My daughter lives in Los Angeles with two dogs, which means whenever she visits Minnesota, she usually drives so they can come too. This fall, I decided to make things easier by flying out and driving back with her.

The trip was smooth until Colorado. After pulling off for gas, the car lurched. I pressed the accelerator—nothing but a rev. The check engine light glared at us. We still had 1,100 miles to go, with the mountains ahead. From then on, the car was unpredictable—sometimes fine, sometimes ready to quit. We learned if it ran too long, it wouldn’t even go in reverse. Every stop felt like a gamble.

So what does this have to do with design thinking? Everything.

Emily and I had a very real problem: get to Minnesota in a car with other ideas. Design thinking is exactly about tackling problems like this—with curiosity and creativity rather than panic. Harvard Business School defines design thinking as “a user-centered, solutions-focused framework for innovation. Rather than assuming what an ideal product should be, design thinking invites teams to understand customers’ wants, needs, and goals, and then design solutions to address them.”

There are five steps, but let’s look at the first three: empathize, define, and ideate.

Empathize means understanding the problem. For us, the car wasn’t working. In ministry, your “car trouble” might look like declining participation in Sunday school or families struggling with noisy children in worship. This step is all about curiosity—asking questions to see the challenge from different perspectives. What is it like for parents? For children? For the congregation? Approach it like a detective: listen, wonder, and take notes without rushing to solutions.

Define brings your detective work together. As a team, ask: out of all the insights, what are we being called to address? Maybe families feel disconnected during worship or children need more ways to engage. From here you can create a challenge statement: “Families need ________ because ________.” For example: “Families need a way to engage children during worship because one hour is too long for them to sit quietly.”

Ideate is about creativity. Go for quantity, not perfection. Give everyone sticky notes and a few minutes to write as many ideas as possible—one per note. No idea is too wild. When the group shares them, themes emerge, sparking even more possibilities. Energy builds as imagination flows.

Back to our road trip: our empathize step was naming the problem—the car wasn’t reliable. Define came when a mechanic diagnosed a “Clutch B Actuator Control Circuit Low” issue: not good, but safe enough to keep driving. Ideation came quickly: sell the car en route? Rent one and leave ours in Colorado? Fly home instead?

In the end, we prototyped a smaller solution: cut the second day short, check into a hotel, buy pajamas at Walmart, order takeout, and rest. The next morning, another mechanic suggested adding fuel additive because of Colorado’s gas blend. We tried it—and it worked. Twelve hours later, we pulled into Minnesota without much further trouble.

That’s design thinking in action. A messy, uncertain journey where empathy, definition, and ideation helped us move forward—not perfectly, but faithfully and creatively.

Trying Things Out: Spirit-Led Innovation Through Prototyping and Reflection

Last week, Kris shared her story about Design Thinking during road trip challenges and brainstorming ways to solve problems creatively in the midst of those challenges. This month, we move from imagination to action—with Prototype and Test/Reflect. These steps are where your new ideas meet real life. It’s where creativity, courage, and faith come together.

From Brainstorm to Blessing

Brainstorming is often the most joyful part of ministry planning. It’s that space where ideas flow freely, where “what ifs” and laughter mingle, and where no idea is too impractical to say out loud. Maybe your team imagined new ways to help families feel more at home in worship: a “Pray-Ground” space with activities for children, an intergenerational fellowship or service project, or a “Worship Buddies” idea pairing senior members with kids.

The next step isn’t to pick the perfect idea—it’s to try something small. That’s what prototyping is all about.

A prototype is a quick, low-risk version of an idea you can test before fully launching it. In church life, that might mean trying something one Sunday, for one group, or for one season.

You might:

• Create a “Family Faith Box” with take-home devotions and coloring pages.

• Try a short “Kid Moment” in worship with props or simple questions.

• Host a “Faith and Pancakes” breakfast with a 10-minute devotion.

• Experiment with an interactive prayer station during Advent or Lent.

Whatever you choose, keep it light and playful. Think mini experiment, not major overhaul.

Trying Small Experiments

When we prototype in ministry, we give ourselves permission to learn by doing. Sometimes we get bogged down in fear, in details, or in the “we’ve never done that” of church life. With Design Thinking, instead of waiting for perfect plans or guaranteed success, we step out in faith and see what happens. This approach invites creativity and flexibility—something families, especially those juggling busy schedules, truly appreciate.

A small experiment might last a single Sunday or run for a few weeks. The key is to keep it manageable and open-ended. And when you gather feedback, ask both children and adults! Their reflections can be profound in their simplicity:

•  “It felt easier to listen.”

•  “I liked when we got to draw.”

•  “It was nice to sit with my grandchild.”

Keep track of what you hear around you. Even a few comments can help shape your next steps and reveal where God might be stirring something new.

Learning from Failure (and Finding the Spirit There)

Let’s be honest—some prototypes will flop. The crayons spill, the media glitches, the kids get the giggles, or no one shows up.

That’s okay. In fact, that’s holy ground.

Failure in ministry isn’t a verdict—it’s an invitation to try again. It helps us see where God might be nudging us to adjust, simplify, or try differently. Some of our most beloved church traditions probably started as experiments. The Holy Spirit isn’t afraid of our messy attempts; sometimes that’s exactly where new life begins.

Reflect, Listen, and Try Again

After your experiment, gather your team and ask:

•  What did we notice?

•  What surprised us?

•  Where did we see joy, connection, or participation?

•  What might God be showing us through this experience?

Maybe your idea needs a small tweak. Maybe it’s time to try something completely different, or this isn’t what people were needing. Either way, you’re learning, growing, and becoming more responsive to the Spirit’s leading.

The Spirit in the Experiment

When churches approach ministry with a Design Thinking mindset, they become communities that are curious, courageous, and creative.

• We Empathize, listening and learning about our church family’s needs, wants, and experiences.

• We Define, identifying the patterns or challenges that are emerging and where we feel called to focus.

• We Ideate, brainstorming creative ideas with open minds and hearts.

• We Prototype, trying small experiments with hope.

• Finally, we Test, growing from failure to Spirit-led innovation.

That’s not just good design—it’s faithful discipleship.

So go ahead—pick one idea and give it a try. Trust that God will meet you in the messiness of the process—guiding, stretching, and thrilling you along the way. Because the Spirit loves to move through people who are willing to experiment.