New Initiatives in 2025
The Peter L. Steinke
Memorial Scholarship
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Healthy Congregations is pleased to offer 20, 30, and 50% scholarships for first time participants in GPS for Leadership, Workshop Facilitator Training, and The Leadership Series.
Thoughtful Conversations,
Healthier Congregations
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Join us for a “lunch and learn” opportunity to connect, support, and strengthen a network of faith leaders to develop a robust exchange of ideas based in systems thinking.​ Sessions will be held quarterly, online via Zoom.
The Small Town and Rural Congregational Alliance
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Healthy Congregations, Inc. is pleased to announce its participation as one of five anchor organizations in the Small Town and Rural Congregations (STRC) Alliance, developed by American Baptist College of Nashville, TN with funding from a Lilly Endowment grant.
American Baptist College has been awarded a grant of $1,999,994 from Lilly Endowment through its Ministry in Rural Areas and Small Towns Initiative. The initiative aims to provide resources to support churches in rural areas and small towns to enhance the vitality of their ministries and strengthen the leadership of the pastors and lay leaders who guide them.
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Healthy Congregations will focus on leadership development and coaching, congregational development, and community engagement by providing Bowen family systems consultations and learning opportunities. Participating Black congregations within the Baptist, United Methodist, and African Methodist Episcopal denominations in small, rural towns across Tennessee, Kentucky, and neighboring communities will engage Healthy Congregations Workshops and GPS for Leadership throughout the next four years beginning in September 2025.
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Healthy Congregations Executive Director Emlyn Ott has noted, “This opportunity provides us with a partnership across faith traditions that is unprecedented. It is a powerful example of collaborative leadership and presence alongside Program Director Rev. Dr. William Green and the anchor organizations: The Kellogg School Center for Nonprofit Management, Wendland-Cook Program in Religion and Justice at Vanderbilt University Divinity School, The Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference, and the Kaleidoscope Institute.”
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“We hope 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.
This opportunity is at the same time a tremendous privilege for Healthy Congregations to learn with small town and rural congregations in Tennessee and Kentucky and a recognition of our positive reputation for growing thoughtful leaders for a stronger church.
For more information, visit ABC's website.