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THRIVING IN MINISTRY INITIATIVE 2018

Request for Proposals

pastors thrive in congregational leadership and thus enhance the vitality of the congregations they

serve.

Interested charitable organizations may submit proposals for up to $1 million that may be used for

up to a five-year period to plan and implement programs that advance the aim described above.

While the Endowment is interested in supporting a variety of approaches, it is especially interested

in supporting efforts that: 1) attend to key professional transitions in a pastor’s career and/or 2)

focus on challenges posed by particular ministry contexts and settings. A full description of the

Thriving in Ministry Initiative’s aim and proposal guidelines is provided below.

Enhancing the Conditions for Thriving in Ministry

What enables pastors to thrive as pastoral leaders and thus lead congregations effectively? What

common professional and personal challenges emerge along a pastor’s ministerial career and

present obstacles that impair his or her ability to lead well? What particular professional

challenges confront pastors who serve in specific ministry settings? What wisdom from

experienced clergy can help pastors negotiate these challenges? These questions are at the center

of the Thriving in Ministry Initiative.

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and neighbors. An essential element of congregational vitality is capable pastors who are well-

equipped to lead local faith communities.

To strengthen pastoral leadership, the Endowment has focused on supporting efforts that promote

excellence at key moments along the arc of a pastor’s ministerial career. These efforts include

encouraging religious organizations to: 1) inspire young people to explore calls into Christian

ministry and cultivate a new generation of pastors; 2) educate and prepare seminarians to lead

Christian congregations; 3) help new pastors make the transition from student to pastoral leader;

and 4) foster and sustain excellence in pastoral leadership for clergy serving in congregations. In

addition, Endowment-supported initiatives have helped religious organizations address key

receiving grants in the Sustaining Pastoral Excellence initiative created peer groups for pastors to

gather together regularly for biblical study, theological reflection, spiritual renewal and mutual

support. Lilly Endowment’s Indiana and National Clergy Renewal Programs, administered by

Christian Theological Seminary, provide grants to congregations to enable pastors to step away

briefly from their daily responsibilities for a period of renewal and reflection on ministry. (See

Appendix I for more information about these initiatives.)

Much has been learned through these initiatives about what promotes and sustains pastoral

excellence. Key insights and discoveries include:

• The power of clergy peer groups: In order to overcome their sense of personal and

professional isolation, many pastors express a desire to develop sustainable friendships

with colleagues. Clergy peer groups spur ongoing professional and spiritual growth,

creativity, intellectual challenge and personal guidance and support.

• The critical character of the first years in ministry: The first years of pastoral leadership

are critically important to develop habits and practices for ministry that carry through the

pastor’s whole career. It is largely through the daily practice of ministry that pastors hone

an imagination with a particular way of perceiving, understanding and relating to the world

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Although the Endowment is pleased with what hundreds of organizations have accomplished

through their grant-supported programs to strengthen pastoral leadership, it recognizes that the

demands placed on pastors today and the conditions in which they carry out their ministries are

changing rapidly. Describing these conditions, pastors note especially their experiences of

professional isolation and the difficulty they encounter in finding and building relationships with

experienced colleagues who could share with them accrued wisdom about the increasingly

complex congregational and community contexts in which they serve. A new wave of efforts is

needed to strengthen and support pastors and foster the conditions necessary for their ministries

to thrive – especially for pastors in the early stages of their ministerial careers.

in their congregations during these transitional moments. Encouraged by the response in this initial

invitational round of the initiative, the Endowment is now seeking to expand this endeavor through

a second round of grants in the open and competitive Thriving in Ministry Initiative 2018.

interviews with hundreds of clergy who serve congregations in many Christian denominations.

Their research has enabled them to document common professional and personal challenges that

most clergy face during their ministerial careers. When pastors are able to address these challenges

adroitly, they thrive and their leadership in their congregations flourishes. When they fail, they

stumble both personally and professionally and their leadership effectiveness is impaired. What

are the differences between pastors who thrive and those who struggle?

