Lilly Endowment grants almost $1 million to College of Bible & Ministry

Lilly Endowment grants almost $1 million to College of Bible & Ministry

Grant-funded LIFT program will provide customized, non-credit training for church ministers and layperson leaders.

By Janel Shoun-Smith | 615-966-7078 | 10/09/2025

In its ongoing efforts to to prepare and support pastoral leaders for Christian congregations, the Lilly Endowment Inc. has awarded a $996,937, five-year grant to Lipscomb University to launch its new Leadership Initiative for Tomorrow (LIFT) program, coordinated by the Hazelip School of Theology and designed to create lasting partnerships with congregations and better understand their training needs for emerging leaders.

The LIFT program is being funded through Lilly Endowment's Pathways for Tomorrow Initiative, which is intended to help theological schools across the United States and Canada strengthen their educational and financial capacities to better prepare pastors and lay ministers to effectively lead the congregations they serve.

Lipscomb's LIFT program will partner the Hazelip school with specific congregations to help them determine their greatest training needs among staff and lay leaders, and then develop and provide the training needed through non-credit learning modules delivered in the most efficient way for that specific congregation.

Common skill gaps among today's ministers and lay leaders include conflict management, communication and teaching, pastoral care, insights into the Christian tradition and the Scriptures and administrative abilities that support congregational life said Frank Guertin, assistant dean for the Hazelip School of Theology, associate professor of theology and executive director of the LIFT program.

LIFT will launch in January with six partner congregations, administered by Lipscomb College of Bible & Ministry alumni and supporters, located in Nashville, Franklin and Whites Creek, Tennessee; Whitestown, Indiana and Pensacola, Florida.

The idea for LIFT was first planted at a 2017 gathering of church leaders, a two-day event also funded by a Lilly grant as part of the Educational Models and Practices initiative. "That workshop helped our school better understand the wide range of skills needed to support the vitality of congregational life," said Guertin. "More importantly, it was clear how much lead ministers wanted to equip lay leaders to better share in the work."

Lipscomb's theological leaders began to think about how congregational leaders could be trained in ways outside of the normal long-term, comparably expensive degree formats. Lay leaders across the country have wide differences in educational background, cultural background, language proficiency and church culture, said Guertin.

The school wanted to find better ways to educate lay leaders in the best way for their specific situation and church experience. Non-credit course models, or customized micro-credentials, proved to be the most flexible way to provide the training needed in targeted ways, said Guertin.

"We want churches to see us as a true partner," he said, "an organization that is truly trying to understand what leadership means in those church communities."

In March, Lipscomb was awarded a planning and assessment grant of $50,000 from the Lilly Endowment to develop the LIFT program concept. That support enabled Hazelip school leadership to craft the successful grant proposal that will now launch the new program over the next five years.

"Theological schools have long played a central role for most denominations and church networks in preparing and supporting pastoral leaders who guide congregations," said Christopher L. Coble, the Endowment's vice president for religion. "These schools are paying close attention to the challenges churches are facing today and will face in the foreseeable future. The grants will help these schools engage in wide-ranging, innovative efforts to adapt their educational programs and build their financial capacities."

Since 2019, the Hazelip School has graduated 73 students who were seeking to lead, or already leading, congregations. Lipscomb alumni will play a vital role as Lipscomb works to expand and grow the LIFT program up to 30 churches during its first five years, said Guertin. Over time, LIFT will build a storehouse of curriculum that can be used or modified for future church partnerships, he said. The program will also keep Lipscomb Bible faculty abreast of what today's churches value and their needs in today's world.

LIFT is one part of an overall approach to innovative education coordinated through LUInnovate, the university's new Office of Innovation, dedicated to advancing Lipscomb's mission through high-quality content, unique learning experiences and strategic industry partnerships. LIFT is among the latest such initiatives, furthering Lipscomb's goal to become an important part of organizations' talent strategy through avenues such as collaboration, co-developing content, non-credit credentials and executive education for the mutual benefit of Lipscomb and community partners.

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.