The Borders of Innovation
Photo: Baptist General Convention of Texas
In the Fall of 2018, Mission City Renewal was invited to journey with 8 creative, entrepreneurial college students on the border in south Texas as they reflected on their own stories and how their experiences were shaping and forming the innovative ministry and business ideas they now wanted to share with potential investors.
The Project
The Valley Ecology Project — the brainchild of Elizabeth Biedrzycki, the south Texas Regional Coordinator for the Baptist General Convention of Texas — was a pilot of an immersive learning experience between students from the University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley’s Baptist Student Ministry, 11 Kingdom-minded investors from around the country, and institutions such as the Baptist General Convention of Texas and Duke Divinity’s Foundations Program.
The Valley Hack
Over the course of 3 days, 8 emerging Christian leaders identified by the BSM, were guided through Design Thinking exercises to build out sustainable ministry and/or business ideas culminating in a pitch to potential investors.
With the guidance of the Changemaker Vocation Workbook, these students were encouraged to reflect on and interweave their stories as a driving force behind their innovative ideas. They held questions such as:
– What need in the world do I want to stand up for and make progress toward solving?
– What parts of my experiences, my background, my context, my family have brought this need in the world to the forefront for me?
– What does it mean to share my story and invite someone in? Am I safe if I do?
The Investor Sprint
Concurrently, a group of 11 investors comprised of business and ministry leaders, foundation representatives, and higher education leaders were introduced to the context of the Valley — learning about the complexities of the Texas/Mexico border. As was stated in a welcome letter to these investors, they were being invited to “think strategically about what investment in emerging Christian leaders needs to look like… We believe the energy and innovation coming from Latino and Mexican communities along the border and throughout South Texas are integral parts of that work.”
As they traveled around the Valley, the investors learned about the economy and business landscape; they visited churches and spoke with pastors; and they ate in the colonias at the homes of students. They also held questions such as:
– What are the possibilities at the intersections of church, vocation, community and faith?
– What can we learn from the rich ecosystem of this border region that can inform the way we interact with the borders within our institutions and communities?
– What does kingdom-minded investment look like?
All of this was preparing them to hear the unique stories and opportunities these students invited them into the final day.
The Ecology
In an ecosystem, the most fertile part of the environment is the border — the pond’s edge where land and water meet. So too, we believe that the borders in our communities (whether drawn on a map or not) are nutrient-rich meeting grounds of innovation and adaptation. The hope is that these students have given a glimpse into the goodness sprouting from the Valley and the resources necessary to continue building an ecology of leaders.
As Patton Dodd wrote in a recent article for Leadership Education at Duke Divinity:
“Life on the border is difficult. But the Baptist Student Ministry of the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is working to help young adults who live there leverage their own strength and resilience to step out as leaders of the Valley and the nation.”
As we told the students: We approach this learning environment with the humility Paul speaks of in 1 Corinthians 3 & 4. Knowing that one may plant seeds, one may water, one may but only God can bring the growth. “So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.” (1 Cor. 3:7)
Like a new seedling, your story and your ideas may feel fragile. That is ok. This journey is about holding our stories, our questions, our communities and our ideas together — and fostering opportunities for these ideas to become realities.
“Your ideas mature gradually. Let them grow; Let them shape themselves, without undue haste. Don’t try to force them on as though you could. Only God could say what this new spirit gradually forming with you will be. Give our Lord the benefit of believing that his hand is leading you, and accept the anxiety of feeling yourself in suspense and incomplete. Above all trust in the slow work of God”
— Fr. Pierre Teilhard De Chardin, S.J. —