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In conducting the study, Bloom talked at length with dozens of pastors who are thriving. These

pastors described diverse challenges that emerged during periods when they faced something new

(e.g., moving from a suburban to an urban setting, shifting from an associate to a senior staff

position, managing a first building campaign). These pastors could name colleagues who played

pivotal roles in helping them understand the challenges they faced and in providing strategies for

responding. More importantly, these colleagues often served as models of pastoral excellence and

showed the pastors how to lead effectively. Thriving pastors readily talked about these kinds of

mentoring relationships with respected clergy colleagues.

care and support of pastoral leaders: What kinds of opportunities would help pastors find and build

relationships with exemplars and role models and thus enhance the conditions needed for more

pastors to flourish and lead congregations more effectively?

The Endowment intends to support a variety of programs that strengthen relationships among

clergy and sustain the conditions needed for them to thrive. While organizations are invited to

submit proposals for wide ranging programs aimed at strengthening pastoral leaders in

congregational settings, the Endowment is especially interested in programs that attend to key

professional transitions within a pastor’s career in ministry and/or leadership challenges faced by

pastors who serve specific constituencies or in particular ministry settings.

Professional Transitions

As pastors move through their career, different types of support are necessary. New pastors often

struggle to identify priorities among a myriad of possible tasks and responsibilities before them.

Pastors with five to 10 years of experience often possess the resources to make ministerial

decisions, but often second-guess themselves in the midst of those decisions. Seasoned pastors

leadership roles in their congregation and community; 3) midcareer pastors either seeking renewal

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Programs that attend to key professional transitions may include: 1) gathering new pastors in their

first three years of ministry beyond theological education with experienced pastors for establishing

spiritual disciplines and leadership practices for leading congregations effectively and for mutual

encouragement; 2) convening early career pastors to engage in conversation with one another and

with civic leaders to explore the roles that their churches can play in helping their communities

flourish; 3) asking midcareer pastors seeking renewal of calling to identify and invite a younger

colleague in ministry to participate in a pilgrimage or immersion experience that seeks to inspire

pastoral imagination and creativity; and/or 4) facilitating a gathering for late-career pastors

anticipating retirement to meet with one another regularly to explore the best practices for finishing

they honed in prior settings are no longer applicable or effective. They seek wisdom and

imagination from experienced colleagues to help them understand their new situations and to

adjust their pastoral ministry practices accordingly.

The Endowment is interested in supporting programs that help pastors gain greater clarity about

their particular ministry settings. These programs may involve: 1) church planters in their

inaugural period of ministry; 2) women clergy stepping into senior leadership in multistaff settings;

3) pastors serving multilingual or multiethnic churches; or 4) pastors moving into urban or rural

or other ministry settings for the first time. What programs might support these pastors?

Examples of programs that may attend to the leadership challenges faced by pastors who serve

specific constituencies or in particular ministry settings may include: 1) hosting multiple retreats

for pastors who are church planters in their inaugural period of ministry that include opportunities

to visit one another’s ministry sites and the ministry sites of more experienced church planters; 2)

creating peer groups for women clergy stepping into senior leadership in multistaff settings to meet

regularly with different types of experienced senior pastors in order to explore leadership styles

and habits and practices of congregational ministry; 3) inviting pastors serving multilingual or

multiethnic churches to regular retreats and workshops to work together with faculty in theological

schools to curate and create the worship and educational resources needed to support emerging

ministries and their congregational leaders; or 4) facilitating connections and relationships for

a key moment in a pastor’s ministerial career and others focused on pastors serving in particular

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experiences for midcareer pastors to help them foster life-giving and mutually enriching

relationships with each other and reinvigorate their passion for ministry by building relationships

with mission communities. One program will gather clergywomen from different denominations

for a series of retreats that include learning, prayer and spiritual mentoring to reflect on the unique

challenges encountered by women leading congregations. Another program will create a network

of pastors serving in economically distressed communities that seeks to foster a professional

learning community through project based learning, peer-learning workshops and mentoring. One

program will bring together Latino/a clergy who are in the early stages of their careers with pastor-

mentors to reflect on effective practices of pastoral leadership in churches within communities

experiencing demographic transition. A final example is a program that will establish peer groups

who are part of the organization’s constituency, assess its own organizational capacities, and

design a program that is appropriate to its own mission, capacity and context.

