Lilly Endowment Inc. awarded Milligan University a $999,230 grant to review and redesign the academic programs offered through Emmanuel Christian Seminary at Milligan to better prepare leaders for Christian churches, churches of Christ, and the church at large.
The funding is provided through Lilly Endowment’s Pathways for Tomorrow Initiative, a three-phase effort to help theological schools in the United States and Canada respond to challenges they face in preparing pastoral leaders for Christian congregations. The almost $1 million grant was Phase II funding.
Earlier this year, Milligan was awarded a $50,000 Phase 1 grant that funded an extensive self-study research project that provided the basis for the larger Phase II proposal.
“This grant will support our efforts to pursue our mission more effectively as we seek to better serve our primary church constituency of the Stone-Campbell Movement,” Milligan president Dr. Bill Greer said via a news release at www.milligan.edu.
A central aspect of the Phase II grant will be to launch a hybrid Master of Divinity program that builds on the success of Emmanuel’s Master of Arts in Christian Ministries degree. It will expand the seminary’s remote course options, enabling students not in full-time residence to complete an MDiv.
The grant also will fund two pilot programs that integrate theological education with real-world ministry experience. The Ministry Fellows Program will pair students with local churches, where they can serve in a variety of ministerial capacities while enrolled in seminary. And the Bi-Vocational Ministry Program will integrate theological education and on-the-job training in a skill that equips students to work as bi-vocational ministers when they leave seminary. The programs will be critical components in strengthening Emmanuel’s service to the local church.
Finally, the grant will help fund redesign of the Doctor of Ministry degree program and strengthen recruitment connections with churches, parachurch organizations, nonprofits, and others.
“These initiatives will be transformative for positioning us to serve the church and the world more effectively and sustainably for years to come,” Greer said.
Emmanuel Christian Seminary at Milligan is one of 84 theological schools receiving a total of more than $82 million in grants through the second phase of the Pathways initiative.
“Theological schools have long played a pivotal role in preparing pastoral leaders for churches,” said Christopher L. Coble, Lilly Endowment’s vice president for religion. “Through the Pathways initiative, theological schools will take deliberate steps to address the challenges they have identified in ways that make the most sense to them. We believe that their efforts are critical to ensuring that Christian congregations continue to have a steady stream of pastoral leaders who are well-prepared to lead the churches of tomorrow.”
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