The Louisville Institute

Pastoral Leadership

The Pastoral Leadership Grant Program supports research and reflection by pastors and academics on the conditions of contemporary Christian ministry, the nature of contemporary pastoral leadership in light of those conditions, and the character of pastoral excellence. The Pastoral Leadership Grant Program seeks to:

• Identify pastors and academics already working on these issues,
• Support first-rate research about the nature and practice of pastoral leadership so that the work of both new and seasoned leaders might be strengthened, and
• Generate a broader conversation in the American academic and church communities about the nature of and challenges to pastoral leadership in the contemporary world.

Among the questions that orient our work with pastoral leaders are the following:

• What habits of learning, formation, and growth are necessary for effective pastoral leadership?
• How may the church and its educational institutions employ the wisdom of pastoral leaders for ecclesial and theological renewal?
• How may pastoral leaders be encouraged to write for a broad audience and how might they be supported in those efforts?

In light of these questions, the Louisville Institute wishes to support work on four specific issues:

• the pastoral work of shaping communities
• the economics of pastoral leadership
• nurturing well-lived pastoral lives, and
• institutional leadership for the 21^st century.

Eligibility

The Pastoral Leadership Grant Program is open to both academic and pastoral leaders. Applicants must have earned the terminal degree in their chosen vocation (e.g. M.Div., Ph.D., Th.D.) and must demonstrate a capacity to complete the proposed project in a timely fashion. Questions about eligibility may be sent to info@louisville-institute.org.

Applicants may not submit applications to more than one Louisville Institute grant program within the same grant year (June 1-May 31).

Application and Selection Procedure

Application materials for the Pastoral Leadership Grant Program may be requested from the Louisville Institute or downloaded from this web site. All materials must be postmarked by March 1, each year. Grant recipients will be notified in late April or early May, and awards must be used during the following academic year. 

Applications include:

• Applicant Information and Project Summary Form,
• Narrative statement of approximately 5-7 pages (double-spaced and typed in a 12 point font, 2000 word limit) that succinctly describes the proposed research project and explains its relationship to the goals of the Pastoral Leadership grant program,
• Selective bibliography (2-3 pages double-spaced),
• Detailed budget and budget narrative. A document entitled, Guide for Budget Preparation, including sample budgets, is available on this web site,
• Copy of your current Curriculum Vitae or résumé (no more than 4 pages), and
• One letter of recommendation.

Please submit one copy of the complete proposal, using paper clips, without the use of staples and mail to the office of the Louisville Institute by the appropriate deadline. These materials, except for the Applicant Information and Project Summary Form (if submitted online) and the letter of recommendation, should be assembled in the order listed above.  The letter of recommendation should be sent by the writer directly to the Louisville Institute by the application deadline.

Awardees will be chosen by a selection committee familiar with the goals of the Pastoral Leadership Grant Program.   Applications will be judged according to the extent to which they:  1) propose a coherent, persuasive, innovative, and intellectually promising research project, and 2) address the goals of the Pastoral Leadership Grant Program.

Duration of Award and Stipend

In general, the program intends to support year-long research projects, but research periods supported by this grant may range from nine weeks to nine months. The grant amount requested should not exceed $40,000.  Normally, the Louisville Institute will pay the grant directly to the institutions of those selected. The Louisville Institute allows up to 10 percent indirect costs based on the total direct costs of the project.

Conditions

Although the Pastoral Leadership Grant program has no residence requirement, all grantees may be asked to participate in one consultation at the Louisville Institute in the year of their award or the year immediately following. Travel and lodging expenses for this meeting will be covered by the Louisville Institute.

Applicants eligible for a sabbatical leave and/or a release from all professional responsibilities during the grant period should indicate that fact in their proposal. Applicants who are not so eligible should indicate in their proposals how they plan to devote sufficient time to the proposed project.

Please note that Louisville Institute grantees may not simultaneously hold two grants from Lilly Endowment-funded organizations that total more than $45,000.