Why an Incubator?

God the Creator is constantly up to something new, forging fresh ways to stir hearts and change lives. Twenty-first century ministry is no exception. As churches shed their old wineskins to make room for new wine, ministry continues to move forward and increasingly outward.  Jesus knew firsthand that ministry was not limited to the Temple.  God’s transforming work happened on street corners and mountainsides, in private homes and public spaces. The Co-Creators Incubator invites today’s creatives, innovative thinkers and social entrepreneurs to partner with Jesus in bringing hope, healing and change to our world.

We believe Christian leadership has a vast definition and that ministry can – and often should – look different from how it has in the past.  An abundance of fresh ideas wafts through our churches. Innovative thinkers feverishly scribble ideas into notepads.  Mission-minded leaders constantly discover new ways to impact their communities for good.

The Co-Creators Incubator is a one-year integrative program for missional entrepreneurs that helps grow  ministry ideas into viable ventures with a Christ-centered mission. The Incubator fosters a spirit of collegiality and collaboration amongst a cohort of Co-Creators, while providing them with resources to enhance and grow their ministries. In pursuit of partnership and sustainability, the Co-Creators Incubator will engage both the missional entrepreneurs as well as Creative Partners who may invest in the work of Co-Creators via financial or other means.

What is a Co-Creator?

Co-Creators are mission-minded, creative, entrepreneurial people of any age who are eager to put ideas into action. Co-Creators exist at different junctures in their journeys but are all:

How exactly does this thing work?

Through the Co-Creators Incubator, American Baptist Home Mission Societies (ABHMS) will bring together Co-Creators, mentors, business and entrepreneurial experts, and Creative Partners to provide resources and support to nurture the growth of innovative ministry ideas.

Each Co-Creator will receive a seed grant and the opportunity to meet with the Co-Creator cohort for two in-person summits in January and October of their cohort year. Summits take place at ABHMS’ Leadership and Mission Building in King of Prussia, PA.

Cycle 3 Co-Creators

Carmelle Beaugelin

Kendall Park, New Jersey

Beaugelin hopes to expand her business, BeauFolio Studio, beyond creative workshops and consulting and toward physical art studio and gallery spaces for sacred and communal fine art.

Azia Gambrell

Kansas City, Kansas

Gambrell created Art in the City KC to encourage community gathering in Kansas City through wonderful live art and other artforms.

David Moutz

Charleston, West Virginia

Moutz would like to become a mission-minded CrossFit affiliate with the goal of reaching the underserved, underprivileged, and those apprehensive or unfamiliar with a wellness-oriented lifestyle.

Bridget Querns

Rochester, New York

Querns has tentatively titled her venture “Coaching Communities.” It will explore and illuminate individuals’ unique spiritual paths with the goal of activating their potential to inspire flourishing movements of faith.

Joshua Richardson

St. Louis, Missouri

Richardson has been building a nonprofit organization that can help individual congregations take concrete and actionable steps to alleviate the suffering caused by climate change in their communities.

Paul Schneider

Bonney Lake, Washington

Schneider founded of The Oasis Project, an interfaith ministry of presence, creating safer, low sensory spaces called Oasis Rooms at conventions for people to recharge, relax, and be restored, and to seek spiritual care if needed.

Jennifer Stewart

Huntington Valley, Pennsylvania

Stewart has a vision for an organization that supports entrepreneurial business efforts of Black and Brown youth and young adults in low-income environments.

Benjamin Wakefield

Indianapolis, Indiana

Wakefield wants to build a youth-led Podcast through which youth ages 13-18 will generate ideas and issues that are important to them, discuss these topics, and produce them into a podcast that can also be video recorded for YouTube.

Torie Zeiner

Seattle, Washington

Zeiner seeks to create an organization through which people have access to spiritual care/spiritual wellbeing through their workplace.

Past Cohorts

Cycle 2 Co-Creators

Monique C. Harrington

Way Club is a faith-based social club for high school-aged teenagers. The overall vision is to inspire the next generation of believers to have fun while being responsible citizens and active participants in Jesus’ mission to share the good news.

Dr. Ruth Alerte Jones

The H.E.M. Network is a faith-based ministry centered on spiritual wellness for women following pregnancy loss. It is designed to equip church leaders (lay and professional) to implement visible support for women as they navigate spiritual challenges related to their situation.

Contact Ruth at [email protected]

Jonathan Malone

Wilderness Journeys offers multiple-day hiking and backpacking trips into the wilderness, with an emphasis on encountering and engaging with the divine. Participants have the opportunity to push themselves physically and emotionally as well as to experience the wonder of God’s creation.

The Rev. Yolanda M. Norton

The Global Arts and Theology Experience (GATE) is an organization dedicated to promoting the wholeness, healing and development of Black girls and women through programs that promote womanist theology and the arts. GATE focuses on providing spaces for Black women’s stories, struggles and survival.

Dria Price

As shepherds of the Earth, Justevia wants to ensure that the vessels of our siblings in Christ are not overloaded with the unhealthy options that are advertised to the public regularly. As the company grows, Justevia plans to include people of all backgrounds, especially those underrepresented in the agricultural industry, such as Black, indigenous people of color and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer individuals.

Alex Zarecki

A musician, educator and chaplain from Massachusetts, Alex has struggled between the tension of writing songs as an artist and playing songs that make sense for his church. He intends to write new songs tempered for an array of contexts, fit for personal and congregational enjoyment. As a Co-Creator, he can accomplish this task with greater boldness.

Contact Alex at [email protected]

Cycle 1 Co-Creators

Rev. Rebecca W. Driscoll

American Baptist Churches USA Minister for Environmental Justice

The Minister for Environmental Justice seeks to develop, implement and enhance the presence of creation care ministries as a prophetic Christian witness to and for the protection of God’s creation.

Contact Rebecca at [email protected]

Tony Gapastione

BraveMaker Media and Film Festival

BraveMaker invests in filmmakers to tell their stories and gather audiences to engage in essential conversations on diversity, inclusion and justice.

Website: bravemaker.com
Contact Tony at [email protected]

Aria M. Kirkland-Harris

Ministry Consultant and Retreat Facilitator

This faith-based consulting practice lives at the intersection of theological formation, collective economics and ministry innovation.

Contact Aria at [email protected]

Rev. Dr. Suzanne Kershaw

Empowering “Tools”

Empowering “Tools” seeks to train women and girls in basic home and automotive repair and maintenance.

Contact Suzanne at [email protected]

Rev. Dr. Rachael B. Lawrence

KinderSpirit Inc.

KinderSpirit Inc. merges the joy and activity of early childhood music-movement courses with meaningful Christian worship in which young children and parents can be themselves while building meaningful community together.

Website: www.kinderspirit.org
Contact Rachael at [email protected]

Alyssa B. Vásquez

YouBelong LLC

YouBelong is a movement that uses consulting and technology to connect individuals to local church communities because no one should do life alone.

Contact: LinkedIn