(by 39 people)
The January/February 2007 issue of Outreach magazine featured a list of the top 25 most innovative churches in the U.S. The list came from the Outreach editors and creative church guru Tony Morgan, with the suggestions of a panel of experts (including our own Brad Abare, founder of Church Marketing Sucks and the Center for Church Communication).
As with any such list, not everyone is thrilled. So we thought we'd put the list online and let you vote about who's the most innovative and even suggest the churches you think are most innovative.
Most Innovative Churches
Rank and suggest the most innovative and creative churches you know. Keep in mind that it's not a popularity contest, it's a chance to discover the cool and out of the box things other churches are doing and be inspired.
Mars Hill Bible Church
Grandville, Mich. - Rob Bell23 points
LifeChurch.tv
Edmond, Okla. - Craig Groeschel22 points
Mosaic Church
City of Industry, Calif. - Erwin McManus22 points
National Community Church
Washington, D.C. - Mark Batterson17 points
St. Paul's Collegiate Church
Storrs, Conn. - Ben Dubow12 points
Willow Creek Community Church
South Barrington, Ill. - Bill Hybels10 points
Saddleback Church
Lake Forest, Calif. - Rick Warren10 points
The Pointe
Albany, Ga. - Bryan Gerstel10 points
Granger Community Church
Granger, Ind. - Mark Beeson8 points
North Point Community Church
Alpharetta, Ga. - Andy Stanley7 points
Mars Hill Church
Seattle, Wash. - Mark Driscoll7 points
Redwood Park Church
Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada6 points
New Spring Church
Anderson, S.C. - Perry Noble6 points
The Journey Church
New York, N.Y. - Nelson Searcy5 points
Imago Dei Community
Portland, Ore. - Rick McKinley5 points
VictoryChurch.tv
Oklahoma City, Okla. - Mark Crow5 points
Fellowship Church
Grapevine, Texas - Ed Young Jr.4 points
Crosspoint Community Church
Decatur, Ala. - Dave Anderson4 points
Congregation Lion of Judah
Boston - Dr. Roberto Miranda4 points
New Testament Fellowship Church
Alton, Ill. - Daren Carstens4 points
Redeemer Presbyterian Church
New York, N.Y. - Timothy Keller3 points
Seacoast Church
Mt. Pleasant, S.C. - Greg Surratt3 points
Nairobi Chapel
Nairobi, Kenya - Oscar Muriu3 points
Crossroads Community Church
Commerce City, Colo. - Keith Boyer3 points
Red Rocks Church
Golden, Colo. - Shawn Johnson3 points
Olathe Life Fellowship Church - Olathe, Kansas
Olathe, Kan. - Timmy Gibson2 points
The Journey Church Muskegon
Muskegon, Mich. - Paul Urban and Matt Lewis2 points
ChangePoint
Anchorage, Alaska - Karl Clauson2 points
Community Christian Church
Naperville, Ill. - Dave Ferguson1 point
New Hope Christian Fellowship Oahu
Oahu, Hawaii - Wayne Cordero1 point
Healing Place Church
Baton Rouge, La. - Dino Rizzo1 point
Crossover Church
Tampa, Fla. - Tommy Kyllonen1 point
Lake Pointe Church
Rockwall, Texas - Steve Stroope1 point
NorthWood Church
Keller, Texas - Bob Roberts Jr.1 point
Church On the Move
Tulsa, Okla. - Willie George1 point
City Church Manchester
Manchester, England1 point
Journey Church
Monticello, Ark. - Jeff Noble1 point
Gateway Church
Austin, Texas - John Burke1 point
SouthBrook Christian Church
Dayton, Ohio - Charlie McMahan1 point
Wellspring Community Church
Millbrook, Al. - Michael Beale1 point
Elevation Church
Charlotte, N.C. - Steven Furtick1 point
The Potter's House
Dallas, Texas - T.D. Jakes0 points
North Coast Church
Vista, Calif. - Larry Osborn0 points
Radiant Church
Surprise, Ariz. - Lee McFarland0 points
The Sanctuary
Santa Clarita, Calif. - Marty Walker0 points
The Rock Church
Monroe, Wash. - Jeff and Melinda Knight0 points
Sojourn Church
Huntsville, Ala. - David Thew0 points
Victory World Church
Norcross, Ga.0 points
Christ's Church of the Valley
Peoria, Ariz. - Don Wilson0 points
West Highland Fellowship Baptist Church
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada - Stuart Silvester0 points
Bethlehem Baptist Church
Minneapolis, Minn. - John Piper0 points
The Pentecostals of Alexandria
Alexandria, La. - Anthony Mangun0 points
Saint Mark Coptic Orthodox Church of Washington, D.C.
