Fresno Pacific University has received a grant of $9,998,251 from Lilly Endowment Inc. This investment will strengthen the work of Fresno Pacific Biblical Seminary to equip, train and resource current and future church leaders for faithful service in local communities and around the world.
The grant will feature collaboration with the U.S. Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches (USMB), the Center for Community Transformation, Vineyard USA, Lead from Transformation (a coaching organization), the Bridge to Ministry Program at Fresno Pacific University and Messiah University.
Focus areas for work
The work will focus on five key areas:
- A new online hybrid Master of Arts degree designed for training co-vocational pastors.
- Hiring of a generalist Bible and theology faculty member who will serve both English- and Spanish-speaking communities. This shared faculty role will span the collaborating organizations, teaching within the seminary and creating training resources that strengthen and equip leaders across all partner ministries.
- Developing training materials and programs to train co-vocational pastors with the partnering organizations.
- Enabling USMB and Vineyard USA to make strategic hires that will strengthen their capacity for ministry formation, leadership development and support of co-vocational pastors as part of the collaborative grant initiatives.
- Launching an endowment to offer significant scholarships for seminary ministry students.
The overall purpose of the grant is to strengthen the development of congregational ministers and church leaders, especially where co-vocational ministry is essential.
Grant process and impact
The grant process was led by Brian A. Ross, associate professor of pastoral ministries.
“This grant allows us to equip ministry leaders for the realities of today’s church,” Ross says. “We are thrilled to have the opportunity to work even closer with two denominations, other university-based programs and two other organizations serving ministry leaders. Our hope is to provide more thorough training, coaching and spiritual formation, and to make education even more accessible to those who are already serving in church leadership.”
FPU President André Stephens recognizes the significant impact this grant will bring to the Seminary, as well as to the Central Valley.
“This grant represents an extraordinary opportunity to strengthen the work of the church in the Central Valley,” Stephens says. “We are grateful for the trust the Lilly Endowment has placed in us and our partners, and we look forward to seeing the effect this will have on present and future ministry leaders and the communities they serve.”
More about the grant
The Facilitating Spiritual Transformation and Economic Empowerment for Under-Resourced Ministry Leaders program is being funded through Lilly Endowment’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 Fresno Pacific University is one of 45 that was approved in this competitive round of funding to support theological schools as they lead large-scale collaborations with other seminaries, colleges and universities, and other church-related organizations.
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 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 about 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.
Fresno Pacific University is California’s Central Valley’s only accredited Christian university, connecting every student’s untapped potential with unlimited opportunity for professional, personal and ethical growth. Nonprofit and independent, FPU offers more than 100 areas of study to about 4,000 traditional undergraduate, adult degree completion, graduate and seminary students at the main campus in Southeast Fresno and throughout the Valley at regional campuses in North Fresno, Visalia, Bakersfield and Merced as well as online.
