Lilly Endowment, Inc. has given Milligan University a grant of $999,230 to support an extensive overview and redesign of its ministerial academic programs at Emmanuel Christian Seminary. The grant will help further prepare church leaders of the Christian Churches/Churches of Christ and the greater church at large.
Emmanuel obtained this grant last year, as it is funded through Lilly Endowment’s Pathways for Tomorrow Initiative. This is a three-phase process designed to support theological schools across the United States and Canada in navigating the pressing challenges that pastoral leaders face now and in the future.
Last year, they completed Phase I of the initiative, in which Emmanuel received $50,000 to take on a comprehensive self-study research project which provided the breadth of the larger Phase II proposal.
Phase II will see the launching of a hybrid Master in Divinity program, which will add to the success of the already well-established Master of Arts in Christian Ministry degree taught at Emmanuel. This new program will expand the seminary’s remote course options, allowing students not in full-time residence to obtain a Masters in Divinity degree by using a combination of asynchronous online and synchronous intensive classes.
In addition, the grant will fund two pilot programs that implement theological education with real-world experience in ministry. The first, the “Ministry Fellows Program,” will pair students with local churches and allow them to serve in various ministerial roles while they are in seminary. The second, the “Bi-Vocational Ministry Program,” will focus on giving students an immersive experience of theological education with real-world training that prepares them to become bi-vocational ministers when they leave seminary.
Lastly, the grant will also help redesign the Doctor of Ministry degree as well as strengthen recruitment connections with local churches, non-profits, parachurch organizations, and other ministry-centered organizations.
Emmanuel Christian Seminary is one of 84 theological schools that are receiving a total of more than $82 million in funding through Phase II of the initiative. These schools represent evangelical, non-denominational, mainline Protestant, Pentecostal, Roman Catholic, Black Church, and other historic peace church traditions while also serving students and pastors from Black, Latino, Korean, Chinese American, and other minority groups.
Headline Photo from Milligan University Website