Fairfax, Va. - Bishoy Andrawes &am more...0 points
The Sanctuary Covenant Church
Minneapolis - Efrem Smith0 points
Church in Bethseda
Bethesda, Md. - Pamela Bateman0 points
Northgate Pentecostals
Colleyville, Texas - Brent Jones0 points
Oak Hills Church
San Antonio, Texas - Max Lucado0 points
Park Community Church
Chicago - Jackson Crum0 points
Reunion Church
Orting, Wash. - Joe Miller0 points
Cross Point Community Church
Nashville, Tenn. - Pete Wilson0 points
CrossCurrent Ministries
Ashburn, Va. - Chris Eads0 points
The Connection Chuch
Kyle, Texas - Cole Phillips0 points
Bethel: The Church @ Franklin Mills
Philadelphia, Pa.0 points
Church of the Open Door
Maple Grove, Minn. - David Johnson0 points
Christ the King Community Church
Mt. Vernon, Wash. - Dave Browning0 points
Living Word Christian Center
Forest Park, Ill. - William Winston0 points
Westside Family Church
Lenexa, Kan. - Dave Cox0 points
Compass Church
Byron Center, Mich. - Chad McCallum0 points
Grace Community Church
Sun Valley, Calif. - John MacArthur0 points
City Bible Church
Portland, Ore./Vancouver, Wash. - Frank &a more...0 points
Long Hollow Baptist Church
Nashville, Tenn. - David Landrith0 points
Eagle Brook Church
Lino Lakes, Minn. - Bob Merritt0 points
Denver Baptist Church
Denver, N.C. - Chris Griggs0 points
Hot Metal Bridge Faith Community
Pittsburgh, Pa. - Jeff Eddings &am more...0 points
South County Church
Mission Viejo, Calif. - Kelly Fellows0 points
Gateway Church
Southlake, Texas - Robert Morris0 points
The Blogging Church
Sharing the Story of Your Church Through Blogs
The Blogging Church
Brian Bailey and Terry Storch offer church leaders a field manual for using the social phenomenon of blogs to connect people and build communities in a whole new (innovative?) way.
Amazon Price: $13.57 (as of 07/06/2008)
Bloggers on the Most Innovative Churches
- Church Relevance
- The original rundown of Outreach's list, plus where each church has landed on other prominent lists.
- Evotional
- Mark Batterson reacts to seeing his church on the list.
- Outreach's List of Crapola
- Chris Elrod slams Outreach's list for a lack of innovation, a lack of clear guidelines and the fact that most of the panelists somehow ended up on the list.
- Monday Morning Insight
- Todd Rhoades wonders if Willowcreek and Saddleback are still that innovative.
- Church Communications Pro
- Cory Miller gives his responses to the churches on the list he's familiar with, including relevant links.
Books for Innovative Churches
In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day: How to Survive and Thrive When Opportunity Roars
Amazon Price: $11.19 (as of 07/06/2008)
The Multi-Site Church Revolution: Being One Church in Many Locations (Leadership Network Innovation Series, The)
Amazon Price: $11.55 (as of 07/06/2008)
Church Marketing 101: Preparing Your Church for Greater Growth
Amazon Price: $11.55 (as of 07/06/2008)
Simply Strategic Growth: Attracting a Crowd to Your Church
Amazon Price: $13.59 (as of 07/06/2008)
The Relevant Church: A New Vision For Communities Of Faith
Amazon Price: $11.04 (as of 07/06/2008)
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