Eden Theological Seminary receives $10 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc.

Eden Theological Seminary, a seminary in St. Louis affiliated with the United Church of Christ, has received a $10 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to help the seminary create large-scale collaborations that will push the envelope of innovation in preparing tomorrow’s ministers, pastors, and leaders in the progressive Christian movement.

The grant is being funded through Lilly Endowment Inc.’s 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 Eden is one of 45 that Lilly Endowment made in the competitive round of the Pathways initiative. Together with Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary and Eastern Mennonite Seminary , Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond, Virginia, and Charlotte, North Carolina, was also awarded a recent Lilly Foundation Inc. grant. 

Eden’s collaborations with other seminaries, regional church bodies, and other church organizations continue a trajectory of academic and financial cooperation to equip and empower congregations and their leaders in the current and future digital age. Eden is honored to embark on the initial phases of this project with United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities in Minnesota, as well as two schools of the Saskatoon Theological Union in Canada, Memphis Theological Seminary in Tennessee, and BSK Theological Seminary in Kentucky. Regional bodies and church organizations in the United Church of Christ currently collaborating in this project include the UCC Pension Boards, United Church Funds, and Southern New England Conference UCC.

Eden Theological Seminary will launch the Momentum for Ministry Initiative to establish the Progressive Christian Ministry System for Congregational Vitality, with the goal to increase the number of educated progressive leaders prepared for ministry and to foster collaboration among seminaries nationwide. This project will produce new working relationships among faculty of multiple seminaries and new educational resources in cooperation with congregations that meet the moment of the new digital age. It will establish a fellowship program as a systematic relationship of mutual learning among recent seminary alumni, congregations, and seminaries for support and innovation much like new doctors, medical schools and hospitals learn together. Through this initiative, Eden and collaborators will bridge the current gap between congregations and schools, providing ongoing financial support to Christian leaders through a post-graduate fellowship that reduces their student debt and secures their retirements. The initiative will also provide a pathway for seminaries to work together by sharing faculty, staff and curricular resources, ensuring that they are resourced to thrive in the digital age.

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“We are thrilled to lead the way with our collaborators into a future where theological schools share resources and work with congregations, creating an ecosystem where tomorrow’s Christian leaders are empowered to support thriving communities in St. Louis, across the U.S. and Canada, and far beyond,” said Dr. Deborah Krause, president of Eden Theological Seminary.

“Eden is on the frontier of Christian ministry and theological education, and Lilly Endowment Inc. has recognized Eden’s vision and disciplined work toward new models for the church, said Dr . B. David Rowe, president of Windemere Consulting .

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 Eden Theological Seminary

Established in 1850 by predecessors of the United Church of Christ, Eden Theological Seminary is a leading educational institution aligned with the progressive Christian movement. By combining theological rigor with community action, Eden offers a seminary education to meet the moment. Students can pursue master’s, doctorates, certificates or other learning opportunities designed for nonprofit, community, social justice, and congregational leaders at Eden. Learn more here .
 

About Lilly Endowment Inc.

Lilly Endowment Inc. is a private 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, it 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. A principal aim of the Endowment’s 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 traditions in the United States and across the globe.