The Ignite Institute will become a virtual and physical hub for spirituality and social transformation. We envision a world where spiritual leaders, social innovators, community leaders, and artists have the clarity and capacity to create a just/moral economy. Values
Love: We are anchored in the good news that God’s love is for all of creation. Spiritual Practice: We believe that spiritual practi
ce transforms us and our work. Justice: We seek justice for every person, every community, and the creation we steward. Why
The world has faced a massive global economic crisis that accelerated the ever widening gap between the super wealthy and the growing number of people who live in crushing poverty. The call for economic justice is not a new one. It dates back at least to the writing of the Torah. What is new is the growing confluence of social entrepreneurs, activists, and workers, all toiling to create a just economy. And what they all have in common is the struggle to cultivate the personal resilience that will sustain them for a lifetime of engagement and a coherent moral imagination to envision an economic order that can truly be “on earth as it is in heaven.” Too many of the economic gains made by the social justice movements of the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s are now lost or under fire. And many of the strategies for change that community activists and leaders came of age perfecting have lost their effectiveness. There is a growing awareness that no single leader, innovation or social movement can produce the scale of change our nation, much less our planet, needs to be sustainable. Our Theory of Change
To create social transformation, we will need to educate, inspire, and awaken a critical mass of activists and leaders who harness the organizational and spiritual resources of organizations, communities, and faith traditions. In addition, these activists and leaders need to create and communicate a deeper vision of change. We need spiritually grounded leaders whose work emerges not just from a desire to stop injustice, but from a vision to create justice for all. We need people who can exercise not just moral leadership, but the moral imagination needed to envision and create a new economy that can put people and the planet before profits and still be prosperous. We believe this kind of moral imagination emerges from spiritual practice.
