Lexington Theological Seminary (LTS), affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), seeks a five-year grant for its Thriving in Ministry: Strengthening Pastoral and Congregational Ministry program. The program seeks to support clergy who are connected with LTS and serving in congregations to help them strengthen their role as pastoral leaders. Focusing especially on pastors in the first five years of ministry, the seminary will gather clergy into small cohort groups that will meet for a three-year period and provide them with mentors and educational leadership development resources. In addition, LTS will conduct research on bi-vocational clergy who are serving in rural and urban contexts as well as pastors serving Latino/a and African-American congregations to understand how the seminary may support their personal and professional growth. To support this effort, LTS will incorporate targeted programs which support pastoral thriving in its capital campaign.
Western Seminary, affiliated with Conservative Baptist Association of America, seeks a five-year grant for partial support to launch the Center for Pastoral Flourishing program (CPF), an effort to nurture and support the long-term well-being of pastors in the Pacific Northwest and Northern California. The program will focus on new pastors early in their service, emerging leaders stepping into larger pastoral leadership roles, mid-career pastors encountering transitions in settings or roles, and seasoned pastors looking to contribute to the emerging next generation. The CPF will identify and intentionally incorporate more pastors into its leadership networks, sponsor forums on leadership practices that foster and sustain flourishing in ministry, form pastors into peer cohorts, produce pastoral leadership resources for personal and group learning, and provide coaching for pastors and congregations. To sustain the CPF, Western Seminary will charge participants a nominal fee and seek funding from partners who share a commitment to strong pastoral leadership.
Brite Divinity School seeks a five-year grant to establish its Thriving in Ministry Initiative project, an effort that will create intentional opportunities for pastoral leaders to develop strategies for collegial support during personal, professional and communal transitions. Through three distinct programs, this project will: 1) provide pastoral mentors for graduates of Brite Divinity school as they transition from their last year of formal theological education into ministry contexts for two years postgraduation; 2) develop resources for clergy experiencing transitions after five years or more in ministry; and 3) gather Latino/a pastors in Dallas, Texas, who are connected to the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) as they minister in communities and churches in transition. Brite will sustain this project through increases in annual giving, testing fee-for-service models and incorporating activities into the ongoing operations of the school.
Project Name:
Bridges: Colloquia for Cultivating Ministry
Description:
The Ministers and Missionaries Benefit Board of American Baptist Churches (MMBB), which serves nearly 18,000 pastors and religious leaders in more than 5,000 churches and faith-based organizations from more than 15 denominations and hundreds of independent churches, requests a five-year grant for the Bridges: Colloquia for Cultivating Ministry program. Using the colloquium model, this program will bring together pastors to share with each other best leadership practices, reflect on key topics related to ministry challenges and transitions, and build relationships for personal and professional renewal. By fostering peer colleague relationships, the pastors will give each other support and guidance as well as accountability to foster higher levels of professional competence and well-being. To sustain this program, MMBB will incorporate programming into its operating budget and seek funding from new donors and denominational partners.
Project Name:
The R.E.A.L. Black Women in Ministry THRIVE Fellows
Description:
Union Baptist Church, in the Village of Harlem, New York (Rev. BD Scott, Pastor), is home to The R.E.A.L. Black Women in Ministry THRIVE (REAL BWIM THRIVE 50) FELLOWS: a 4-year, national, personal, pastoral and professional formation and development mentorship cohort, specifically designed for 26 Black women Senior pastors to mentor 26 Black women in ministry who are newer to ministry, but who have the desire to serve in parish ministries, for enhancement, advancement and placement in parish ministry. Through sharing resources, opportunities and networking, intentional attention is placed on strengthening current senior pastors, planting new pastors, and creating a succession of next-generation Black female leaders, equipped, exposed, and ready to be 21st-century leaders, both in person and virtually.
Union Baptist Church is also the home of the Grant program Director, Rev. Dr. Suzan Johnson Cook, who was the first woman licensed and ordained in the Christian ministry there, and who later went on to direct the first Black women in ministry program of the Lilly Endowment, and also become the first Black woman pastor in the 200-year history of the American Baptist Churches, USA.
In cohort format, through prayer, personal and group interaction, video recordings, journaling, presentations, social media instruction, mentoring, guest speakers, retreats and monthly Sister Sessions, this initiative allows participants to enjoy their creativity and their journeys, as whole and healthy leaders.
Representing 11 different denominations and from 11 different cities, we have already seen growth, reduction of stress and a hunger for interaction and learning. Most of all, a new sisterhood has developed for pastors who had been in isolation, serving congregations of color in America’s urban cities. They know they are not alone and thank the Lilly Endowment for this amazing opportunity.
Denver Seminary, a nondenominational, evangelical school, requests a five-year grant for partial support for its Soul Care Initiative (SCI) program, an effort that seeks to provide spiritual renewal, physical rest and a supportive community for local Denver pastors. Focusing on executive-level pastors, the seminary will form cohorts of 20 to 30 clergy each who will gather regularly for nine months for facilitated monthly retreats, individual spiritual direction and personal prayer practices. In addition, the seminary will offer periodic retreats during pivotal seasons of the liturgical church calendar for alumni of the SCI program and other clergy throughout the Denver area. The aim is to cultivate a wider network of pastoral leaders who support one another in their ministries. To sustain this program, Denver Seminary will seek individual and corporate donors, church partnerships and sponsorships with organizations supporting pastoral leaders.