Bloomfield Hills, MI, Oct. 1, 2018—Christ Church Cranbrook (CCC) has received a five-year grant of $579,475 to re-establish the Institute for Advanced Pastoral Studies with its partner congregation, Hartford Memorial Baptist Church, located in Detroit. It is part of Lilly Endowment Inc.’s Thriving in Ministry, an initiative that supports a variety of religious organizations across the nation as they create or strengthen programs that help pastors build relationships with experienced clergy who can serve as mentors and guide them through key leadership challenges in congregational ministry.
The grant will help re-establish the Institute for Advanced Pastoral Studies, originally founded by Christ Church Cranbrook in 1957. The Institute moved to Marygrove College in 1981, eventually becoming the Ecumenical Theological Seminary. The re-established Institute for Advanced Pastoral Studies will be a congregationally-based effort to bring together intentionally ecumenical and diverse groups of clergy to build leadership capabilities, develop networks, and provide a spiritual grounding to pastors who shepherd congregations in Metropolitan Detroit. The program will, therefore, provide a platform for positive social change in Detroit. While administered by Christ Church Cranbrook, learning sites will be located in local congregations and allied organizations throughout the Metropolitan Detroit area.
“I am profoundly grateful to Lilly Endowment for its generous support and leadership in helping us re-establish the Institute for Advanced Pastoral Studies,” said the Reverend Canon Dr. William J. Danaher, Jr, Rector of Christ Church Cranbrook. “I cannot imagine a more important grant for us to receive. It will not only provide priests and pastors in the Metropolitan Detroit area with critical leadership skills and support networks, but it will help us build bridges and friendships that will enable new relationships and collaborations to emerge among the many churches in our area. I am also thankful to The Rev. Charles C. Adams and Hartford Memorial Baptist Church for joining us as an equal partner in this important and timely work.”
“The Metropolitan Detroit area is one of the greatest in the country, and we as faith communities will work together in a singular effort to contribute to its revitalization,” said the Reverend Charles Christian Adams, Presiding Pastor of Hartford Memorial Baptist Church. “With the Institute for Advanced Pastoral Studies, we will emerge from the narrow wells of isolation and bask in the vast ocean of unity and community.”
The Institute will include three major programming opportunities that will reoccur on an annual basis:
Christ Church Cranbrook is one of 78 organizations located in 29 states that is taking part in the initiative. The organizations reflect diverse Christian traditions: mainline and evangelical Protestant, Roman Catholic and Orthodox. The Endowment is making nearly $70 million in grants through the Thriving in Ministry initiative.
Thriving in Ministry is part of Lilly Endowment’s grantmaking to strengthen pastoral leadership in Christian congregations in the United States. This has been a grantmaking priority at Lilly Endowment for nearly 25 years.
“Leading a congregation today is multi-faceted and exceptionally demanding,” said Christopher L. Coble, Lilly Endowment’s vice president for religion. “When pastors have opportunities to build meaningful relationships with experienced colleagues, they are able to negotiate the challenges of ministry and their leadership thrives. These promising programs, including Christ Church Cranbrook’s Institute for Advanced Pastoral Studies, will help pastors develop these kinds of relationships, especially when they are in the midst of significant professional transitions.”
About Christ Church Cranbrook
Founded in 1928, Christ Church Cranbrook (CCC) occupies a unique position in the greater Detroit area, providing a large dynamic, thriving, inclusive and welcoming parish in the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan. The parish was founded by remarkable acts of generosity and philanthropy and continues its deep and abiding commitment to share the Gospel and promote positive social change through its many ministries and partnerships in Detroit and Pontiac. Celebrating its 90th anniversary this year, CCC aims to gather Christian people from diverse backgrounds around God’s table in communion through its fourfold vision: Meeting Jesus, Finding Joy, Sharing Beauty, and Serving Others.
Website: www.christchurchcranbrook.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/christchurchcranbrook
Instagram: @christchurchcranbrook
YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/CCCranbrook
About Hartford Memorial Baptist Church
Founded in 1917 and recognized by Michigan Historical officials as the first church for African-Americans on Detroit’s northwest side, Hartford Memorial Baptist Church is lauded as a prestigious place where leaders have sought social justice. Following the motto, “the community might not belong to the congregation, but the house of worship is for everyone in it”, the church features a variety of ministries including: a bible studies institute, home rental availability, tutoring, holiday meal giveaway and heads an annual black college tour.
Website: http://hmbcdetroit.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hartford100
About Lilly Endowment, Inc.
Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based private philanthropic foundation created in 1937 by three members of the Lilly family – J.K. Lilly Sr. and sons Eli and J.K. Jr. – through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly & Company. While those gifts remain the financial bedrock of the Endowment, the Endowment 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. The Endowment maintains a special commitment to its hometown, Indianapolis, and its home state Indiana. Its grantmaking in religion focuses on supporting efforts to strengthen the leadership and vitality of Christian congregations throughout the country and to increase the public’s understanding of the role of religion in public life.