Riverside Innovation Hub

Riverside Innovation Hub The Riverside Innovation Hub is an incubator for people and communities exploring the public church in the neighborhood. New life is created at the riverside.

These congregations learn a process for discerning how God is inviting them to become more engaged in their neighborhoods. The Riverside Innovation Hub launched in 2017 thanks to a grant from the Lilly Endowment. Our first learning community of local congregations was centered around innovating new ways to make meaningful connections with young adults at the intersections of their faith and their

public lives. A second learning community of congregations launches in 2021 and is centered around the call to be public church. CCV is building capacity through our RIH congregational partnerships to help the center foster meaningful community based learning opportunities with students and faculty. This will include new iterations of congregational partnerships in the future, in collaboration with the classroom and the curiosities of our students. RIVERSIDE…
The riverside is a place of transformation. Jacob wrestled with God at the riverside and was blessed. Joshua built a memorial of 12 stones at the riverside to remind the Israelites how God brought them through the Jordan River from the wilderness into the promised land. Jesus came to the riverside to be baptized by John. The Riverside Innovation Hub is a place of newness and blessing. It is a place to wrestle with God and with our call. It is a place to hear God call us beloved. It is a place to be built up for the work at hand. It is where we explore the new ways we are called into ministry with God’s world. It is at the riverside where we become aware of challenges we face, opportunities that lie ahead, and new ways to move forward. INNOVATION…
Innovation is gritty. It is not flashy. Innovation happens when we become aware of and responsive to our vocation – God’s call to be a fully engaged neighbor in a certain place and at a certain time with certain people. It emerges from the movement of God’s Spirit, the freedom we receive in Christ, and demands placed upon us by our neighbor. When we are opened to these streams of call and respond out of our gifts and passions and power, our ministry becomes innovative. To become innovative, we must learn to listen deeply to God’s call and our neighbors’ desires. HUB…
Transformation and innovation cannot happen alone. We are called into this work together. The Riverside Innovation Hub does not have all the answers but we do have the power to convene faithful people. Together we will learn about our young adults. Together we will learn how to engage, accompany, and empower these young adults. Together we will learn to listen to God’s Spirit. Together we will learn how to become innovative congregations for the sake of our world. Our Hub will be a place to share ideas and resources and a place to find new ideas and resources. This endeavor will happen together as leaders and as institutions.

This chapter for book club is timely in both our country and this time of year during Lent. What does enough look like r...
03/13/2026

This chapter for book club is timely in both our country and this time of year during Lent.

What does enough look like right now? What does that abundant life look like right now for us and our neighbors?

Join us this month for our next book club conversation focused on the chapter "Reclaiming Enough" written by Catalina Morales Behena and Dr. Cherice Bock on March 31st from 7:00pm - 8:15pm CST.

Register to join us: https://augsburg.zoom.us/meeting/register/UdqTzlo6QUyxIuGXmK-93A #/registration

03/11/2026

Augsburg University’s Interfaith Symposium is an annual invitation to build community, foster collaboration, and create a more caring world through ...

As the world heaves and our neighbors grieve, we here in Minnesota turn to community - to the sacred love of God incarna...
01/12/2026

As the world heaves and our neighbors grieve, we here in Minnesota turn to community - to the sacred love of God incarnated when we come together. On January 13 at 7pm CST, Amar Pederman and Nick Tangen will join us online for dialogue about our need to belong to and create loving communities. Amar and Nick co-authored a chapter in Hungry for Hope titled, “Gather at the Table: A call for communities marked by love and belonging.”

The winter season is actually when Minnesotan’s good neighbor superpowers are at their strongest. Cold, snow and ice are no match for the embodied love this community is capable of. Whether you’re local or far away, we welcome you to join us at our (online) table on Jan. 13. And if you can’t make it, find another table to gather around to charge up your community loving superpowers.

We are all hungry for hope. May we find needed nourishment in one another.

