Blog
Stories, ideas, and research from the people and congregations we work with.
Video: How to Unlock Church Land for Community Good
Mark Elsdon shares Fieldworks research at Notre Dame on getting more funding, faster, to churches developing land for community good.
Article: Our Church Is Making Money. What About Taxes?
Two experts in faith-based social enterprise explain why tax questions shouldn't stop your church from trying something new.
Article: Building Creative Confidence One Lego Brick at a Time
What happened when RootedGood co-founder Shannon Hopkins invited her neighbors to build something from 50 Lego pieces.
Podcast: The Church Isn't Broke, with Mark Elsdon
Mark Elsdon talks with John Terrill on the Upper Word podcast about his book We Aren't Broke and the hidden resources churches hold.
Article: What's Next for Ministry After the Pandemic?
How RootedGood and the Presbyterian Church (USA) created What Next?, a tool to help ministries plan for the future.
Article: Investing in the Future as a Way of Repairing the Past
Mark Elsdon on the hidden wealth many U.S. churches hold, where it came from, and two ways churches can support repair.
Podcast: Mark Elsdon on RootedGood and Pres House
On the Give Back Economy Show, Mark Elsdon talks about his work with RootedGood and Pres House in Madison, Wisconsin.
Podcast: Mark Elsdon on Why Churches Aren't Broke
On the Spiritual Capital podcast, Mark Elsdon explains how church land and buildings can be resources for mission, not burdens.
Article: What Could Churches Do with Billions of Dollars?
Mark Elsdon on how impact investing could transform faith communities, and how to imagine the possibilities for your church.
Article: Shannon Hopkins' 10 Guidelines for Faithful Innovation
Innovation isn't good for its own sake. RootedGood co-founder Shannon Hopkins on why innovation is about solving problems.
Video: Economic Innovation in the Church
RootedGood's founders on economic innovation in the church, from the October 2020 Faith+Finance Church Economics conference.
Podcast: Mark Sampson on Keeping Business Strange
RootedGood co-founder Mark Sampson talks with Craig Mattson about what the phrase 'social enterprise' really means.
Podcast: Good Grief and Organizational Change, with Shannon Hopkins
RootedGood co-founder Shannon Hopkins on what it means to lead well when success means letting go.
Podcast: Impact and the Gift, with Mark Sampson
RootedGood co-founder Mark Sampson on the why and how of impact measurement, grounded in what your organization gives the world.
Article: How Pres House Brought New Life to a Campus Ministry
How Mark Elsdon and his team turned a dormant campus ministry into one that brings in more than $2 million a year.
Article: Why Economic Theologies Matter
RootedGood co-founder Mark Sampson on why churches need to think theologically about money, finance and enterprise.
Interview: Shannon Hopkins on Games and Social Innovation
RootedGood co-founder Shannon Hopkins on how design thinking and games shaped tools like Mission Possible.
Article: How One Campus Ministry Funds Itself Through Student Housing
Religion News Service on how Pres House combined church property, impact investment and mission to build a sustainable ministry.
Article Series: Leading Nonprofits Toward Resilience
RootedGood co-founder Mark Elsdon on nonprofit growth and leadership, in a blog series from Princeton Theological Seminary.
Article: Understanding Social Enterprise as Gift
Drawing on his doctoral research, Mark Sampson explores what gift-giving can teach us about social enterprise.