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MEMPHIS THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY RECEIVES $1 MILLION GRANT FOR PASTORAL LEADERSHIP PROJECT
Funding from Lilly Endowment will assist in expansion of current
“Formation for Ministry” Initiative
MEMPHIS, TN–Memphis Theological Seminary (MTS) has received a grant of $1 million from Lilly Endowment, Inc. to implement an extension of a program for the Center for Pastoral Formation, Imagination and Leadership.
It is part of Lilly Endowment’s Thriving in Ministry Initiative. The initiative supports a variety of religious organizations across the nation as they create or strengthen programs that help pastors build relationships with experienced clergy who can serve as role models and mentors and guide them through key leadership challenges in congregational ministry.
The Endowment is making more than $20 million in grants through the Thriving in Ministry Initiative.
“In many ways this is both the continuation and culmination of work that began in 2003 with two rounds of -‘“Sustaining Pastoral Excellence,”’- an initiative that was also funded by Lilly Endowment,” says Rev. Billy Vaughan, Director of the Formation for Ministry Program at MTS and a principal member of the team that wrote the grant. “That program led MTS to establish a program called “Formation for Ministry,” requiring all entering seminarians to share their stories of discipleship in community while also holding one another accountable for classic practices of faith for the long haul of life and ministry.”
MTS will partner with several organizations and churches for the project, such as the Methodist Healthcare Clergy Coaching Network, Center for Transforming Communities, and the Memphis Conference for the United Methodist Church. The center will also include immersion experiences for students and established clergy to create meaningful dialogues on race relations.
“This provides an important impetus for the continuing and expanding of MTS’s role as a theological resource center for the Mid-South,” stated Dr. Peter Gathje, Vice President of Academic Affairs at the seminary.
Memphis Theological Seminary is one of 24 organizations taking part in the initiative. They represent diverse Christian communities, including Baptist, Brethren, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Churches of Christ, Episcopal, the Evangelical Covenant Chruch, Lutheran, Mennonite, Methodist, Roman Catholic and Quaker organizations, as well as interdenominational and non-denominational organizations. Many of the organizations are working to help clergy from multiple denominational traditions.
The Thriving in Ministry Initiative is part of Lilly Endowment’s grantmaking to strengthen pastoral leadership in Christian congregations in the United States. This has been a grantmaking priority at Lilly Endowment for nearly 25 years.
“Many pastors are seeking role models and wise colleagues who can guide them through professional transitions and challenges encountered in particular ministry contexts,” said Christopher L. Coble, Lilly Endowment’s vice president for religion. “Our hope is that this grant to MTS will support a new wave of efforts that help clergy thrive and lead their congregations more effectively.”
Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based private philanthropic foundation created in 1937 by three members of the Lilly family – J.K. Lilly Sr. and sons J.K. Jr. and Eli – through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly & Company. The Endowment exists to support the causes of religion, education and community development. Lilly Endowment’s religion grantmaking is designed to deepen and enrich the religious lives of American Christians. It does this largely through initiatives to enhance and sustain the quality of ministry in American congregations and parishes.
Memphis Theological Seminary (MTS) is an ecumenical graduate school of theology that seeks to create a higher theological educational setting that is committed to scholarship, piety, and justice. MTS was founded in 1852 in McKenzie, Tennessee. In 1964, the seminary moved to Memphis, TN and educates men and women of all races and denominations. www.MemphisSeminary.edu
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