Ryan Pryor, Pastor at Mission Hills Christian Church, was a graduate in the first cohort who took our twelve-week Certificate Course in Spiritual Entrepreneurship. We talked with him recently his ministry and how the program impacted the work he is doing.
Ryan, a graduate of Fuller Seminary, was seeking to bring fresh things to his community and had a lot of vision, hopes and dreams for long term revitalization of both his church and the community they serve.
Ryan started his ministry, which he calls ‘essentially a re-plant,” a little over two years ago. He started from scratch, and has had to figure most things out on the job. His focus was on spiritual innovation, asking the question, What do people in general in the 21st century need spiritually and in particular what did the Mission Hills community need? And along with that he is asking larger questions about the future of Christianity in the U.S. What will it look like? Putting those questions into practice in real people’s lives has been the focus in the two years he has been at Mission Hills.
It was his desire to explore the implications of these questions that drew him to our program. The Certificate in Spiritual Entrepreneurship is designed to help people think through questions like these in a focused and practical way, giving not only the necessary tools to explore theological innovation, but also adding models for working through change in a congregation, community or venture in ways that lead to transformative outcomes. Ryan said that one of the helpful concepts he gained from the program was the MVB, or Minimum Viable Benefit, which is one of the tools we offer our students as a means of focusing their energies, enabling them to determine potential outcomes and risks and achieve desired goals in effective ways. “There are so many people all over Los Angeles who are interested in issues of spirituality, who have come to Mission Hills because they are finding that what we are talking about and the kind of community we are creating resonates with their hopes and needs,” Ryan said. The class has helped Ryan refine his vision, take the risks and learn how to make necessary adjustments while things are in motion.
“The questions that you are asking right now are the questions that are going to innovate the future of Christianity in church communities wherever you are. For those who are burned out, there are places you can go and there is a way forward, there is a place for you and Hatchery and its programs are one of those places.” (Click below to view video interview)
If like Ryan, you are asking questions about what the future of your community looks like, or you are wrestling through how to effect transformation and change, or you want to learn how to ask new theological questions, we invite you to check out our course and the other offerings we have on our website: https://www.hatcheryla.com. A new cohort starts end of January!