Traditioned Innovation Awards honor work that holds together past and futureLeadership Education at Duke Divinity grants Traditioned Innovation Awards to initiatives that engage in experiments to transform communities by living out the convictions of an ancient faith in the current challenging circumstances.
“Traditioned innovation” is a way of thinking developed by theologian L. Gregory Jones that holds the past and future in tension, not in opposition, and is crucial to the growth and vitality of Christian institutions. The awardees inspire Christian leaders to consider our convictions and daily activities so that we may more abundantly bear witness to the reign of God. They do that by:
The 2024 winners are Argrow’s House of Hope and Healing in Moline, Illinois; the Hope Center in Blue Island, Illinois; Iskali in Maywood, Illinois; and Plainsong Farm in Rockford, Michigan. Each will receive $10,000 and be featured in Faith & Leadership.
A panel of judges collects nominations and recommends award recipients.
“The Traditioned Innovation Award recognizes and affirms the faithful and innovative work of an outstanding community initiative rooted in Christian practices,” said Victoria White, Leadership Education’s managing director of grants. “This year the award focuses on catalytic organizations that are effective in their own community while also nurturing groups with similar vision for thriving communities. Their work creates a broad impact because they are committed to cultivating future faith-rooted leaders and creating interconnected networks for sharing resources and support. Focusing on the flourishing of others while also transforming their own communities, especially in this season of change and uncertainty, is work we want to affirm. Catalytic leaders are making thoughtful and strategic decisions to guide their institutions through uncertainty and often come out stronger on the other side.”
Image courtesy of Argrow’s House of Hope and Healing
Argrow’s House of Hope and Healing is a social enterprise providing women communal healing from violence and abuse. Through domestic violence support groups, yoga, spiritual direction, massage therapy, art therapy and other holistic means, they empower women’s minds, bodies and spirits, while also supporting their economic health and independence. Their bath and body business is run by women healing from abuse as they create products that provide a living wage for themselves in a safe space that celebrates who they are. Argrow’s House was founded by activist, pastor and spiritual director Rev. Dr. Kit Evans-Ford and is named for her grandmother who found the church as a pathway to heal from her own experience of violence and abuse.
How does Argrow’s House exemplify traditioned innovation?
Argrow’s House is deeply rooted in its neighborhood, serving complex and embodied needs of women who are often pushed to the margins of society. Their empowerment-from-within continuum of care is not only self-sustaining, it also provides a new economic future for the women in the program. Argrow’s House is connected to other like-minded organizations across the country and globe who are addressing issues of violence, financial independence and lack of access to safe housing.
Read more about Argrow’s House of Hope and Healing here.
Image courtesy of the Hope Center
Hope Center Blue Island meets the needs of the local community by offering classes, certificates and training in agriculture, technology, auto-mechanics and the arts, and serves as a satellite campus of Christian Life Center in Chicago, Illinois. The Center was founded in 2017 with a vision to inspire hope in Blue Island rooted in spiritual, intellectual, social and economic values.
Their community and hydroponic garden works to address the food insecurity in the neighborhood. The automotive garage teaches basic car maintenance skills to neighbors while also training young people for lucrative careers servicing cars. The technology department provides training, problem-solving resources and skill-building to help neighbors explore the limits of their creativity and imagination to make their own changes in their neighborhoods and culture. The Hope Center is rooted in the idea of not just giving people what they need but teaching them how to create their own solutions to improve their lives and the lives of others.
How does the Hope Center exemplify traditioned innovation?
The leadership of the Hope Center recognized a traditional church model was not effectively serving its neighbors, so they tapped into the resources already present in the local community and re-envisioned their mission. The Center pairs local experts in marketable job fields alongside the needs of their neighbors, especially women and persons of color, addressing gaps in providing services, skills training, access to basic needs and relationship-building with dignity and integrity.
Read more about Hope Center here.
Image courtesy of Iskali
Serving one of the fastest-growing populations through an extensive network of invested leaders and young people, Iskali provides holistic faith-rooted support to first- and second-generation Latinos. This Catholic community for Hispanic young adults is focused on faith formation, building community and promoting education through the renewal of the spirit of young people and the celebration of their cultural heritage. Iskali forms, empowers and equips young Latino leaders to become transformative agents of faith-rooted change in their neighborhoods through faith initiatives, mentorship, scholarships, bi-lingual podcasts and sports and wellness programs.
How does Iskali exemplify traditioned innovation?
Iskali’s work is grounded in a long-standing Catholic tradition and is engaging renewal, young leadership and community transformation, and they are positioning young Hispanic leaders as voices of significance and relevance in the church. They present the gospel to young adults in the American context in language that they understand and that allows them to grow in Christ, guided by the Holy Spirit.
Read more about Iskali here.
Image courtesy of Plainsong Farm
Plainsong Farm & Ministry is a living laboratory for farm-based environmental education and Christian discipleship. Plainsong is a 12-acre working farm in the Rogue River Watershed of Michigan. Incorporating regenerative agriculture, environmental education, charitable food, worship and discipleship, Plainsong demonstrates what is possible by experimenting toward a healing practice of Christian faith fully integrated with the care of creation. Plainsong’s programs provide opportunities for individuals and groups of all ages to deepen their connection with God, creation and neighbor. The ministry encourages, equips and connects practitioners engaged in Christian food, farm and environmental education through telling stories, in-person experiences and developing curricula and resources. Their intergenerational volunteers help to grow food for neighbors, participate in conservation projects and learn about food systems and their environmental impact.
How does Plainsong Farm exemplify traditioned innovation?
The work of Plainsong Farm is motivated by the recognition that God created us in and for flourishing relationships, throughout all creation, in every direction. Plainsong is cultivating a place where people are needed and belong — a place where people use their bodies to tend the land, nourish their neighbors and ground themselves in hope and life-giving rhythms. They also serve as a resource for congregations and leaders seeking to grow ministries at the intersection of food, equity, ecology and faith. Plainsong seeks to be a place that nurtures belonging and the radical renewal of God’s world.
Read more about Plainsong Farm here.
For more information about the Traditioned Innovation Award, please contact us at leadership@div.duke.edu.
Read stories about how past winners are creatively addressing challenges and renewing their institutions.
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