Duke gets $10 million for pastoral program

Christian Century, Jan 24, 2001

Duke University Divinity School seeks to combat an age of " unimaginative pastoral leadership" with a new $10 million program to help train a new generation of pastors who can engage their congregations. The Indianapolis-based Lilly Endowment provided the $10 million grant to the school to fund full scholarships, teaching posts and partnering programs with churches around the country.

The "Learned Clergy Initiative" will provide 60 three-year scholarships over the next five years for students to learn from some of the country's best pastors. The program will link students with 15 "teaching congregations" around the country and across denominations for internships.

"Ordained ministers must be prepared to provide sustained intellectual and spiritual engagement with the deep questions and issues being raised by people in their congregations," said L. Gregory Jones, dean of the school. Duke Divinity School is affiliated with the United Methodist Church, but its 460 students come from 40 denominations. --RNS