Catholic Leadership Institute requests a four-year grant for partial support for its Revolutionizing Pastoral Placements: A New Way to Match, Appoint and Transition Catholic Priests to Parishes program. This endeavor seeks to move beyond the limits of the current diocesan placement system – often reactive and based on “plugging holes” – and create a leadership context in which priests build awareness of their strengths and a path for professional growth, parishes understand their unique charisms and ministry needs, and dioceses can think strategically into the future, armed with better information to align pastors and parishes. Catholic Leadership Institute will leverage innovative technology to assess the strengths and competencies of both priests and parishes in a diocese, as well as identify potential best-fit alignment between them. Catholic Leadership Institute will then work with diocesan personnel teams to proactively identify leadership needs and develop a transition and development plan for priests and parishes. Through this process, priests will have access to mentors and a network of peer and diocesan support. Catholic Leadership Institute will seek funds from diocesan partnerships and raise contributions from new donors to sustain this program.
Spelman College, an historically black college for women, seeks funding for the WISDOM Center Fellowship program. Building on the activities of its successful WISDOM Center (which was launched in 2003 with Lilly Endowment support), this endeavor seeks to provide African-American millennial women in ministry, especially Spelman alumnae, with opportunities for peer learning, rest and creative engagement. The program will focus on younger black women clergy who are serving as associate pastors and discerning paths toward senior pastoral leadership positions. The pastors will form cohorts and meet for one year with mentors who will lead their retreats and gatherings. To sustain this work, Spelman will incorporate the program’s costs into its operating budget and solicit contributions from donors.
Project Name:
Develop Leaders/Thriving in Ministry
Description:
Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC), a rapidly growing multiethnic denomination, seeks a five-year grant to support its Shaping, Strengthening and Sustaining Resiliency program, an effort to strengthen the leadership practices of pastors at different stages of their careers. The program will begin by identifying outstanding pastors with 15 or more years of experience in ministry to form a “sustaining resiliency” cohort and become mentors for pastors who are in earlier stages of their careers. The mentor-pastors will work with two cohorts of pastors; the first cohort will comprise midcareer pastors with six to 15 years of experience, and the second cohort will include pastors with five or fewer years of ministry. The pastoral cohorts and their mentors will gather regularly for face-to-face retreats and maintain ongoing connections using online communication. To sustain the program, ECC will share costs with its regional conferences and launch fundraising efforts to solicit contributions from donors.
Project Name:
The Thriving Hispanic Pastor: Cultivating Progress Across the Pastoral Experience
Description:
Established in 1926, LABI College is one of the oldest Hispanic Bible Colleges in the country. Historically, LABI has focused on supporting pastors at different life stages. Over the last several years, LABI has launched several centers and institutes designed to provide pastors across the life-span, strategic mentoring experiences, mental health and wellness support, and advanced pastoral training. These centers include a mental health and wellness-focused Hispanic Preaching Center, pastoral resources through our Hispanic Institute of Pentecostal Studies, and a Hispanic Women’s Leadership Institute. The Hispanic Women’s Leadership Institute is one of the first of its kind in Christian higher education. The Institute promotes, develops, trains, and highlights the exceptional work of Hispanic women in church leadership and pastoral roles. At LABI, it is a fundamental imperative that we acknowledge how Hispanic women leaders have impacted our faith tradition, church, and community for Christ. Designed to support emerging and veteran Hispanic pastors that serve communities within Southern California, our project will provide mentoring, support, and training for Hispanic pastors and church leaders. Through this project, we will provide assessments, workshops, trainings, mentoring, and other conference experiences to Hispanic pastors and church leaders through the various life stages of their ministry careers.
Asbury Theological Seminary’s Thriving in Ministry Project is an effort that will form and support small groups (“thriving bands”) for clergy to provide mutual encouragement, mentoring, education and continuing peer relationships. Rooted in the Wesleyan tradition of class meetings, Asbury’s “thriving bands” will be composed of clergy in particular professional transitional moments, including: 1) women clergy in their first five years of ministry as well as those transitioning to senior leadership; 2) Latina/o bi-vocational pastors in their initial years of ministry when the challenges of establishing a clear identity, managing time and creating healthy family contexts require unique training, peer support and mentoring; and 3) church planters, during their inaugural period of ministry, with a focus on managing change as well as family relationships. To sustain this project, Asbury will draw on the existing financial resources, test participant-fee structures and develop cost-effective strategies to foster connections through video conferencing resources and mobile device applications.
The Moravian Church Northern Province (MCNP) seeks a five-year grant for partial support of the Moravian Clergy Connections Project. Conducted in partnership with the Moravian Church Southern Province (MCSP), the project consists of four initiatives that will form Moravian pastors from throughout the United States through spiritual direction, coaching, mentoring, cohort groups, and an interprovincial retreat that brings clergy together for mutual learning and support. They will collaborate with Moravian Theological Seminary to develop educational components and with the Moravian Ministries Foundation in America to seek ongoing funding. To sustain the effort, the MCNP will use earnings from an endowed fund, and the MCSP will draw on proceeds of a recent estate gift. Their goal is to enhance clergy health and leadership to equip them to support one another and their congregations to be more vital agents of God’s transforming love in the world.