Space for Grace

What are the success criteria of innovative Church work? How can local Church communities get more vital? And, how can innovative Church projects contribute to system change? These are the questions posed by the Space for Grace programme, which identifies, supports and evaluates innovation in the Church through its funding programme in Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany since 2019. This book presents the insights of the programme as well as concrete learnings on innovation and system change. It intends to inspire more volunteers and pastoral workers to join the journey to new forms of Church. The publication of the programme presents, from a cross-national perspective, examples of effective church innovation projects and identifies success criteria for innovative Church work. The learning from the evaluation of the Space for Grace programme contributes to systemic change by encouraging, supporting and improving new ways and ideas in church work. This publication is designed for pastoral innovators whose work inspired this book, for people who are at the brink of joining this movement of pastoral innovation to whom this book can offer support, for the multipliers and church leaders who shape the organisational structure for church innovation, and for all those interested in the social discourse on prosocial innovation.

Dr. Miriam Zimmer ist Leiterin des Kompetenzzentrums Pastorale Evaluation am Zentrum für Angewandte Pastoralforschung der Universität Bochum. Sie studierte Soziologie und Religionswissenschaft an den Universitäten Göttingen und São Leopoldo (Brasilien) und promovierte 2021 in Soziologie.