Samford University has received a grant of $5 million — the largest single grant in the university’s 183-year history — from Lilly Endowment Inc. through its Ministry in Rural Areas and Small Towns Initiative.
The grant will support the work of Samford’s Center for Congregational Resources, which provides services to help congregations become thriving ministries. The aim of Lilly Endowment’s initiative is to provide resources to help churches in rural areas and small towns enhance the vitality of their ministries and strengthen the leadership of the pastors and lay leaders who guide them.
Helping churches help communities
Samford University’s Center for Congregational Resources intends to develop the Equipping the Called Leadership Program to help Christian churches cultivate the spiritual formation of congregants and function as anchor institutions that strengthen their local communities. Content for this program will be developed in partnership with Samford scholars who have expertise in theological education, practice of ministry, physical and mental health education, business administration and community development.
“This impactful gift from Lilly Endowment, implemented through the work of the Center for Congregational Resources and Samford faculty, provides resources to help rural and small-town churches and ministries thrive,” said Dave Cimbora, Samford’s provost and vice president for academic affairs. “By partnering in the training of ordained and lay leadership, we foresee this new program invigorating churches to deepen collaborations across their communities.”
Need for training
Keri Burns, CCR’s director at Samford, shared with The Alabama Baptist that as her team prepared for writing the grant proposal, they discovered the need for training on a wide range of topics.
“Part of the grant implementation will be the creation of an online leadership certificate program to address topics such as church leadership, identifying and responding to community needs, and equipping rural and small-town churches to serve as anchor institutions in their communities,” she said.
“Our work with congregations over the years has revealed that despite the size, affiliation or location, the local church continues to be a source of hope and refuge for communities. We hope this new grant provides an opportunity for congregations to serve God and serve neighbor.”
Among an elite group
Samford University is one of 20 organizations from across the United States receiving grants through the initiative, including colleges and universities, denominational agencies, church networks and parachurch organizations, among others.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was originally published by Samford University, with additional reporting by The Alabama Baptist added to this version of the article.
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