University will establish new ‘Nashville Preaching Cooperative’ to lead creativity, reconciliation and renewal
Belmont University’s School of Theology and Christian Ministry received a grant of $421,596 from Lilly Endowment Inc. to help establish the Nashville Preaching Cooperative, one of the newest projects that will operate under the existing Anna & Ernest J. Moench Center for Church Leadership.
The program is being funded through Lilly Endowment’s Compelling Preaching Initiative, which aims to foster and support preaching that inspires, encourages and guides people to come to know and love God and to live out their Christian faith more fully.
The Nashville Preaching Cooperative seeks to create stronger relationships among influential pastors in the Nashville area, assist them in addressing and finding solutions to difficult problems, and provide a means where they can give back to the larger Nashville church and civic community through their preaching. This will support the Moench Center’s mission to enrich church leaders by supporting personal and spiritual growth, cultivating transformational imagination and creating opportunities to impact communities.
“The tradition of compelling preaching was born in the early church as the forerunners of the Christian faith shaped the gospel message in compelling ways to reach across many boundaries,” Executive Director of the Moench Center Dr. Darrell Gwaltney said. “New boundaries have been erected around partisan issues, and today’s pastors carry the burden of navigating polarizing topics in the pulpit. We’re excited about the journey pastors will take together exploring how creativity, reconciliation and renewal can bring compelling energy to their preaching.”
The Nashville Preaching Cooperative will initially be structured as a three-year program for a cohort of 10-12 preachers, defined principally by geography, seeking to be inclusive and diverse through representation of varied denominations, theological perspectives, gender and race.
The program will explore a specific theme each year that intersects with aspects of compelling preaching: creativity, reconciliation and renewal. The design of the program will move participants through a cycle of listening, learning and then leading others by sharing what they have learned with other pastors in a conference style setting and inviting new pastors to join the Cooperative– contributing the program’s sustainability.
Belmont is one of 81 organizations receiving grants through this competitive round of the Compelling Preaching Initiative. Reflecting the diversity of Christianity in the United States, the organizations are affiliated with mainline Protestant, evangelical, Catholic, Orthodox, Anabaptist and Pentecostal faith communities. Many of the organizations are rooted in the Black Church and in Hispanic and Asian American Christian traditions.
“Throughout history, preachers often have needed to adapt their preaching practices to engage new generations of hearers more effectively,” said Christopher L. Coble, Lilly Endowment’s vice president for religion. “We are pleased that the organizations receiving grants in this initiative will help pastors and others in ministry engage in the kinds of preaching needed today to ensure that the gospel message is heard and accessible for all audiences.”
Lilly Endowment launched the Compelling Preaching Initiative in 2022 because of its interest in supporting projects that help to nurture the religious lives of individuals and families and foster the growth and vitality of Christian congregations in the United States.
About Lilly Endowment Inc.
Lilly Endowment Inc. is a private foundation created in 1937 by J.K. Lilly Sr. and his sons Eli and J.K. Jr. through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. While those gifts remain the financial bedrock of the Endowment, it is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff and location. In keeping with the founders’ wishes, the Endowment supports the causes of community development, education and religion and maintains a special commitment to its hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana. A principal aim of the Endowment’s religion grantmaking is to deepen and enrich the lives of Christians in the United States, primarily by seeking out and supporting efforts that enhance the vitality of congregations and strengthen the pastoral and lay leadership of Christian communities. The Endowment also seeks to improve public understanding of diverse religious traditions by supporting fair and accurate portrayals of the role religion plays in the United States and across the globe.