We talk about creation and the Creator in church, but how often do we talk about creativity? Human creativity is profound evidence of the sacred spark within us, yet it can be used for good or evil, to bless or to curse. A congregation that has tapped into its own creative potential has more energy and is more effective both at weathering challenges and at birthing new possibilities of love, kindness, justice, and compassion.

I first developed a two-day intensive creativity workshop for The Damascus Project (a regional UCC initiative) in 2021 and have since taught broader workshops on the spirituality of creativity for various audiences.

Sample workshop topics include:

• Creativity: crucial for the prophetic church
• Paradoxes of creativity
• Creativity as relationship
• Creativity as a spiritual discipline
• Spiritual benefits of creativity
• The ethics of creativity (and the creativity of ethics)
• Toward a progressive Christian theology of creativity
• Creativity in the life of the church
• Prophetic creativity, or how to avoid eating at tables you should be flipping

Practical writings and exercises related to creativity that I have developed include:

• Using Your Truth to Create
• Tips, Tools, and Techniques for Developing a Creative Heart and Mind
• Emotional and Spiritual Growth Work for Creativity
• Spiritual Preparation for Creativity
• Creativity Exercises
• Liturgical Creativity: Three Suggestions, Lots of Questions
• Questions to Help with Creative Blocks

Here's one of my creativity workshops: The Spirituality of Creativity with Amanda Udis-Kessler

Could your congregation benefit from a creativity workshop? Let's talk!