About
The Bishop Bruce Ough Innovation Center
Its potential office suite was gradually renovated and remodeled over long months, thanks to generous gifts of donors…
United’s staff and faculty prayer walked and wrote prayers of blessing upon the foundation of its floors as the fresh new spaces came together…
And the new Bishop Bruce Ough Innovation Center officially launched in May 2022 to help churches, pastors, and leaders break through barriers and discover new ways to bring the message and mission of Christ to life!
As a startup dream of United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio, the Innovation Center is an ever-evolving epicenter for active collaboration, creative problem-solving, and Spirit-led innovation.
Our primary goal is simple: to equip and energize church leaders with the tools, training, and prayer-saturated inspiration needed to advance the Kingdom.
How We Help You Move Forward:
We know that leading a church in today’s world comes with challenges. That’s why we provide practical, Spirit-driven resources to help you step into new opportunities with confidence:
• Prayer for New God-Possibilities – Resources and training to guide your church in breakthrough prayer
• Spiritual Direction – An option to connect for one-on-one guidance from trained spiritual directors to help you discern next steps
• Innovation Courses – Short, practical courses for pastors and church leaders on fresh approaches to ministry
• Webinars with Leading Voices – Insights from experienced church innovators to spark new ideas
• Idea Exchanges – Interactive Zoom sessions where you can collaborate, brainstorm, and design new resources with like-minded leaders
This is Your Invitation…
God is already opening doors—are you ready to step through them? Whether you need a fresh vision, new tools, or a space to collaborate with others, the Innovation Center is here to help you take the next step.
Join in--and become part of the movement. Let’s build the future of the Church together!
United’s President Kent Millard shares why its Board of Trustees first dreamed, then launched, an Innovation Center.
was named in honor of Bishop Bruce Ough, a retired United Methodist Bishop with a lengthy and fruitful track record of practical innovation and renewed congregational vitality across our country and around the world. Bishop Ough now serves on the seminary’s Board of Trustees, as well as a frequent advisor to the Innovation Center’s direction and its unfolding prayer-guided resourcing.
United’s Innovation Center…
Rev. Dr. Sue Nilson Kibbey, Director
After seminary and clergy ordination, Sue’s local church ministry appointments have included a variety of roles: associate pastor, director of ministries, executive pastor and senior pastor.
Sue is also the creator and director of the Missional Church Consultation Initiative (MCCI), involving more than 300 churches of all sizes and settings across the country in creative revitalization for a fresh season of impact. Sue now leads the Innovation Center’s prayer-fueled “Floodgates Collective,” which offers customized master course training and practical implementation guidance for congregations longing to shift from plateau or decline into vibrant, prayer-saturated, Spirit-guided discernment of steps forward.
Sue is a nationally-recognized trainer, consultant and author, all with intent to fuel the spiritual and missional renewal of pastors, leaders and congregations. Sue’s greatest passion is igniting church-wide congregational momentum with what she terms a “Breakthrough Prayer Initiative,” for which she’s provided training and equipping for thousands of church pastors, church planters, leaders and members. Sue is an adjunct faculty instructor at United, teaching the master of divinity “Leadership for Ministry” course each year. She is a co-mentor for United’s “Open the Floodgates” doctoral focus group, having completed her own doctor of ministry degree at United in December 2024.
Sue has authored eight books. Her most recent feature the impact and outplay of a congregational breakthrough prayer strategy, and includes:
Dynamite Prayer: A 28-Day Experiment (coauthored with Rosario Picardo), Invite Resources, 2022
Open Road: The Adventure of a Breakthrough Prayer Initiative, MarketSquare Books, 2021
Ultimate Reliance: Breakthrough Prayer Practices for Leaders, Abingdon Press, 2019
Floodgates: Holy Momentum for a Fearless Church, Abingdon Press, 2016