Andrews University receives more than $6 million from Lilly Endowment Inc

Andrews University has received a grant in the amount of $6,326,735 from Lilly Endowment Inc’s Ministry in Rural Areas and Small Towns Initiative. The project for which Andrews University received the Lilly Endowment grant aims to strengthen pastoral leadership in small towns and expand the resources available to rural and small-town churches.

According to an article on Andrews University’s website, Cedric Vine, who is an associate professor of New Testament at the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary and the leader of the grant project, was quoted as saying of the necessity of projects such as this, “Contrary to popular perception, rural and small-town communities are not hotbeds of religious fundamentalism but instead report the same levels of religious unbelief as urban communities while experiencing higher levels of social problems. Population shifts have led to the closure of many services. There are fewer shared spaces where members of the community can meet and support each other. This represents a great opportunity for our churches to reimagine themselves as community hubs where support can be provided in partnership with the community. We need to undertake the hard work of reimagining how our communities might be transformed by kingdom values. I am thrilled that the Seminary at Andrews University can be part of this process and thank John Wesley Taylor V, president of Andrews University, and Jiří Moskala, dean of the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary, for their strong support and commitment to this important initiative.”

Through the university’s project with the grant funding, it will set out to accomplish three goals that will aid in the pursuit of strengthening small-town and rural churches. First, the university’s Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary’s Center for Community Change will work toward helping small congregations become community hubs to engage the residents of these communities, via helping the pastors and leadership of these churches become more engaged with their congregants and the community as a whole. Second, the Center for Community Change, the North American Division’s Adventist Learning Community, Adventist Community Services department, and Ministerial Association will come together to provide community access for resources on managing mental health and overcoming addiction, among other issues that may be faced by each community.

The final piece of the funding will be used to make improvements at Andrews University, as well as at other North American Adventist institutions like Burman University, Oakwood University, Southern Adventist University, and Southwestern Adventist University. Undergraduate students at these universities will receive funding to support their placement in small town and rural communities throughout their studies. 

Nineteen other institutions, including universities and church networks, have received funding from Lilly Endowment’s Ministry in Rural Areas and Small Towns Initiative.

For more information about Andrews University, visit the school’s website.