The Christian and Missionary Alliance in the United States has highlighted the role of Lilly Endowment Inc., the Indianapolis-based private foundation, in funding seven national ministry programs. In an August 21 story, the denomination described how the foundation's grants have enabled initiatives spanning church growth, children's ministry, Hispanic congregations, and pastoral training to take root and expand.
Lilly Endowment, established in 1937 from gifts of stock in Eli Lilly and Company, supports community development, education, and religion, with a particular focus on deepening the spiritual life of Christians. The Alliance — the largest member church of the Alliance World Fellowship, with roughly 400,000 adherents — says the foundation's priorities of strengthening pastoral leadership, congregational vitality, and theological networks align closely with its own vision for the deeper life of its congregations.
The seven funded programs include PEAK, a church-growth assessment and coaching experience; a children's ministry resource for small immigrant congregations; Thriving Hispanic Congregations, which equips pastors; Revitalization Pathways, a four-phase renewal journey; Lay Preaching training; an Alliance Worship creative-arts platform; and Pastoral Financial Health support for workers and governing boards. The denomination said it will publish dedicated articles telling the story of each program in the coming months.
Source: Christian and Missionary Alliance (C&MA USA) — cmalliance.org/a-lilly-endowment-legacy
