Knox Theological Seminary has received a grant of $1,000,000 from Lilly Endowment Inc. to help establish Foundations, Formation, Fellowship: A Holistic Approach to Ministry Leadership. The initiative will expand access to theological training, strengthen congregational organizational leadership, and cultivate peer-based networks that support pastors’ vocational health.
Foundations, Formation, Fellowship 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 prepare and support pastoral leaders for Christian congregations both now and into the future.
The project responds to Knox’s institutional assessments and strategic planning that identified three persistent gaps for today’s church leaders: limited access to flexible ministry training, insufficient preparation in organizational leadership (such as finance, HR, governance), and the need for ongoing peer support to sustain vocational health. The initiative is built around three interlocking components:
● Micro-Credentials for Theological Foundations. Affordable, stackable, self-paced micro- courses (for example, foundations in hermeneutics and systematic theology) to expand access for non-degree and bi-vocational learners.
● Executive Ministry Leadership Track. Credit-bearing courses and workshops in finance, HR, and organizational leadership taught by Knox faculty and subject-matter experts to strengthen congregational effectiveness and reduce burnout.
● Peer Coaching & Mentoring. Church-subscribed coaching cohorts offering monthly mentoring, theological reflection, and peer support to promote pastoral health and durable ministry networks.
Over the next five years Knox will pursue clear, measurable goals for the initiative, including launching new credentialing tracks, enrolling 30 local students through strengthened church partnerships, forming at least five strategic partnerships (yielding 60+ students and supporters), establishing a minimum of ten Koinonia groups with 100+ participants, and generating $250,000 in new annual revenue by Year 5.
“This grant from Lilly Endowment accelerates and expands Knox’s efforts to invest in pastors in practical, sustainable ways — combining strong theological formation with leadership training and peer networks so pastors are equipped for the challenges of ministry and so churches can flourish,” said Dr. Scott Manor, President of Knox Theological Seminary. Knox Theological Seminary is one of 163 theological schools that have received grants since 2021 through the Pathways initiative. Together, the schools serve a broad spectrum of Christian traditions in the U.S. and Canada. They are affiliated with evangelical, mainline Protestant, nondenominational, Pentecostal, Orthodox, Catholic, Black church, Latino, Asian American, Indigenous and historic peace church traditions.
“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 so they can better prepare pastors and lay ministers to effectively lead the congregations they will serve in the future.”
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.
