Carol Stream, IL December 8, 2022 – Christianity Today has received a grant of $1,000,000 from Lilly Endowment Inc. to equip preachers in bringing their message to life and create opportunities for them to engage God, their peers, their congregations, and the world through them. The grant will fund efforts through Christianity Today’s popular digital resource, PreachingToday.com.
Since 1999, PreachingToday.com has supported and equipped preachers to fulfill their vital calling of preaching that helps to develop healthy churches and flourishing communities.
Christianity Today’s Publisher Jacob Walsh shared, “Our recent research showed the growing unique challenges and incredible demands of this role in our cultural climate. Thanks to the generosity of Lilly Endowment, we will be able to take what we’ve heard and develop content that meets the needs of the moment, with an emphasis on resources and tools that will make a lasting spiritual impact and foster a greater sense of community and shared learning for preachers.”
This PreachingToday.com project is being funded through Lilly Endowment’s Compelling Preaching Initiative. Christianity Today is one of 32 organizations receiving funding in an invitational round of grants for the initiative, which is designed to help Christian pastors strengthen their abilities to proclaim the gospel in more engaging and effective ways.
“We are excited about the work that these organizations will do to foster and support preaching that better inspires, encourages and guides people to come to know and love God and to live out their Christian faith more fully,” said Christopher L. Coble, Lilly Endowment’s vice president for religion. “Their programs will serve a significant number of aspiring and current preachers who are working to reach and engage increasingly diverse audiences both within and beyond congregations.”
The Compelling Preaching Initiative is part of the Endowment’s longstanding interest in supporting projects that help to nurture the religious lives of individuals and families and foster the growth and vitality of Christian congregations in the United States.
About Lilly Endowment
Lilly Endowment Inc. is a private philanthropic 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. The 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. In addition, 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.
About PreachingToday.com
PreachingToday.com is a resource from Christianity Today that seeks to inspire preachers to cultivate their craft in order to faithfully and creatively proclaim God’s word. Through Preaching Today, preachers communicate the gospel in all its richness and power and the church is matured through the inspired preaching of God’s word.
Contact: Cory Whitehead, 630.384.7223, cwhitehead@christianitytoday.com
