Grants to Boost Recruitment of Young Christians to Ministry
To help churches raise the next generation of pastors and leaders, the Fund for Theological Education has announced that it will be giving away grants to congregations that motivate young Christians to enter into ordained ministry.
FTE will be offering grants of $5,000 to $12,000 for grassroots programs, up to 18 months in duration, that cultivate a sense of Christian vocation and the call to ministry among youth, according to the group's announcement last week.
The awards are part of the fund's response to a growing shortage of young Christians entering into pastoral and clergy vocations. Less than seven percent of clergy in mainline denominations today are under the age of 35, notes FTE on its Web site. Meanwhile, fewer seminary students seek a career as an ordained minister and only one-third plan to work in a church.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
The awards, totaling about $300,000, is part of the fund's Calling Congregations campaign, a national and ecumenical effort to jumpstart a culture where churches play a key role in guiding the youth to Christian vocation.
"These grants support innovative ways in which congregations embrace responsibility for the conversation about vocation and inspire a new generation to explore discernment of their call," said Jim Goodmann, FTE Calling Congregations regional director and grant program administrator.
"Finding those who will lead the church tomorrow begins with offering space for that conversation today with the young people in our midst."
Churches aren't alone in the drought for fresh and youthful Christian leadership. Earlier this year, Focus on the Family founder Dr. James Dobson expressed his concern about the future of the Christian conservative movement, observing that many Christian right leaders were either dead or aging.
While FTW is offering grants primarily to congregations and for church-related activities, the organization said the fund could also go toward activities that develop partnerships with other Christian groups like campus ministries, seminaries, camps, denominational bodies and other congregations, according to the organization's Web site.
Interested churches in the United States and Canada have until Sept. 8, 2008, to submit letters of intent. FTE will follow up with applicants to advise on the full proposal process.
The Fund for Theological Education bills itself as an ecumenical advocate for excellence and diversity in Christian ministry and theological scholarship. It provides a total of $1.5 million in grants annually.
On the Web: More information on Calling Congregations initiative at www.thefund.org/programs/congregations_grants
