$1.25 million grant awarded to Trevecca program for pastors

By Alayna Simons

Editor-in-chief

Trevecca has received the largest grant in university history to help pastors discern their calling and get better at preaching.

The Lilly Endowment Foundation has now the posit $1.25 million into Trevecca’s program to fund a new grant called “More and Better Preachers.”

Three grants have now been approved over the years through the Lilly Endowment Foundation.

The Calling Cooperative, implemented to help students figure it out their calling and ministry as they come to Trevecca; Laborers in the Vineyard, specific to help pastors in their five years of ministry after graduation; and now More and Better Preachers used to help guide those called to preach from those in the middle and high school all the way to beyond the five-year point after graduation.

“Last year, it was only a hope,” said Michael Jackson, professor of theology and Christian ministry. “Now it’s a reality.”

According to Janice Lovell, engagement officer for grants and foundation relations, this is the largest grant that Trevecca has received in the last 10 years that she has worked here. In the past year, Trevecca has received money for eight out of 19 applications they submitted.

“it’s such a gift to be a part of something that has lasting impact potential. It’s not just me coming and doing the job today, but it’s really helping pastors support people who will make eternal decisions,” said Lovell. “So that’s why I’m excited to be a part of the program and I will be their biggest cheerleader. That’s really what I love to do”

Craig shepherd, associate professor of theology and Christian ministry, and Jackson worked together to create a grant specifically with the purpose of equipping men and women called to preach and take part in ministry.

“We want to really invest in nurturing and encouraging those young preachers as they are feeling some kind of a call to ministry, and resource and help them as well,” said Jackson.

This five-year plan includes many branches of resources, from providing a scholarship money for incoming students, to reaching out and partnering with other Nazarene churches on the Southeast field.

“One of the exciting things about this grant is is has the potential to meet a lot of our areas where we have churches and ministries that really have no ability to get additional training or resources, said Shepperd. “So that’s really exciting to be a part of as we provide these opportunities.

From inexperience to seasoned pastors, Jackson and Shepperd see the need for proper training in newer settings such as the growing popularity of house churches and the planting of newer churches in the Southeast field.

With the growth of ethnic Nazarene churches which include a diversity of African American, Hispanic and Haitian members of the church, partnering with pastors at these churches to provide resources will benefit not only the pastors but the congregation strengths as well.

“We’ll serve as coaches and even trainers so that it’s not just us doing the work, but we can train them to help others do the work,” said Jackson. “Then ultimately they can help congregations appreciate, nurture and participate with their preaching pastors in developing good preaching in their church.”

Other dreams of ways to use this grant include online preaching courses and resources, along with planning out of state conferences for students while trying to cover their costs for travel and other expenses needed in order to attend.

Coming alongside pastors and their churches and discerning how to specifically help each one is critical moving forward, said Shepperd.

“I’m excited that two faculty members are getting the opportunity to be involved in something that has the potential to absolutely encourage pastors in our region. They’ll get additional training, encouragement, mentorship, partnering, and they’re going to distribute that to their congregants,” said Lovell. “Those people are my neighbors, so I’m going to have better neighbors.”

Stretching across all ages to provide proper training, Jackson and Shepperd’s primary targets are middle school and high school students. Moving forward as the grant officially begins in January 2024, events such as Momentum and TNT hosted at Trevecca, where aspiring preachers compete and show their passion, will now be places where they can receive opportunities such as scholarships and resources through this grant.

“We already hope that students will be interested in coming to Trevecca, but now through this, we can not only encourage their call to ministry, but we can also help fund some of their of the cost of their education here,” said Jackson.

As Trevecca is growing and exploring new things through grant funded opportunities, it gives a student an opportunity to do something they would not normally get to do as a students here, said Lovell.