The Center for Congregational Resources has received a grant of $5 million—the largest single grant in the university’s 183-year history—from Lilly Endowment Inc. through its Ministry in Rural Areas and Small Towns Initiative. The grant will support the Center’s work which provides services to help congregations become thriving ministries. The aim of Lilly Endowment’s 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. 

Equipping the Called

The CCR has developed the Equipping the Called Leadership Program to help Christian churches cultivate the spiritual formation of congregants and function as anchor institutions that strengthen their local communities.  The primary aim and objectives of the program additionally include equipping congregations to extend hospitality to their neighbors, and to function as anchor institutions that strengthen their local communities. This program will address these aims and objectives by:

  1. Providing training and support for ordained and lay leadership
  2. Helping congregations to identify and respond to the challenges and opportunities within their congregations and in their local communities
  3. Equipping rural and small-town churches to serve as anchor institutions and to build collaborations with other organizations in their communities.

The Equipping the Called Leadership Program is a six-month, self-paced, online course designed specifically for clergy and lay leaders serving in rural areas and small-town churches. Grounded in thinking and theological insights, the program equips leaders with the practical tools to nurture spiritual formation, strengthen key relationship, and foster lasting community impact. The content for this program has been developed in partnership with the Alabama Center for Pastoral Resilience.

The inaugural cohort of Equipping the Called Leadership Program has reached its capacity. We are pleased to welcome 50 students to the course as they explore leadership in the context of serving in rural and small-town congregations.

We will launch a second cohort for the course in fall of 2026. Details and interest form will be available next summer.

Collaboration Partners

The Rural and Small-Town Initiative has created a cohort of partners who will develop their own programming for the congregations in their contexts. This diverse group includes denominational and educational leadership organizations such as Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions, Alabama Center for Pastoral Resilience, Catholic Diocese of Alabama, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, Jefferson County District Missionary Baptist Association, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A) Mission Agency of Wilcox County, and Selma University.