Thank you for the hundreds of people who have been a part of the educational experiences of the Center. Through your feedback and our experiences, we have grown into an interfaith and interdisciplinary platform that creates a unique space for exploring faith, wisdom and discovering the power in each other’s practical and spiritual experiences in changing the world. We call this the Applied Wisdom Institute.
Please follow this link and check out the next phase of our ministry. We would not be the center for innovation if we remained stagnant. Change is kinda what we do. Thanks again, I hope to see you in a seminar or online commenting on our blog or facebook.
We have a new site we’d like you to see at AppliedWisdomInstitute.org
MINISTRY IN MOTION
Discovering, creating, and incubating community collaborations that address pervasive social challenges.
LATEST NEWS
Reynolds Grant Awarded to the Center for Innovation in Ministry
The directors of the Richard S. Reynolds Foundation have awarded a $3,500 grant to support the Wisdom Seed program of the Center for Innovation in Ministry at SFTS. This is the second year that the Center has received this grant from the Richard S....
read moreSpirituality & Bereavement Seminar Transforms and Enlightens
“An extraordinary and moving event” is the only way to describe the Spirituality and Bereavement seminar held at IONS in Petaluma, CA. Terri Daniel and Austyn Wells led a group of 19 people through a journey of discovery and enlightenment about...
read moreProject Trust Advances
CIM's Research and Results for Mental Health and the African American Church relationship with the African Americans and African American Gender and Sexual Minorities Two dozen African American Church leaders and influential parishioners gathered at Yoshi’s in...
read moreOUR INITIATIVES
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Spahr Reconciliation
This We Affirm
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ABOUT THE CENTER FOR INNOVATION IN MINISTRY AT SFTS
We seek to stimulate collaborations and ignite positive breakthroughs. We link up individual innovators and partner with congregations, educational organizations, and groups seeking to act positively in the world. Together we create, discover, incubate and disseminate effective responses to our common challenges.
People of goodwill everywhere can engage through partnerships, online courses, on-campus and off-campus seminars, and various social media platforms to find the deep wisdom that can make the world a better place for us all.

Director of The Center for Innovation in Ministry at SFTS
Floyd Thompkins is an extraordinary communicator, and his dynamic leadership is marked by his gift for connecting to all people. He is particularly skilled at facilitating sensitive real-world subject material, implementing meaningful and relevant community initiatives to make a positive difference. His ministry is one of ethical and compassionate action.
Rev. Thompkins served as a dean and chaplain at two world-class institutions, Stanford and Princeton universities. He developed unique, highly effective programs to empower underserved teenage youth and young adults in urban and rural areas—in East Palo Alto, CA and rural South Georgia. He led Antioch Baptist Church, the oldest African American Church in San Jose, CA, and was the Education and Administrative Pastor of Covenant Christian Church in Douglas, GA.
As Associate Dean of Memorial Church at Stanford University, Rev. Thompkins founded Black Church, the largest multi-cultural religious gathering on the Stanford campus. He also implemented a special freshman support system still being used as a base academic support program. In Georgia, he was executive director of the Bower Fund and with Youth Empowerment Today, organizations dedicated to mentoring at-risk youth through middle school, high school, and into college. He is a curriculum writer and a published author with several books to his credit.
His awards include the Presidential Award for Community Service from President Bill Clinton, The Benjamin E. Mays Fellowship from the Rockefeller Foundation, and the Edward G. Howel Preaching Award from Princeton Theological Seminary.