Wesley Theological Seminary received a $5 million five-year grant to strengthen its programs for non-degree students, the Lilly Endowment Inc. announced Wednesday.
The grants are aimed to help the schools “launch large-scale collaborative programs to better prepare and support pastoral leaders for Christian congregations” by partnering with other institutions, the Indianapolis-based charity said.
“Many theological schools believe that their paths to the future depend on their abilities to form strategic partnerships with other schools and church agencies,” Christopher L. Coble, the endowment’s vice president for religion, said in a statement. “These grants will help seminaries develop innovative and collaborative approaches to theological education that we believe will strengthen their efforts to prepare and support excellent leaders for Christian communities into the future.