From racial justice to COVID-19, climate change, culture wars, and economic inequality, the question of what it means and takes to thrive in the contemporary world is one of the most urgent questions of our time. Yet the available answers and standard prescriptions have never seemed so impoverished or ineffective to so many.

We believe this is precisely the moment to reimagine what “thriving” can be, and for whom, in more just and sustainable ways. We believe that Christian congregations have a critical role to play in the work of reimagining thriving in their communities, both as living expressions of the body of Christ and as vital community institutions among others.

Three fundamental questions animate the center’s mission to reimagine what thriving can be in this time:

What does it take for congregations and communities to thrive in today’s world—and crucially, who does and does not get to thrive?

How do congregations and their communities work together to build enduring solutions to present challenges for the thriving of all their members?

How can communities of faith draw on their distinctive traditions and histories to contribute to our collective understanding of what thriving can be in our time?