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.
