Lilly Grant Initiatives

Press Release
January 27, 2026

Knox College, Toronto has received a grant of $999,464 USD from Lilly Endowment Inc. to infuse the Centre for Lifelong Learning with financial resources to animate our Ministry Forum Pastoral Leadership Initiative.

The initiative is being funded through Lilly Endowment’s Pathways for Tomorrow Initiative, which is intended to help theological schools across the United States and Canada strengthen their educational and financial capacities to prepare and support pastoral leaders for Christian congregations both now and into the future.

Rev. Dr. Ernest van Eck, Principal of Knox College celebrates that “this grant allows Knox College to stand alongside pastoral leaders in ways that are both practical and profoundly spiritual. By providing mentorship, resources, and networks for growth, we hope to nurture leaders who are confident, resilient, and connected, so that no one in ministry ever walks their calling alone.”

Knox College's Centre for Lifelong Learning, through its Ministry Forum platform, has launched a comprehensive initiative to strengthen support for pastoral leaders and congregations across The Presbyterian Church in Canada.

The project addresses critical challenges facing contemporary ministry through four interconnected strategies:

1. Improving Congregational Virtual Front Porches: Enhancing churches' digital presence through website redesign, Google Ad Grants implementation, and digital marketing training. This multi-year pilot will serve selected churches while developing transferable resources for broader application.

2. Prayer and Bible Study Accompaniment: Creating comprehensive resources that support both individual spiritual growth and congregational engagement in bible study. This includes launching accessible Bible studies through multiple formats, workshops, retreats, and e-learning resources.

3. Listening Partner Support Network: Establishing a network of trained mentors who provide confidential spaces for pastoral leaders (clergy and lay) to process challenges and discern next steps. These partners will employ trauma-informed listening practices and help identify patterns to inform future resource development.

4. Communities of Practice for Next Generation Leaders: Creating collaborative networks for pastoral leaders in next generation ministries who often experience structural marginalization and professional isolation. These communities will provide safe networking environments, professional development, and serve as resource laboratories.

By establishing sustainable support models, developing shareable resources, and cultivating collaborative networks, this initiative will transform Knox College's capacity to serve ministry leaders while advancing the College's core priorities of empowering faith communities, providing thought leadership, and fostering spiritual and emotional wellness.

"The Centre's mission is clear: no ministry leader should face Christ's calling alone. These funds enable the Centre to live out that mission by providing leaders, congregations, and various ministry contexts with the tangible supports, resources, and accompaniment they need to flourish,” Rev. John Borthwick, Director of the Centre for Lifelong Learning, said.

Knox College is one of 163 theological schools that have received grants since 2021 through the Pathways initiative. Together, the schools serve a broad spectrum of Christian traditions in the U.S. and Canada. They are affiliated with evangelical, mainline Protestant, nondenominational, Pentecostal, Orthodox, Catholic, Black church, Latino, Asian American, Indigenous and historic peace church traditions.

“Theological schools have long played a central role for most denominations and church networks in preparing and supporting pastoral leaders who guide congregations,” said Christopher L. Coble, the Endowment’s vice president for religion. “These schools are paying close attention to the challenges churches are facing today and will face in the foreseeable future. The grants will help these schools engage in wide-ranging, innovative efforts to adapt their educational programs and build their financial capacities so they can better prepare pastors and lay ministers to effectively lead the congregations they will serve in the future.”