committed group that includes team members from the community you are designing for. For example: Trying to create a ministry for single moms? Be sure you have a single mom on the team. Check out this free resource for more ideas to help you build your team.

Q: What if I can’t afford Innovate ?

Our goal is to make Innovate accessible to all churches and nonprofits who are committed to effective poverty alleviation and community flourishing. For small and financially challenged teams, please email us at innovate@chalmers.org.

Q: How can I help financially challenged teams?

We’re so glad you asked! You can help make more Innovate scholarships available to financially challenged teams— contact us for more information.

Q: Can I sign up without a team?

Innovate is designed for teams of 3-7 people. You'll work with your team and individuals in your community as you go through the Innovate process. If you have questions or concerns about the team requirement, please email us at innovate@chalmers.org.

Your organization and context plus Chalmers' tools and coaching leads to ministries that help without hurting.

Address the broken relationships at the root of material poverty

Apply the design thinking process and principles to your ministry

Develop creative, sustainable solutions to help people

"So, are we doing [this] right?"

When it comes to poverty alleviation we quickly find that there is no one-size-fits-all solution. While we often want a “recipe,” what we actually need is a framework to apply within our unique context.

Using the best practices in community development and easy-to-use innovation tools, Innovate equips your team with a biblical framework to develop poverty alleviation ministries that foster real change.

Learn how to embed Chalmers' DNA into your church or organization and get virtual coaching from the Innovation Team.

How Innovate works

Gather your team

Get trained

Join us for 8 live online coaching sessions and breakouts with other leaders.

Test your idea

Design and test a creative idea for helping people in your community.

Iterate!

Get tools to help you keep learning and improving your ministry.

Through an eight-week blend of live Zoom sessions, exercises in each team’s community, and carefully selected videos and readings, Innovate aligns your team and helps your ministry empower people in material poverty.

You'll need to set aside about 30 hours to complete your innovation journey.

Meet your guides Learn from experienced innovation experts

You'll be learning from design thinking and innovation experts, Tabitha Kapic and Adrian Reid, and Dr. Brian Fikkert, co-author of When Helping Hurts, Becoming Whole, and founder of the Chalmers Center.

Brian Fikkert

Tabitha Kapic

Adrian Reid

Innovate is trusted by 200+ churches and nonprofits worldwide

“I appreciate the work you guys are doing so much because it’s causing paradigm shifts that need to happen. So much more Christ-centered, so much more Gospel-centered, and so much more hopeful.”

Susan Moffitt
Director of Family Care
Palmer Home, Nashville TN

When I took Innovate for the first time in Nicaragua, it was a great learning experience. We were introduced to a new model to carry out initiatives with existing resources in a very creative way, with biblical, easy and reproducible tools, where projects can be developed in a short time, where we can have the opportunity to show God's love.

Yaneth,
Free Methodists
Nicaragua

“I think one of the great things you guys were able to do is somehow guide people through the process who are at very different points. Regardless of where you’re at in the process, if you want to be a good neighbor, this is a fantastic place to start.”

Crystal Davy
Worship Director & Outreach Coordinator
Grace Chapel, Nebraska

“The idea of working together as a team, bringing out innovative ideas and ways of really ministering to the local church spoke volumes to me. I learned from Chalmers the emphasis of human flourishing. I think that’s really all it is about God’s story of change.”

Evah Mugari
Empowerment/Development
Partners in Transformation, Zimbabwe

"The [Innovate] design process led by Chalmers gives me hope because it helps church leaders move from talking about issues to implementing solutions."

Blake Schwarz
Director of Fellows & PCPC at Work
Park Cities Presbyterian Church
Dallas, TX

"This process has really helped me believe that we can equip people to live out the kingdom... I'm more confident that we can help people use their influence to make substantial changes."

Dr. Michael Rhodes
Lecturer in Old Testament
Carey Baptist College, New Zealand

"It made me personally think about ideas that are outside the realm of what I would have normally thought about. Trusting each of the steps has been really powerful and has allowed us to create something together."

Sarah Lockridge-Steckel
Co-Founder & CEO
The Collective Blueprint
Memphis, TN

"It's been really encouraging to see our team use this process to center the actual articulated needs of the communities we serve, as the focus of how we help."

Laura Green
Executive Director
Tekton Career Training
Atlanta, GA

Chalmers resources are trusted by:

Schedule

Join Us on Zoom Mar 5-Apr 23, 2025
Wednesdays 12-2 pm ET

Innovate includes 8 LIVE online coaching sessions with breakout rooms and teamwork assignments designed to align your team around a shared vision and help you brainstorm, design, and test your creative ministry solution.

You'll need to set aside around 30 hours to complete your innovation journey. Each week you’ll spend 2 hours in a session (online via Zoom) and 1-2 hours working on team homework and with your community.

March 5: Week 1
March 12 14: Week 2
March 19: Week 3
March 26: Week 4

April 2 10: Week 5
April 9: Week 6
April 16: Week 7
April 23: Week 8

Team Registration

Innovate: Online

March 5 – April 23

~~$1195~~ $995
per team of 3-7

EARLY BIRD ENDS FEB 18

Includes weekly Zoom coaching calls

You're gaining access to:

When Helping Hurts and Becoming Whole co-author, Dr. Brian Fikkert.
Innovation tools to align your team and build your own effective poverty alleviation ministries.
A community of like-minded church and nonprofit leaders learning to improvise the kingdom, together.
8 live online sessions that teach your team how to practically help without hurting.
Bonus! Additional equipping tools from the Chalmers online-resource library.

Frequently asked questions

What will I need for Innovate?

You'll need:

A team of 3-7 people to go through the process with you.
A copy of A Field Guide to Becoming Whole for each member of your team. Physical copies and an ebook version are both available from Moody Publishers. Use promo code CHALMERS at checkout to save 30%.
A stable high-speed internet connection for Zoom calls.

Coaching is offered in English. Training times are all posted in Eastern time zone.

What if I can’t attend all the live sessions?

Will it work for teams in the Majority World?

How long will I have to access teaching content?

How much time will I need to commit?

What is the cost?

Who should be on my team?

What if I can’t afford Innovate?

How can I help financially challenged teams?

Can I sign up without a team?

What if my team has taken Innovate before?

Have more questions? Get in touch.

Don’t miss the chance to innovate for the Kingdom!