Planting seeds of financial support for pastors and congregations through 3E Lilly grants and programs
Our initial $150,000 fundraising was matched by the Lilly 3E grant dollar-for-dollar, providing a total of $300,000 for the Grand Canyon Synod.
The purpose of the grant, National Initiative to Address Economic Challenges Facing Pastoral Leaders, is to build a Ministerial Excellence Fund and to help congregations enhance stewardship. The Lilly 3E grant was made possible because of Lilly Endowment’s National Initiative to Address Economic Challenges Facing Pastoral Leaders. Learn more about this initiative by visiting www.ecfpl.org.
The program, titled Educate, Equip, Enact (3E), increases capacity for healthy ministry by alleviating rostered ministers' crippling debt and give tools to congregations to increase generosity and renew focus on mission. In the Grand Canyon Synod, 3E has three components: Stewardship for All Seasons, the Ministerial Excellence Fund for rostered ministers and candidates, and Vital Right-Shaped Ministries.
The 3-year grant runs January 2020 through December 2022.
The Lilly grant allows the Grand Canyon Synod to:
Assist pastors with their financial literacy and management skills through opportunities to learn more about budgeting, saving, and spending, so they may become more fiscally sound stewardship leaders. Rostered ministers will also be eligible to apply for grants toward medical and school loans, as well as the California Lutheran workshop on Executive Leadership Skills.
Provide scholarships to congregations to strengthen and enliven a culture of generosity through a professionally led program, Stewardship for all Seasons.
Provide Holy Innovation Grants to GCS congregations. The grants are intended to assist congregations to define their values, strengthen their mission, notice their context, and evaluate their ministry and leadership among other defined areas of mission.
Return to the Growing Generosity Appeal home page or view the two other initiatives of our appeal:
Growing Future Ministries
and Growing Fervent Voices.
Growing Financial Viability FAQs
What is the Lilly Foundation Inc.?
The Lilly Endowment supports the causes of community development, education and religion. It affords special emphasis to projects that benefit young people and that strengthen financial self-sufficiency in the charitable sector.
Lilly funds significant programs throughout the United States, especially in the field of religion, though they maintain a special commitment to their founders’ hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana. https://lillyendowment.org/
Why do we need to assist rostered leaders with their student debt and financial management?
Seminary expenses over the last number of years have increased dramatically. A Masters of Divinity degree has traditionally been a four-year master’s program. Many pastors, especially first call pastors, are called to congregations that cannot meet synod compensation guidelines. As a result, pastors carry a great deal of debt with a position that does not pay very well. This provides financial stress on the pastors and effects their ability to pastor as effectively as they might otherwise.
What kind of training is the Executive Leadership Skill workshop?
California Lutheran University offers a week of continuing education for pastors and church leaders in which faculty from the School of Management will explore and discuss how concepts from management and finance can be applied to the complex environment of congregational life and ministry.
What is Stewardship for All Seasons?
The objective of Stewardship for all Seasons is to guide rostered ministers and congregational leaders to learn tried and true principles of fundraising and effective methodologies to carry out fruitful, broad-range stewardship programs that enliven a culture of generosity.
What are holy innovations?
Holy innovations are ministries which are looking at new ways to do ministry and serve God’s people. These includes ministries like:
Open Space is a new community of believers and explorers, brining people coming together to experience God and explore faith through creativity.
Emmanuel Sudanese Lutheran Fellowship is a community that provides worship in both English and Dinka languages.
Grants are provided to support these and other ministries which are “out of the box.”
Why is the Grand Canyon Synod doing an appeal now?
The Lilly Foundation studies and supports community development issues, especially with respect to religious entities. In 2015 it completed a study that showed the severe financial difficulties faced by many ordained clergy and their lack of financial expertise. The Foundation subsequently made matching grant money available to study and relieve these conditions. Matching funds must be in place by the end of 2023. Although the pandemic delayed the start of the campaign, many individuals and congregations have come through the pandemic in strong financial condition. Combined with the urgency of the needs that are being addressed, this is a great time to conduct an appeal.