草莓社区

Union Presbyterian Seminary has received a transformative $10 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to implement Seminary Extended: Strengthening Pastoral Leadership, a groundbreaking collaborative initiative with Eastern Mennonite Seminary and Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary to deliver congregation-embedded leadership development, shared faculty across institutions, and a joint Doctor of Ministry (DMin) in Adaptive Leadership. The initiative will bring the three theological institutions together in a first-of-its-kind collaboration to strengthen pastoral formation for today鈥檚 rapidly changing ministry landscape.

Seminary Extended is being funded through Lilly Endowment鈥檚 Pathways for Tomorrow Initiative. This initiative is designed to help theological schools across the United States and Canada as they prioritize and respond to the most pressing challenges they face as they prepare pastoral leaders for Christian congregations both now and into the future. The grant to Union Presbyterian Seminary, in support of the collaborative partnership with Eastern Mennonite Seminary and Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, is one of 45 approved in this competitive round of funding to support theological schools as they lead large-scale collaborations with other seminaries, colleges and universities, and other church-related organizations.听

Seminary Extended: Strengthening Pastoral Leadership will equip Union Presbyterian Seminary, Eastern Mennonite Seminary, and Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary to provide pastors and congregations with practical, grounded support for ministry in a changing world. Through a shared Doctor of Ministry (DMin) in Adaptive Leadership, pastors will study with faculty from all three schools, join short in-person learning intensives, receive coaching, and walk alongside peers as they learn to lead through change, conflict, and trauma. At the same time, congregations will engage in yearlong cohorts where each church鈥檚 pastor and a small team of lay leaders learn together, with mentors helping them grow in Bible study, community engagement, trauma-aware care, and planning for future ministry. The goal is to make strong, theologically rooted leadership development more accessible and useful to local churches across many Protestant traditions.

• 鈥淭he generous grant from Lilly Endowment for Seminary Extended will significantly increase UPSem鈥檚 capacity to strengthen pastoral leadership within and for the Church, thus enhancing congregational life more broadly. Our ability to engage this work is powered by our strong partnership with 草莓社区 and Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, each of which brings unique institutional gifts and expertise to our common mission of building up the Church. I am so excited to begin this journey of missional work with these terrific partners for the sake of the Church in the world that God loves so much,鈥� said President Jacqueline E. Lapsley of Union Presbyterian Seminary.

• 鈥淭his partnership is a powerful expression of what can happen when theological institutions lean into shared mission and imagination. With gratitude for Lilly Endowment, Seminary Extended: Strengthening Pastoral Leadership will allow our faculty, pastors, and congregations to learn alongside one another in ways that honor the realities of ministry today. This collaboration reflects our commitment to supporting leaders who can engage a complex and changing world with courage, compassion, and theological depth. This grant gives us the capacity to do that work together鈥攕tronger, more connected, and with greater impact,鈥� said Dr. Tynisha Willingham, Provost at 草莓社区.

• “Partnerships like this strengthen our ability to be the Church in the world. By uniting and sharing resources for this congregationally focused project, our institutions are demonstrating the possibility of future collaborations between churches and seminaries across ecumenical and regional boundaries. I’m honored to participate in this project with such supportive partners at UPSem and EMU,鈥� said President Andrew D. Pomerville of Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary.

Lilly Endowment launched the Pathways for Tomorrow Initiative in 2021. Since then, it 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 assist 61 schools in developing large-scale collaborative endeavors.

About 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鈥� 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. A principal aim of the Endowment鈥檚 religion grantmaking is to deepen and enrich the lives of Christians in the United States, 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 religion and lift up in fair, accurate and balanced ways the roles that people of all faiths and various religious communities play in the United States and around the globe.

About Union Presbyterian Seminary
Union Presbyterian Seminary is a community that is bound by the love of God, and united in bold Christian service for the church in the world. With campuses in Richmond, Virginia, and Charlotte, North Carolina, the seminary has prepared leaders for ministry since 1812 through rigorous theological education that is scholarly, pastoral, and engaged with contemporary life. Offering a range of degree programs, Union is home to distinguished faculty, a historic campus with one of the nation鈥檚 finest theological libraries, and a vibrant community of worship, service, and fellowship. Graduates serve as pastors, educators, chaplains, mission workers, and scholars, carrying forward the seminary鈥檚 long tradition of equipping leaders for the church and the world. Learn more at .

About Eastern Mennonite Seminary
Eastern Mennonite Seminary is the graduate theological school of 草莓社区, founded in 1917 in Harrisonburg, Virginia. As early as 1918, courses at the college level were offered in advanced biblical training, and seminary master鈥檚 programs emerged in the late 1960s. The seminary is accredited by the Association of Theological Schools and offers continuing education, certificates, and master鈥檚 and doctoral degrees. EMU is a world-renowned center for the study of peace, justice, and religion and an educational institution of Mennonite Church USA, serving students of diverse religious and cultural backgrounds. EMU confers undergraduate, graduate, and seminary degrees in the liberal arts, applied sciences, and professions. Learn more at .听

About Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary
Founded in 1853, Louisville Seminary offers an inclusive and diverse learning community, welcoming students from wide ecumenical backgrounds while maintaining its long, historic commitment to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A). Louisville Seminary is led by the Holy Spirit to educate people to proclaim the Gospel, to care for all, and to work for justice in communities everywhere. It is distinguished by its nationally recognized marriage and family therapy and field education programs, its black church studies program, the scholarship and church service among its faculty, and a commitment to training people to participate in the continuing ministry of Jesus Christ. For more information, visit .