ECF Lilly Endowment Initiative publishes article on "Rethinking Clergy Education"
The Episcopal Church Foundation (ECF) has received a three-year grant as part of the Lilly Endowment’s National Initiative to Address the Economic Challenges Facing Pastoral Leaders. In "Rethinking Clergy Education", commissioned as part of ECF’s Lilly Endowment initiative and published in the September issue of Vestry Papers, Gary Shilling, economist and chair of the board of Episcopal Preaching Foundation, invites us to consider changes in the way our Church identifies, recruits, trains, and financially supports the next generation of Episcopal clergy. He writes:
A successful team is invariably led by an excellent coach. So are Episcopal parishes. Polls show that Americans are increasingly spiritual, but organized religion, especially mainline Protestant denominations, continues to atrophy. Strong clergy leadership is needed to direct the seriously spiritual into Church, to their benefit as well as to fulfill our mission. As Christ said in Matthew, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest.” We desperately need to identify, recruit, train and financially support a new generation of topflight parish priests. Click here to read the full article.
ECF’s grant proposal entitled “From Economic Challenges to Transformational Opportunities” is providing lay and clergy leaders of the Episcopal Church with resources, tools and other support to help address the financial and leadership challenges of congregational ministry in the 21st century. Contact Kate Adams at kate@episcopalfoundation.org to learn more.