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.
