Wartburg Theological Seminary, Dubuque, Iowa, has received a grant of 7.4 million dollars from Lilly Endowment Inc. through its Ministry in Rural Areas and Small Towns Initiative. The grant will support the CaSTLE Project, whose purpose is to instantiate a new baptismal ecclesiology focused on the formation of Christian discipleship in daily life. The aim of the initiative is to provide resources to help churches in rural areas and small towns enhance the vitality of their ministries and strengthen the leadership of the pastors and lay leaders who guide them.
The CaSTLE Project (The Country and Small Town Lived Ecclesiology Project) promotes a baptismal ecclesiology where congregational and ministry vitality are not measured by the number of members or defined by the ministry of a pastor, but by the equipping of the people (through participation in the worship and spiritual life of their congregation) to witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ in all aspects of their lives.
Leadership formation for rural and small-town congregations is a key piece of this ecclesiology. The activities of the grant are all focused on the development of the resources needed to support the implementation of this ecclesiology, for the sake of the long-term thriving of small town and rural congregations. In this way, the thriving of these congregations does not depend on the growth of their communities, the growth of the congregation itself, or the ability of the congregation to call a full-time rostered leader.
Through this grant, Wartburg Seminary will serve as a coordinating hub in our ecclesial network to strengthen the capacities of synods of the ELCA and ecclesial partners to provide resources and support for rural and small-town churches.
One of the most pressing challenges facing rural and small-town churches is the decline of their communities in population, economics, and educational capital, which has created a dominant narrative of loss, shame, and a sense of failure for not being good enough. We hear from these congregations their palpable grief at feeling like no one wants to be their leader, that they are forgotten, and that they are dying. However, numbers are not the only way to recognize the work of the Holy Spirit in a congregation and the impact the congregation can have on a community. This baptismal ecclesiology creates a new narrative—a story of hope for the future, confidence in the present, and a compelling desire to live out one’s faith in the context of the deep relationality that exists in small-town and rural settings.
The primary audiences for this grant are ELCA synods, and through them, their small town and rural congregations. Synods will be able to apply for sub-grants at three different levels: enrichment of SAMs/lay leader training and instructional resources; training and coaching of mentor pastors and lay leaders; and cohort-model congregational ecclesiological transformation. Participating synods will have access to a dedicated website where video, print and other resources will be hosted to foster cross-synodical sharing.
There is also an ecumenical component to this grant. Wartburg Seminary will create an Ecumenical Leadership Certificate, and synods will be able to apply for sub-grants to facilitate ecumenical experiments, such as providing coaching to congregational leaders working to form new ecumenical partnerships and strengthen currently existing ecumenical congregations.
“Wartburg Theological Seminary celebrates the opportunities provided by these grant funds to promote a revitalized witness in small town and rural congregations and new leadership pathways to support it. The framework of a baptismal ecclesiology provides a constructive, generative way of thinking about the church and one’s participation in the Body of Christ, especially for people who live in small town and rural areas, who already tend to think and act in terms of relationships. A baptismal ecclesiology grounds this relational existence in one’s baptismal identity. We believe it can have significant impact in small town and rural communities because it emphasizes the reality promised to us all by God in Jesus Christ: in our baptism, we are never alone, and we are empowered by the Holy Spirit to share God’s love for the world in all our daily encounters.” Kristin Johnston Largen, Seminary President
Wartburg Theological Seminary is one of 20 organizations from across the United States receiving grants through the Lilly Endowment initiative, including colleges and universities, denominational agencies, church networks, and parachurch organizations, among others.
“Our hope is that these grants will provide much needed resources and support to rural and small-town churches to help them address their challenges and enhance and extend the many ways that they serve their communities,” said Christopher L. Coble, Lilly Endowment’s Vice President for Religion
Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based 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. 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 supports the causes of community development, education and religion and maintains a special commitment to its founders’ hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana. A primary aim of its grantmaking in religion is to deepen the religious lives of Christians, principally by supporting efforts that enhance congregational vitality and strengthen the leadership of Christian communities. The Endowment values the broad diversity of Christian traditions and endeavors to support them in a wide variety of contexts. The Endowment also seeks to foster public understanding about religion by encouraging fair, accurate and balanced portrayals of the positive and negative effects of religion on the world and lifting up the contributions that people of all faiths make to our greater civic well-being.