Tuesday, January 13th 7:00pm - 8:15pm CST
Register to receive the zoom link. You do not need to have read the chapter to attend. https://augsburg.zoom.us/meeting/register/nI6IFJ6CTQOe8LXa9wlcnw

Join us next week Tuesday, January 13th to help kickstart the new year with our Hungry for Hope Online Book Club convers...
01/05/2026

Join us next week Tuesday, January 13th to help kickstart the new year with our Hungry for Hope Online Book Club conversation with authors Amar D. Peterman & Nicholas Tangen!

They co-authored the chapter "Gather at the Table: A Call for communities marked by love and belonging". Community is at the heart of faith. This chapter reflects on how the church can become a truly Christ-centered community, rooted in justice, compassion, and love, to foster meaningful relationships.

Register to receive the link and to join us! https://augsburg.zoom.us/meeting/register/nI6IFJ6CTQOe8LXa9wlcnw #/registration

Last month, Kristina was invited to speak on the Pivot podcast where she shared more about her work with young adults an...
12/10/2025

Last month, Kristina was invited to speak on the Pivot podcast where she shared more about her work with young adults and the work of the Hungry for Hope book.

"In this episode, Kristina shares insights from her work with hundreds of young adults and from the new book “Hungry for Hope: Letters to the Church from Young Adults.” She explains why young adults want to be known rather than known about, how “courageous curiosity” creates space for genuine connection, and why grief might be an important place to start. The good news? Churches already have what they need—relationships, practices, stories, and people who know how to love their neighbors. The question is whether we’re willing to listen for where God is already at work in the lives of faith and young adults in our communities."

Many church leaders see empty pews where young adults used to be and wonder what to try next. Better coffee? Contemporary worship? More relevant programming?...

After postponing the Groundswell this fall, we have a new date! Save the Date: Saturday March 14th, 2026  to join us for...
11/26/2025

After postponing the Groundswell this fall, we have a new date!
Save the Date: Saturday March 14th, 2026 to join us for the Groundswell!

The Groundswell is an event hosted by Augsburg University’s Riverside Innovation Hub and the Minneapolis Area Synod’s Faith & Neighboring Practices, connecting people of faith who are invested in place-based ministry and the call to be faithful neighbors. Attendees will hear stories of faithful neighborhood ministry, develop skills for engaging meaningfully with their neighbors, and connect with leaders serving the common good locally and from across the country.

Our theme this year “Look, Now is the Acceptable Time” comes from 2 Corinthians – and is a reminder that God is calling us to be part of creating communities of care now – at this moment, in this place. Now is always the acceptable time, and yet we also know that this moment in our history carries its own unique opportunities, challenges, and urgency. While powers and principalities seek to divide, control, and devour, we can participate in a different story rooted in justice, abundance, and community. Look, now is the acceptable time!

We are less than a week away from our next Hungry for Hope Book Club! We would love to have you join our discussion next...
11/13/2025

We are less than a week away from our next Hungry for Hope Book Club!
We would love to have you join our discussion next Tuesday around the chapter & theme of "Tokenism of Young Adults".

Register in advance for this meeting to received the zoom link!
https://augsburg.zoom.us/.../register/nJUxgbNGR_iaPCDnCKupkg

Join us for our book club gathering this month focused on the theme "Tokenism of Young Adults". Too often, the experienc...
10/31/2025

Join us for our book club gathering this month focused on the theme "Tokenism of Young Adults".

Too often, the experiences of young adults are shaped by tokenism. This chapter proposes a relational approach, where young adults are valued as co-creators of the future, moving beyond superficial gestures to authentic partnerships in faith communities.

Register in advanced for this meeting to received the zoom link!
https://augsburg.zoom.us/meeting/register/nJUxgbNGR_iaPCDnCKupkg

10/25/2025
We are less than a week out until our first book club gathering focused on our chapter about the environment. There is s...
10/16/2025

We are less than a week out until our first book club gathering focused on our chapter about the environment. There is still time to sign up to join us on Tuesday!

Tag someone below you think should join us!

https://forms.gle/CyLU6SU8eZhLShn27

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2211 Riverside Avenue
Minneapolis, MN
55454

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