Union Presbyterian Seminary has received a $10 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to launch Seminary Extended: Strengthening Pastoral Leadership, a collaborative initiative with Eastern Mennonite Seminary and Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. The program will provide congregation-embedded leadership development, shared faculty resources and a joint Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) in Adaptive Leadership. 

The initiative, funded through Lilly Endowment’s Pathways for Tomorrow Initiative, is designed to help theological schools address the challenges of preparing pastoral leaders for rapidly changing ministry contexts. Union Presbyterian’s grant is one of 45 awarded in this round to support large-scale collaborations between seminaries, colleges, universities and other church-related organizations. 

Seminary Extended aims to equip pastors and congregations with practical, theologically grounded support for ministry. Pastors enrolled in the joint D.Min. program will study with faculty from all three schools, participate in short in-person learning intensives, receive coaching and collaborate with peers on leadership challenges. 

Congregations will take part in yearlong cohorts where pastors and small teams of lay leaders learn alongside mentors in areas such as Bible study, community engagement, trauma-informed care and planning for future ministry. 

“The generous grant from Lilly Endowment for Seminary Extended will significantly increase UPSem’s capacity to strengthen pastoral leadership within and for the Church, thus enhancing congregational life more broadly,” said Union Presbyterian Seminary President Jacqueline E. Lapsley.