Outreach Magazine recently asked a friend of mine to serve on the panel to choose the "top 25 innovative churches in America" for an upcoming issue. (Separate blog post: Would Outreach stay in business without its interminable lists?)

The criteria was "churches you think are innovative, the diverse churches, perhaps under our radar, that are doing ministry out of the box." He asked for my suggestions--here are the churches I recommended.

Englewood Christian Church (IN)

Real Life Ministries (ID)

National Community Church (Washington, D.C.)

origins church (NYC)

The Dream Center (CA)

Times Square Church (NYC)

Revolution (NYC, Atlanta, and Charlotte)

What churches would make your list? You can nominate them here, and see the ones already under consideration.

I think lists like these often measure and reward the wrong things, so I took the time to write a glowing recommendation for Englewood Christian Church, a small church in urban Indianapolis that really grapples with what it means to live in Biblical community, function as citizens of a city and members of a church body, and minister alongside the poor. Check out their story on their website or my Buzz write-up from 2006 to learn more.