TCL helps us love every neighbor through innovation that nurtures faith, peace, hope and joy.

We do this in 3 ways:

a) Faith: providing space for spiritual growth for all; We believe the strong roots of an active spiritual life make for strong branches in connecting with people of all walks of life.

b) Peace: equipping everyday peacebuilders through dialogue; We help each other grow into the people and communities we hope to be by learning how to love every neighbor, together.

c) Hope and Joy: uplifting leaders through our learning hub for innovative ministry. TCL is an innovation hub for hope and joy, spurring on creative leaders' capacity for faithful risk-taking and experimentation that does good for our communities.

Ultimately, our vision is to explore innovative paths of spiritual growth for all,

while discovering the Church’s future and the future of faith practice.

Dialogue is the primary vehicle for this work. TCL emerged in 2013 in response to a growing need for spaces where spiritual questions could be explored. While many people are leaving institutional religion, the longing for meaning, connection, and spiritual growth remains deeply human.

Through biweekly interfaith dialogues, TCL brings together people of diverse traditions and perspectives to listen, learn, and grow together. Dialogue becomes a path toward spiritual grounding, peacebuilding in polarized times, and innovative forms of ministry that meet people where they are—whether they have left religion behind, hold a traditional faith, or are still figuring out how to name their beliefs.

In response to a historic moment of polarization—fracturing not only global relationships but also friendships, families, and communities—The Church Lab draws on the tools cultivated through interfaith dialogue and translates them into practices of everyday peacebuilding.

In the interest of supporting not only the future of faith practice but the future of the Church, TCL works with faith leaders, churches, seminaries and budding innovative ministers as they navigate the changing landscapes of religious institutions. We do this through pastors’ cohorts, seminarian cohorts, consults, classes at higher education institutes, and the mentorship and support of innovative ministry projects.

FAQs

  • It depends! Some people consider us their primary faith community, and others see it as a supplement to their own, if they have one.

  • No, we do not have a dedicated Church Lab space. That said, we meet in-person and online. When in-person, we often meet in homes or spaces in faith buildings or public spaces, depending on the purpose of our event.

  • No, and yes! Some of our offerings are explicitly Christian, and all are motivated by our understanding of how Jesus cares for people. That said, our dialogues are powered by an interfaith community. Our workshops and trainings are not religion-centered; they’re for people of any background who want to become better peacebuilders.

  • Whoever you are, you are welcome. Protestants, Catholics, Latter-day Saints, Muslims, Jews, Pagans, agnostics, atheists, Buddhists, Native Americans, conservatives, liberals, seekers and more.

  • BridgeBuilders Lab is simply alternative nomenclature for our offerings that suit nonreligious purposes. This includes but is not limited to workshops and trainings like Navigating Divisive Conversations and Facilitators’ Training.

 
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