Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis has announced a hundred and ninety grants totaling $9 million through the Lilly Endowment 2021 National Clergy Renewal Program and the Clergy Renewal Program for Indiana Congregations.

Funded by the Lilly Endowment and administered by CTS, the grants help congregations support their pastors by providing funding for a respite from ministerial duties and a period of extended reflection and renewal. Recipients may use the respite for activities including spending time with loved ones, travel, scholarly research, or immersive experiences with different cultures and traditions that enhance their enthusiasm for preaching, ministry, and leadership.

Recipients of National Clergy Renewal Program grants include St. Luke's Episcopal Church (San Diego), the Connecticut Korean Presbyterian Church (New Haven), Redemption Hill Church (Washington, D.C.), Sweet Home Missionary Baptist Church (Miami), Pilgrim Lutheran Church English Synod (Chicago), True Holy Church of God in Christ Jesus (New York City), and St. Mark's Episcopal Church (San Antonio). Recipients of grants from the Clergy Renewal Program for Indiana Congregations include St. Paul United Methodist Church (Bloomington), Most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin (Evansville), Metropolitan Missionary Baptist Church (Indianapolis), and South Bend City Church (South Bend).

"Pastors play a critical role in nurturing and guiding their congregations' work in the Christian tradition, while tending to the soul and psyche of individual members within the congregation," said Lilly Endowment vice president for religion Christopher L. Coble. "These grants facilitate an opportunity to celebrate pastors for their extraordinary service while making it possible for these men and women to step away from congregational demands and invest in rest and renewal. For more than two decades, these grants have shown that such respites support the vitality of pastors and reinvigorate their congregations as well."

For a full list of grant recipients, see the Christian Theological Seminary website.

(Photo credit: Christian Theological Seminary)