Nov. 18, 2024
Contact Nicole Van Ert at 608-796-3616 or nmvanert@viterbo.edu
VITERBO UNIVERSITY AWARDED $1.2 MILLION LILLY ENDOWMENT INC. THRIVING CONGREGATIONS INITIATIVES GRANT
LA CROSSE, Wis. – Viterbo has received a $1,221,122 grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to help establish the university’s Parish Renewal through Communal Wisdom to Enhance Leadership, Strengthen Ministry, and Serve the Common Good (PATHWAYS) program.
The grant is funded through Lilly Endowment Inc.’s Thriving Congregations Initiative. The aim of the national initiative is to strengthen Christian congregations so they can help people deepen their relationships with God, build strong relationships with each other, and contribute to the flourishing of local communities and the world.
The PATHWAYS program will be administered through Viterbo’s Center for Professional Learning. It will be used to create educational programming with four main objectives:
- Cultivate Christian practices by increasing congregational learning communities through leadership development
- Increase mission clarity, identity, and congregational advancement through strategic planning training and deployment
- Foster communal learning and engagement by creating opportunities for dialogue about significant Christian ideas, practices, and opportunities
- Integrate technology-focused solutions into the education and training programs
“This initiative aligns well with Viterbo’s vision to boldly transform our communities through service, collaboration, and leadership development,” said Nicole Van Ert, director of Viterbo’s Center for Professional Learning, who wrote the grant application with Viterbo faculty member Emily Dykman and program coordinator Alycia Larson. “We are grateful to Lilly Endowment for this significant opportunity to help strengthen ministries and serve the common good. We are looking forward to continuing to bridge the gap between church and academy, adapting the work of Viterbo’s Center for Professional Learning for pastors and other congregational leaders.”
Viterbo University is one of 247 organizations that has received implementation funding through Lilly Endowment’s Thriving Congregations Initiative. Reflecting a wide variety of Christian traditions, the organizations represent mainline and evangelical Protestant, Catholic, Orthodox, Anabaptist, and Pentecostal faith communities.
“Congregations play an essential role in deepening the faith of individuals and contributing to the vitality of communities,” said Christopher L. Coble, Lilly Endowment’s vice president for religion. “We hope that these programs will nurture the vibrancy and spark the creativity of congregations, helping them imagine new ways to share God’s love in their communities and across the globe.”
Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based private philanthropic foundation created in 1937 by J.K. Lilly Sr. and sons Eli and J.K. Jr. through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly & Company. Although the gifts of stock remain a 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 exists to support the causes of religion, education and community development. The Endowment funds significant programs throughout the United States, especially in the field of religion. 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 diverse religious traditions by supporting fair and accurate portrayals of the role religion plays in the United States and across the globe.