“These grants will help seminaries develop innovative and collaborative approaches to theological education that we believe will strengthen their efforts to prepare and support excellent leaders for Christian communities into the future.” “Many theological schools believe that their paths to the future depend on their abilities to form strategic partnerships with other schools and church agencies,” he said. schools are forming to serve Hispanic students. The program is currently in the process of bringing on a director who will oversee the grant and coordinate between the three institutions.Ĭhristopher Coble, the endowment’s vice president for religion, said he has seen more theological schools pursuing strategic partnerships, like the one the three L.A. The schools have promised a collaborative effort, allowing prospective students increased flexibility across the region. The partnership is a little unusual for higher education, according to Duke, who was the principal author of the proposal, but also a key selling point. The school received $4,999,904, to be shared with LPU and LABI. Azusa was one of 16 institutions given a grant in the third and largest round of funding. ![]() The initiative has granted funds to 355 colleges in the United States and Canada, in amounts ranging from $39,000 to nearly $8 million. The Lilly Endowment, a philanthropic foundation that supports the causes of religion, education, and community development (and has given money to Christianity Today), created the Pathway for Tomorrow Initiative “to help theological schools strengthen and sustain their capacities to prepare and support pastoral leaders for Christian churches,” according to its website. The colleges will also develop noncredit, coaching, and bivocational curriculum for Hispanic students. Nearly half of residents in Los Angeles County, California, are Hispanic or Latino, according to 2021 Census data, but only 14 percent of those over the age of 25 have a bachelor’s degree-20 points behind the general population.Įach of the three institutions will offer different degrees through the program, including bachelor’s, master’s, MDiv, and DMin degrees. ![]() The program will include coaching for Hispanic students and pastors and address accessibility and affordability issues, according to organizers. ![]() ![]() “Five years from now, my thought is that we will have created a kind of a theological consortium here in Southern California around Hispanic theology and Spanish-speaking pastoral training in ways that, without the seed money, we may not have just had the ability to do.” “To receive this from the Lilly Endowment gives us a five-year runway to help create these systems,” said Robert Duke, Azusa’s interim associate provost. Azusa Pacific University (APU), Life Pacific University (LPU), and Latin American Bible Institute (LABI) have received $5 million from the Lilly Endowment Pathways for Tomorrow Initiative to develop a shared Spanish-language curriculum that focuses on Hispanic theology and supports Latino students going into ministry. Three Christian colleges in Southern California are working together to build a broad path to theological education for Hispanic students.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |