University of the Ozarks has received a grant of $4,877,803 from Lilly Endowment Inc., through its Ministry in Rural Areas and Small Towns Initiative. The grant will support the University’s efforts to help rural churches embrace their calling as anchor institutions within their communities.
The aim of the Ministry in Rural Areas and Small Towns Initiative is to provide resources to help churches in rural areas and small towns enhance the vitality of their ministries and strengthen the leadership of the pastors and lay leaders who guide them.
Building on the work funded with of previous Lilly Endowment grants, U of O will establish a program that focuses on cultivating, developing and sustaining a mutual relationship of support for rural congregations in the Presbytery of Arkansas, according to U of O President Richard Dunsworth.
“As a Presbyterian-affiliated university which exists in a rural place, we feel we have the unique perspective on the role anchor institutions can play, and we hope to bring our experience in this area to bear, as well as to reaffirm our commitment to partnering with and supporting congregations,” Dunsworth said. “This project will establish a regional hub to support rural congregations and will involve recruitment, curriculum and support, collaboration, and communication to develop and implement a renewed theological identity to engage communities and bring vitality back into their congregations.”
In 2020, the University established the Thriving in Rural Ministry Program through a grant of $997,322 from Lilly Endowment. The Thriving in Rural Ministry Program supports pastors of rural and minority-serving Presbyterian Churches throughout Arkansas. In 2023, a $966,099 grant from Lilly Endowment Inc., helped the University create the Thriving Rural Congregations Program to support rural congregations within the Presbytery of Arkansas.
The Rev. Phillip Blackburn, director of the Thriving in Rural Ministry Program at Ozarks, said the latest initiative will focus on supporting churches as anchor institutions through three interconnected areas: the creation of a learning network of partners from across North America to explore ideas and programs for rural congregations; engaging programmatic partners in the non-profit world to support regional congregations as they revitalize their connections to their communities; and thirdly, establishing an annual Rural ideas Conference.
“The conference will serve as an orientating gathering for our work, an entrance into our program and a place for our network to think alongside congregations and partners about important issues facing rural communities,” Blackburn said. “These three areas will create a self-reinforcing ecosystem to support rural congregations in our service area.”
University of the Ozarks is one of 20 organizations from across the United States receiving grants through the initiative, including colleges and universities, denominational agencies, church networks, and parachurch organizations, among others.
“Our hope is that these grants will provide much needed resources and support to rural and small-town churches to help them address their challenges and enhance and extend the many ways that they serve their communities, ” said Christopher L. Coble, Lilly Endowment’s vice president for religion.
Lilly Endowment Inc. is a private foundation created in 1937 by J.K. Lilly Sr. and his sons Eli and J.K. Jr. through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. While those gifts remain the financial bedrock of the Endowment, it is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff and location. In keeping with the founders’ wishes, the Endowment supports the causes of community development, education and religion and maintains a special commitment to its hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana. A principal aim of the Endowment’s religion grantmaking is to deepen and enrich the lives of Christians in the United States, primarily by seeking out and supporting efforts that enhance the vitality of congregations and strengthen the pastoral and lay leadership of Christian communities. The Endowment also seeks to improve public understanding of diverse religious traditions by supporting fair and accurate portrayals of the role religion plays in the United States and across the globe.
Topics: Chapel, Community Service