Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary has received a grant of $1,000,000 from Lilly Endowment Inc. to help establish the Pastoral Formation Project. The initiative will invest deeply in formation for Gordon-Conwell’s growing online student population while continuing to develop and enhance models for residential students, building on the seminary’s Life Together model.

The Pastoral Formation Project is being funded through Lilly Endowment’s Pathways for Tomorrow Initiative, which is intended to help theological schools across the United States and Canada strengthen their educational and financial capacities to prepare and support pastoral leaders for Christian congregations both now and into the future.

The project at Gordon-Conwell will be led by alumna and Professor of Church History and Spiritual Formation Dr. Gwenfair Adams (MDiv ‘89), who is also director of Christian Formation. It will cultivate pastoral leaders whose hearts and minds are shaped by the gospel in a way that increases resiliency against burnout, stagnation, and departure from ministry. Through intentional faculty and alumni mentoring, a five-fold holistic approach to formation will target spiritual formation, character development, vocational discernment, relational health, and emotional/mental intelligence. This reflects Gordon–Conwell’s conviction that pastoral preparation must be holistic to serve Christ and his Church in a fast-paced world. “We need Christian leaders who are going to be able to stand strong in the midst of all of this societal change and have a robust sense of their identity in Christ,” says Dr. Adams.

Gordon–Conwell’s mission is to equip Christian leaders to think theologically, engage globally, and live biblically, so spiritual formation has always been central to its programs. President Dr. Scott Sunquist (MDiv ’84) shares that, “The Pastoral Formation Project will strengthen the seminary’s capacity to prepare Christian leaders for lifelong ministry by deepening their formation.”

Over the last decade, the seminary has expanded its offerings in spiritual formation, creating graduate degrees and certificates and increasing opportunities for advanced study. Over the next four years, the Pastoral Formation Project will fund faculty training, alumni mentorship, software tools, and dedicated staff to further expand the integration of spiritual formation.

Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary is one of 163 theological schools that have received grants since 2021 through the Pathways initiative. Together, the schools serve a broad spectrum of Christian traditions in the U.S. and Canada. They are affiliated with evangelical, mainline Protestant, nondenominational, Pentecostal, Orthodox, Catholic, Black church, Latino, Asian American, Indigenous, and historic peace church traditions.

“Theological schools have long played a central role for most denominations and church networks in preparing and supporting pastoral leaders who guide congregations,” said Christopher L. Coble, the Endowment’s vice president for religion. “Gordon-Conwell and other schools are paying close attention to the challenges churches are facing today and will face in the foreseeable future. The grants will help these schools engage in wide-ranging, innovative efforts to adapt their educational programs and build their financial capacities so they can better prepare pastors and lay ministers to effectively lead the congregations they will serve in the future.”

About Gordon-Conwell

Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary is a multidenominational, evangelical seminary formed in 1969 to equip Christian leaders to think theologically, live biblically, and engage globally. United by a commitment to the authority of Scripture, our community represents 85 denominations and 50 countries across four locations in the U.S., online, and across the globe. Our 12,000 alumni serve Christ in ministry through the church, academy, and missions.

About Lilly Endowment Inc.

Lilly Endowment Inc. is a private foundation created in 1937 by J.K. Lilly Sr. and his sons Eli and J.K. Jr. through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. While those gifts remain the 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 supports the causes of community development, education and religion and maintains a special commitment to its hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana. A principal aim of the Endowment’s religion grantmaking 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 the pastoral and lay leadership of Christian communities. The Endowment also seeks to improve public understanding of religion and lift up in fair, accurate and balanced ways the roles that people of all faiths and various religious communities play in the United State and around the globe.