Evangel receives $5M grant for seminary, partnership with AG national office

Evangel University announced Monday that the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary has received a $5 million grant to expand training for current and aspiring ministers.

The gift, one of the largest in the history of Evangel, will also support a large-scale partnership with the Assemblies of God National Office, which will mentor and place the ministers. The seminary is an embedded part of the Springfield university.

The new grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. comes less than a year after the same private philanthropic organization gave Evangel $1 million to train Black and Hispanic ministers. It will fund the "AG Ministry Leaders of Tomorrow" initiative, a partnership between Evangel and the AG national office.

Evangel President Mike Rakes said in a news release that the AG national office, Evangel and the seminary will work together to identify, equip and develop future ministers. “We are excited about the transformative impact on our theological school and the privilege of assisting in the development of pastors to serve in churches.”

The release said the initiative will support the rapid growth of young, diverse Pentecostal churches by hosting campus visits where high school students can learn about a career in full-time ministry, pair aspiring ministers with mentors, and significantly reduce the cost of theological training and degrees.

By working with the AG national office, the seminary will also provide training and resources for issues that pastors are facing in their ministries.

“Core to the AG Ministry Leaders of Tomorrow initiative is the idea that people of all backgrounds, with the right empowerment, training, and support can lead congregations in powerful service for Christ to the betterment of their communities," Rakes said in the release.

The grant is part of the final phase of Lilly Endowment’s Pathways for Tomorrow Initiative, designed to help theological schools in the U.S. and Canada respond to challenges they face to prepare pastors.

Evangel is one of 16 theological schools that has received grants to fund large-scale, highly collaborative programs through the Pathways Initiative.

“Theological schools play an essential role in ensuring that Christian congregations have a steady stream of well-prepared leaders to guide their ministries,” said Christopher L. Coble, the endowment’s vice president for religion, in the release.

“Many theological schools believe that their paths to the future depend on their abilities to form strategic partnerships with other schools and church agencies. These grants will help seminaries develop innovative and collaborative approaches to theological education that we believe will strengthen their efforts to prepare and support excellent leaders for Christian communities into the future.”

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Evangel receives $5M grant to grow seminary, partner with AG