The Seattle Presbytery receives Lilly Endowment Inc. Thriving Congregations Grant

The Seattle Presbytery has received a grant of $955,253 from Lilly Endowment Inc. to develop new learning cohorts for its local congregations. The program, “Transformational Learning Cohorts Program,” is funded through Lilly Endowment’s Thriving Congregations Initiative. 

The aim of the national initiative is to strengthen Christian congregations so they can help people deepen their relationships with God, build strong relationships with each other and contribute to the flourishing of local communities and the world. Lilly Endowment is making nearly $93 million in grants through the Thriving Congregations initiative. The grants will support organizations as they work directly with congregations and help them gain clarity about their values and missions, explore and understand better the communities in which they serve, and draw upon their theological traditions as they adapt ministries to meet changing needs. 

The Seattle Presbytery’s project will strive to prepare congregations to be transformational learning communities able to faithfully and creatively confront social and cultural challenges and allow faith and theological commitments to find new life through community relationships.

“Congregations have an opportunity to thrive; to be fully present to the ways in which the resurrection overcomes death, decline, and even division,” says Rev. W. Tali Hairston, the Seattle Presbytery grant director. Co-Seattle Presbytery executives Rev. Scott Lumsden and Rev. Eliana Maxim believe, “Despite social and culture change, or in the face of it, we are called to learn how the resurrection is both prophetic and instructive.” With Lilly Endowment's support, the Seattle Presbytery imagines a transformation that gives local congregations and communities the opportunity to thrive in old and new ways. “This project is aligned with our mission and vision, and we were thrilled to learn of Lilly Endowment's support,” says Rev. Lumsden.

Seattle Presbytery’s program will engage its congregations in two-year learning cohorts wherein congregations learn to thrive as adaptive and contextual community-based learning organizations. Program participants will be encouraged to: 1) discern congregational identity, 2) exegete their ministry context, 3) practice intercultural community-building, and 4) form innovative collaborative ministry models. 

The Seattle Presbytery is one of 92 organizations taking part in the initiative. “In the midst of a rapidly changing world, Christian congregations are grappling with how they can best carry forward their ministries,” said Christopher Coble, Lilly Endowment’s vice president for religion. “These grants will help congregations assess their ministries and draw on practices in their theological traditions to address new challenges and better nurture the spiritual vitality of the people they serve.” Lilly Endowment launched the Thriving Congregations Initiative in 2019 as part of its commitment to support efforts that enhance the vitality of Christian congregations. 

About Lilly Endowment Inc.

Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based private philanthropic foundation created in 1937 by J.K. Lilly Sr. and sons Eli and J.K. Jr. through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly & Company. Although the gifts of stock remain a 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 exists to support the causes of religion, education and community development. The Endowment funds significant programs throughout the United States, especially in the field of religion. However, it maintains a special commitment to its hometown, Indianapolis and home state, Indiana. The principal aim of the Endowment’s grantmaking in religion 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 their pastoral and lay leadership. Find out more at lillyendowment.org.