Abilene Christian University has received a grant of $1 million from Lilly Endowment Inc. to support the expansion and sustainability of the Ministry Residency Program in the Graduate School of Theology.
Lilly Endowment made the grant through its 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.
“This initiative, and the resources it makes available, represent a transformational opportunity for the GST as we seek to live out our mission to equip men and women for effective missional leadership for ministry in all its forms and to provide strong academic foundations for theological inquiry,” said Dr. Mason Lee, interim dean of the Graduate School of Theology.
ACU’s Ministry Residency Program is a strategic initiative within the Graduate School of Theology to strengthen collaborative partnerships with experienced practitioners and churches. The year-long ministry residency undertaken by GST students and the other aspects of the program bring together accomplished ministers, faculty within the GST and local congregations in a process of mutual enrichment.
“We’re seeking to form and prepare the next generation of ministers for the life of the church,” Lee said. “Through partnerships with local congregations and ministry practitioners, this program provides holistic training and formation for those called to congregational ministry. It grounds that formation within a local congregation, and partners the GST with working preachers to develop systems of support for students that begin during their theological education but last a lifetime.”
ACU’s Graduate School of Theology is one of 163 theological schools whose programs have received funding 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.
