Life Pacific University has been awarded a $1.25 million Lilly Endowment grant to help establish Support for Transformative Preaching – A Compelling Preaching Initiative Program.
The program is being funded through Lilly Endowment’s Compelling Preaching Initiative. The aim of the initiative is to foster and support preaching that inspires, encourages, and guides people to come to know and love God and to live out their Christian faith more fully.
“It is an honor to receive this grant to further the mission and vision of LPU. I believe the Compelling Preaching Grant will help us raise a generation of preachers, pastors, evangelists, and missionaries well-prepared for a lifetime of pastoral ministry. LPU will continue to be a training ground for the preachers of today and tomorrow. Thank you to the School of Theology and Ministry team for your heart for this!” affirmed Dr. Daniel Ruarte, Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs.
This program will help enhance the preaching skills of LPU students aspiring to be in pastoral or other ministry roles and provide a preaching community and curated content to enhance the preaching skills of active preachers in the Foursquare Church Network and in broader LPU networks and nondenominational churches that share a pentecostal, charismatic ethos.
This initiative will strengthen our School of Theology and Ministry and provide:
1. Peer learning groups
2. Mentorship and training opportunities
3. New technologies to support pastors with solid theological instruction
4. Development to grow compelling preachers who proclaim the gospel effectively
“As we receive this new grant award, we extend our heartfelt congratulations to the dedicated LPU team that diligently worked on the proposal. Our gratitude goes to God for this blessing. We look forward to the meaningful impact this grant will have on current and future leaders and preachers.” stated President Angie Richey.
Life Pacific University is one of 81 organizations receiving grants through this competitive round of the Compelling Preaching Initiative. Reflecting the diversity of Christianity in the United States, the organizations are affiliated with mainline Protestant, evangelical, Catholic, Orthodox, Anabaptist, and Pentecostal faith communities. Many of the organizations are rooted in the Black Church and in Hispanic and Asian American Christian traditions.
“Throughout history, preachers often have needed to adapt their preaching practices to engage new generations of hearers more effectively,” said Christopher L. Coble, Lilly Endowment’s vice president for religion. “We are pleased that the organizations receiving grants in this initiative will help pastors and others in ministry engage in the kinds of preaching needed today to ensure that the gospel message is heard and accessible for all audiences.”
Lilly Endowment launched the Compelling Preaching Initiative in 2022 because of its interest in supporting projects that help to nurture the religious lives of individuals and families and foster the growth and vitality of Christian congregations in the United States.
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 diverse religious traditions by supporting fair and accurate portrayals of the role religion plays in the United States and across the globe.
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