Innovating within the Church with Roy Zwahlen
In this episode, the host sits down with Roy Zwahlen, an innovation architect and strategic leader at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, to explore the mechanics of innovation within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Roy discusses how local leaders and members can move past the barriers of top-down administration to embrace grassroots creativity and revelation in their own callings.
Roy defines innovation simply as novelty combined with someone willing to pay for it, which in a church setting often translates to an investment of time. He explains that revelation frequently serves as the front end of the innovative process, much like the experiences of scriptural figures such as the Brother of Jared or Nephi. A major obstacle to this progress, however, is the false dichotomy assuming all direction must come from the top down, a mindset that can stifle local problem-solving. Cultural narratives surrounding singular moments of top-down revelation—such as Moses receiving the Ten Commandments or the 1978 revelation on the priesthood—can sometimes obscure the collaborative brainstorming required for everyday innovation.
To illustrate these concepts, Roy highlights the creation of early morning seminary as a prime example of grassroots innovation that successfully originated in Southern California before being adopted church-wide. He also uses the historical example of Madam C.J. Walker, who overcame immense systemic barriers to become the first female self-made millionaire in the U.S., showing the power of supportive community “enclaves” in fostering creation. Looking at modern church initiatives, the recent launch of the Gospel Foundations class serves as an innovation that can be integrated locally utilizing existing tabs in the church app. Additionally, BYU Pathway is discussed as a major disruptive innovation that will significantly impact the church’s educational model moving forward.
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