Southeastern’s Center for Faith and Culture Receives $1.25 Million Grant
Mary Asta Halvorsen | July 24, 2024
Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary has received a grant of $1.25 million from Lilly Endowment Inc. in order to support the Congregational Renewal Initiative of Southeastern’s L. Russ Bush Center for Faith and Culture (CFC).
The CFC exists to advance the way of Christ in all of culture. Its Congregational Renewal Initiative is a concerted effort between the CFC and Southern Baptist churches to strengthen congregations through the development of research and resources on spiritual formation for public witness.
The initiative is being funded through Lilly Endowment’s Thriving Congregations Initiative, which aims to encourage the flourishing of congregations by helping them deepen their relationships with God, enhance their connections with each other, and contribute to the vitality of their communities and the world.
Benjamin Quinn, director of the CFC, expressed his eagerness to begin equipping students and churches through the grant funding.
“We are so grateful to receive a grant from Lilly Endowment through its Thriving Congregations Initiative,” Quinn said. “Over the next five years we will work with nearly a dozen Southern Baptist churches to develop a curriculum to address the relationship of Christian spiritual formation and the public life and witness of Christians. This project sits at the center of our mission at the L. Russ Bush Center for Faith and Culture, and we trust that the work of the grant will yield fruitful insights to further equip our students and bless local churches.”
We trust that the work of the grant will yield fruitful insights to further equip our students and bless local churches.
Through content, community, and conversation, the CFC seeks to equip Southeastern students as leaders and thinkers who are grounded in their Christian faith and in the truth of God’s word so that they may serve and strengthen the Church, acting as Jesus’s witnesses in all areas of life.
To learn more about the CFC’s resources and mentorship program, check out its website here.
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 diverse religious traditions by supporting fair and accurate portrayals of the role religion plays in the United States and across the globe.