In early October, I ventured to Indianapolis, Indiana1 for a diverse gathering of nonprofit leaders representing organizations that shared at least two things in common: 1) a hopeful commitment to the vitality of the wider church, and 2) our institutions had all received grant support from Lilly Endowment Inc. as part of its Thriving Congregations Initiative.
I was already feeling buoyant as, a week before that gathering, I had received the exciting news that the Lilly Endowment has awarded the Montreat Conference Center a second grant of nearly $1 million to continue and expand our own Thriving Congregations initiative for another five years.
Our first Lilly Endowment grant, awarded in 2019, established a partnership with The Black Mountain School of Theology & Community and launched our Thriving Congregations program. At its heart, the program envisions churches as dynamic “schools for the faithful,” where relationships within the congregation are strengthened and boundaries between church and community are diminished. Teams of clergy and lay leaders train together to lead their congregations through practices of listening, reflection, and response, the goal being to help churches rediscover their theological identity, renew their internal life, and reimagine how they might serve their neighbors.
Thus far, 30 congregations have taken part in a 30-month, cohort-based process of theological reflection, community engagement, and practical action. Participants, representing a diverse array of congregations – in size, denominational background, and local context – are reporting a variety of impacts, including renewed trust, revitalized mission initiatives, and in some cases, growth in membership and giving. One church, having completed the full cycle of the program, is even self-starting a second round to build on the first.
Beyond the measurable congregational impact, the partnership between Montreat and the Black Mountain School has yielded scholarship and leadership resources for the wider church. Publications emerging from the project, including peer-reviewed articles and a forthcoming book, are on the way.
I asked Lori Raible, pastor of Selwyn Avenue Presbyterian Church in Charlotte, to comment on the impact of their participation in Thriving Congregations.
“Selwyn Avenue has been transformed from the inside out,” Lori says, crediting the program with helping the congregation align its particular identity and gifts with mission and action. “Our work let us to a recent merger with Quail Hollow Presbyterian Church and pursuit of a shared vision of creating a mission hub and multi-purpose campus addressing the issues of early childhood education and youth mental health in Charlotte.”
This second Lilly Endowment grant will sustain and expand all this work, helping churches to deepen congregational vitality and strengthen relationships with their surrounding communities. We plan to maintain our cohort model while introducing regional entry points to make the process more accessible for more participants. Ultimately, we hope to develop regional hubs to connect new congregations with graduates of earlier cohorts and seed collaborative coalitions of congregations, all working together for the flourishing of their communities.
I left Indianapolis believing in the possibilities. Over two days of meetings and conversations with other grantees, for example, I discovered that several programs across the country are following a similar model. That tells me that our program is on the right track…and it’s one more sign that the Spirit is moving across the wider church. In a time when many churches are seeking to adapt faithfully to changing realities, Lilly Endowment’s Thriving Congregations Initiative is generating hopeful models that focus theological depth and practical engagement on the meaningful work that God is calling us to do.
Actually, we’re building on more than hope. These programs are proving that there is no shortage of imagination, energy, or commitment among those who believe in the church’s capacity to serve faithfully in the years ahead.
It all leaves me grateful for our continuing invitation to be a part of it.
More to come,
Richard DuBose
President, Montreat Conference Center
- Is there another Indianapolis? “Indianapolis, Indiana” seems somehow redundant. (I think about this stuff because – no surprise – they’ve put me on a word count here. 😊) ↩︎