Lilly Endowment Grant

DALLAS (SMU) - Wesley Theological Seminary, in collaboration with SMU’s Perkins School of Theology, is developing new non-degree courses and certificates for pastors with the support of a $5 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc.

The grant, part of the third and final phase of Lilly’s Pathways for Tomorrow Initiative, will enable both schools to develop a business model to better support comprehensive theological education by providing  courses and programs that reach and serve pastors and lay ministers throughout their ministries and across many contexts.

“I am grateful the Lilly Endowment has trusted Wesley over the last few years with a series of grants to fund research toward a hopeful future for churches and pastors,” said The Rev. David McAllister-Wilson, president of Wesley. “The Pathways 3 grant will allow us to integrate what we have learned as we continue to innovate, seek new markets for theological education, and offer new programs to existing markets.”

The grant will enable both schools to develop non degree and certificate programs to expand the reach of theological education, particularly for those who may be unable to pursue a traditional degree, said The. Rev. F. Douglas Powe, Jr., who will lead the program. He is director of Wesley’s Lewis Center for Church Leadership. “These offerings will enable students to deepen their theological knowledge and expertise in practical areas of ministry while maintaining the highest theological education standards for all who are called to ministry.”

“Perkins Theological Seminary and Wesley Theological Seminary share a remarkable convergence of ideas and spirit,” said Craig Hill, dean of Perkins. “Together we will work to make theological education available to a wider audience of congregational leaders.”

The two schools anticipate building on the strengths of each institution to create a business model that is adaptable for more theological education institutions, whether free-standing or university-related, and a platform that can engage more pastors and partners across the country and around the world. Plans include developing a ministry certificate in English and Spanish that will serve those not able to pursue a traditional degree. The partnership includes working with the Puerto Rico Methodist Church to expand non-degree and certificate offerings to their constituents.

Lilly Endowment’s Pathways for Tomorrow Initiative

Lilly Endowment launched the Pathways initiative in January 2021 because of its longstanding interest in supporting efforts to enhance and sustain the vitality of Christian congregations by strengthening the leadership capacities of pastors and congregational lay leaders.

Wesley Theological Seminary, in partnership with Perkins School of Theology, is one of 16 theological schools receiving grants from the Pathways Initiative to fund large-scale, highly collaborative programs and create models for other schools as they seek to strengthen the way they educate pastors and other congregational leaders.

Both Perkins and Wesley received Lilly’s $50,000 planning grant in 20xx  to conduct  extensive research and interviews with a variety of stakeholders. Key findings included a need to adapt degree and non-degree offerings for a church increasingly dependent upon lay leadership and multi-vocational clergy.

With the $1 million Phase Two grant, Wesley focused on expanding access to master’s level education, including creating more “on-ramps” for students and strengthening online and hybrid pathways. Wesley’s initiatives are guided by the work of the Religious Workforce Project, also funded by the Lilly Endowment, which is identifying an increasingly diverse pastoral workforce that needs more support to not only weather rapid religious and cultural changes but to build and lead.

“Theological schools play an essential role in ensuring that Christian congregations have a steady stream of well-prepared leaders to guide their ministries,” said Christopher L. Coble, Lilly Endowment’s vice president for religion. “Many theological schools believe that their paths to the future depend on their abilities to form strategic partnerships with other schools and church agencies. These grants will help seminaries develop innovative and collaborative approaches to theological education that we believe will strengthen their efforts to prepare and support excellent leaders for Christian communities into the future.”

 

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About Lilly Endowment Inc

Lilly Endowment Inc. is a private philanthropic foundation created in 1937 by J.K. Lilly Sr. and his sons Eli and J.K. Jr. through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. While those gifts remain the financial bedrock of the Endowment, the Endowment is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff and location. In keeping with the founders’ wishes, the Endowment supports the causes of community development, education and religion and maintains a special commitment to its hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana. The principal aim of the Endowment’s religion grantmaking is to deepen and enrich the lives of American Christians, primarily by seeking out and supporting efforts that enhance the vitality of congregations and strengthen the pastoral and lay leadership of Christian communities. The Endowment also seeks to improve public understanding of diverse religious traditions by supporting fair and accurate portrayals of the role religion plays in the United States and across the globe.

 

 

About Wesley Theological Seminary

Seated in the nation's capital and centered in Christian faith, Wesley Theological Seminary annually prepares more than 1,000 students, representing more than 30 denominations, to become exemplary teachers, preachers, and leaders in the world today. Wesley graduates are in ministry in all 50 states and in 20 countries as leaders of churches and service organizations. The mission of Wesley Theological Seminary is to prepare Christians for leadership in the church and the world, to advance theological scholarship, and to model a prophetic voice in the public square.

The Lewis Center for Church Leadership of Wesley Theological Seminary seeks to advance the understanding of Christian leadership and promote the effective and faithful practice of Christian leadership in the church and the world. The center is building a new vision for church leadership grounded in faith, informed by knowledge and exercised in effective practice. The center seeks a holistic understanding of leadership that brings together theology and management, scholarship and practice, research and application. The Lewis Center serves as a resource for clergy and lay leaders, congregations and denominational leaders. Through teaching, research, publications and resources, the center supports visionary spiritual leaders and addresses key leadership issues crucial to the church’s faithful witness.

 

About SMU’s Perkins School of Theology

Perkins School of Theology, founded in 1911, is one of five official University-related schools of theology of The United Methodist Church. Degree programs include the Master of Divinity, Master of Sacred Music, Master of Theological Studies, Master of Arts in Ministry, Master of Theology, Doctor of Ministry, and Doctor of Pastoral Music as well as the Ph.D., in cooperation with The Graduate Program in Religious Studies at Southern Methodist University's Dedman College