Five Baptist-affiliated schools have received grants of $7 million to $10 apiece from the Lilly Endowment through its Pathways for Tomorrow Initiative.
The Baptist-related schools are among 45 recipients in the latest round of large-scale collaboration grants from Lilly. Launched in 2021, this initiative aims to help theological schools in the United States and Canada strengthen their abilities to prepare ordained and lay pastoral leaders for Christian churches now and into the future.
Baptist heritage schools included are Baylor University, Waco, Texas, $9.76 million; BSK Theological Seminary, Lexington, Ky., $7 million; Campbell University, Buies Creek, N.C. $10 million; Grand Canyon University, Phoenix, $10 million; and Palm Beach Atlantic University, West Palm Beach, Fla., $10 million.
Overall, the theological schools receiving grants are affiliated with a broad range of church traditions, including evangelical, Mainline Protestant, nondenominational, Pentecostal, Orthodox, Catholic and the Black Church.
Collectively, these schools will work collaboratively with nearly 400 other theological schools, colleges and universities, congregations, church agencies, denominations and other religious organizations to educate and support more effectively both aspiring and current pastoral leaders of churches.
Baptist News Global is a collaborating partner with BSK Seminary on its grant.
“Theological schools play a vital role in preparing and supporting pastoral leaders for Christian congregations,” said Christopher L. Coble, the Endowment’s vice president for religion. “We believe one of the most promising paths for theological schools to carry forward their important missions and enhance their impact is to work collaboratively with other schools, as well as congregations and other church-related organizations. By doing so they can strengthen their collective capacities to prepare and support pastoral leaders for effective congregational service now and in the future.”
Since 2021, Lilly Endowment has provided grants totaling more than $700 million to support 163 theological schools in efforts to strengthen their own educational and financial capacities and to support 61 schools in developing large-scale collaborative endeavors.
Campbell University will use its grant in collaboration with its Office of Spiritual Life and five partner organizations: the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, Baptist Women in Ministry, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina, Baptist Women in Ministry of North Carolina and Passport Camps.
The collaborative initiative intends to establish a new academic center, the Center for Calling and Ministry, to develop programs that strengthen cultures of calling within churches, schools and denominational organizations. The Center will coordinate shared learning, messaging and resources across partners, providing the structural backbone for an enduring network that identifies, prepares and supports pastoral leaders for the church’s current and future needs.
Campbell’s $10 million grant includes $7 million to fund collaborative activities over the five-year grant period and $3 million designated for an endowment to sustain the Center for Calling and Ministry beyond the life of the grant. Campbell University Divinity School seeks to match this endowment with $1.5 million in additional fundraising, creating a $4.5 million permanent fund that ensures the Center remains a hub for equipping and connecting ministry partners in the formation of pastoral leaders well beyond the life of the grant.
BSK Seminary will use its grant for “Tending: A Ministry of Learning,” a new initiative to provide noncredit theological education resources to congregations and their leaders. This collaborative effort brings together a diverse network of partners, including Pacific School of Religion, Eden Theological Seminary, Good Faith Media, Baptist News Global, Tisby Media, the National Baptist Convention of America, and Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (Global, Kentucky, Virginia, and Florida and Caribbean Islands).
Through this partnership, BSK aims to create a sustainable, technology-driven ecosystem for lifelong learning, equipping multi-vocational and lay pastoral leaders with accessible, high-quality resources tailored to the needs of modern congregations.
Grand Canyon University will establish the Flourishing Pastor Network led by its Grand Canyon Theological Seminary. This initiative is designed to support theological schools across the United States and Canada by increasing the capacity of partner organizations to create a pastoral residency network, a continuation of an earlier Lilly initiative nationwide.
These pastoral residencies create a formative space for seminary-trained individuals to deepen their ministry practice. GCU will use the funding to support its first collaboration effort which includes five theological schools and one parachurch organization.
Neither Baylor nor Palm Beach Atlantic provided information on how their grants will be used and did not respond to BNG’s inquiries by the time of publication.