New Models for Building and Sustaining Relationships

While many seasoned and experienced pastors can name a mentor who guided them through

ministerial challenges (especially in the early years of ministry), religious leaders report that

traditional forms of one-on-one mentoring are often not available to many pastors. The implicit

agreement between senior and junior colleagues that led to regular sharing of professional

knowledge and practice has disappeared due to increasing mobility, frequent transitions and

changing demographics within the workforce. Experienced pastors are less available and less

accessible to younger pastors. Yet, as is the case in other professions as well, young clergy are

eager to connect and converse with wise colleagues whom they respect. Where more traditional

models of mentoring are not working, clergy are seeking out opportunities to engage a variety of

role models, exemplars and mentors in order to learn the practices of ministry.

The Endowment encourages organizations to propose programs that develop and test new patterns

and practices for clergy to build and sustain collegial relationships with each other (especially new

models that push beyond traditional one-on-one, mentor-mentee relationships). These models may

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committed to supporting pastoral leaders are invited to submit proposals of up to $1 million each

that may be used for up to a five-year period. Grant funds may be used to develop new or

strengthen existing programs that help pastors build relationship with experienced clergy who can

serve as role models and exemplars and guide them through key leadership challenges at critical

moments in their ministerial careers. The Endowment especially encourages efforts that: 1) attend

to key professional transitions in a pastor’s career and/or 2) focus on challenges posed by particular

ministry contexts and settings. Grant funds may be used to fund the programmatic costs of

developing a new or enhanced program. The funds may not be used for capital expenses or

endowment.

organizations that submit complete proposals demonstrating that they have the capacity to design,

implement and sustain a high-quality program that advances the aim described above. Funding

decisions will be based on the following criteria: 1) the clarity of the program’s purpose to

strengthen pastoral leadership and help pastors thrive in leading congregations; 2) the quality of

design of the proposed program and its potential to advance the initiative’s aims; 3) the capacity,

readiness and appropriateness of the organization to develop a new and/or enhance an existing

program; 4) the reach of the program and its potential positive impact on significant numbers of

pastors; and 5) a clear commitment and capacity of the organization to garner the financial

resources needed to sustain its program beyond the grant period.

Interested organizations are asked to follow the application procedure and timeline described

below.

(1) Complete an Interest Form and send to Lilly Endowment by April 6, 2018. This form

(available on website link below) indicates interest in developing a proposal and names a

key contact person involved in this effort.

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• Proposal Summary Information Form

• Proposal Narrative (up to 10 pages, single-spaced, Times New Roman, 12 pt.)

• Budget and Budget Narrative (see instructions)

• Accompanying Materials

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E. Program Activities – Provide a detailed program design that relates clearly to the program’s

goals and budget. What are the program’s key activities? How will these activities address

the goals stated above? What are the program’s content, format, and structure? What is

the timeline for the program?

F. Leadership – Identify key leaders for the program. What roles and responsibilities will

they have in implementing this effort?

G. Expected Outcomes – Clearly state the results for which the applicant expects to be held

accountable. What are the expected short-term and long-term outcomes for the program?

the program and mark its progress in advancing its goals? Who is responsible for collecting

and analyzing this evidence?

I. Sustainability and Continuation – Detail and prepare a future funding plan to sustain the

program beyond the initial grant period. What sources of funding will be needed? How

will new sources of funding be cultivated to replace grant dollars? How will other

institutional and intellectual resources be secured and sustained? Who will oversee the

long-term development and fundraising?

J. Organizational capacity– Provide a brief description of the applicant, including its mission,

organization structure (a profile of the board and how board members are recruited),

relationship to a Christian denomination or tradition, annual operating budget and major

sources of support. Include a short narrative that chronicles the applicant’s decision to

apply for this grant and describes the various participants involved in the planning process.

(4) Budget (See www.lillyendowment.org/religion/thrivinginministry.html for guidelines.)

Please prepare a budget and budget narrative for the activities described in the proposal

narrative. (Budget documents are not included in the 10-page limit for the proposal

narrative above.)