The Lilly Endowment Clergy Renewal Programs at Christian Theological Seminary seek to strengthen Christian congregations by providing opportunities for their pastors to step away briefly from the demands of daily parish life and engage in a period of renewal and reflection. These competitive grants programs help congregations in the US and Puerto Rico fund renewal leaves for their pastors with awards of up to $60,000 each.
The 2026 Program is now open. Proposals submitted by the March 18, 2026 deadline must be written in support of leaves planned to begin no sooner than January 1, 2027. Review each of the steps outlined below along with the linked resources, and the Updates section found below the webinar video. Please wait until December 1, 2025 before accessing the online portal.
The Clergy Renewal Programs staff will host the annual Information Webinar on Monday, November 24 from 2 - 3:30 pm EDT. Register by clicking the link in the title above. For those not able to attend the live event, the 2025 video will replace the current one the next week.
This timeline provides an overview of the general timeline the Clergy Renewal Programs follow each year. Specific dates for each program year are noted in the Requests for Proposals. Please note, proposals are submitted the year prior to the planned renewal leave.
Christian congregations and clergy that meet the following criteria are eligible to submit proposals for a Clergy Renewal leave together:
The Lilly Endowment Clergy Renewal Programs at Christian Theological Seminary support Christian congregations by providing an opportunity for pastors to step away briefly from the demands of daily parish life and discover what will make their hearts sing through well-planned purposeful activities. Renewal leaves are not vacations; rather they allow for times of intentional exploration, reflection, and regaining enthusiasm and creativity for ministry. Renewal leaves can take many forms as each congregation and pastor uniquely answer the question, “What will make your heart sing?”
The current Requests for Proposals (RFP) linked below provide a full description of the program including eligibility requirements, program parameters, selection procedures, and the proposal writing and submission process. Please review the appropriate RFP thoroughly. Each one includes essential instructions, the required form, worksheets, and documentation, and the proposal questions.
The application process includes each step outlined here. Congregational leaders and the pastor should work together to design the renewal program, complete each step in the process, and submit the proposal by the deadline noted in the current year’s Request for Proposals.
If this is your first time submitting a proposal, watch this Information Webinar that describes the programs, explains how to submit a proposal, where to find current application materials, and provides answers to commonly asked questions. If you have applied previously and already viewed the webinar video, you may scroll down to Updates from Last Year.
November 25, 2024
2024 Clergy Renewal Program Information Webinar describes the programs, explains how to submit a proposal, where to find current application materials, and provides answers to commonly asked questions.
Many of you may be familiar with the programs and the process of submitting a proposal. The following information highlights changes to the programs since last year.
Once you have read the Request for Proposals in its entirety, viewed the webinar above, and reviewed notes for the current program year, you are ready to complete and print the fillable form. The fillable form is the same for the Indiana and National Clergy Renewal Programs. The completed form must be included as part of Proposal PDF described in the Request for Proposals document linked in Step 1.
The Clergy Renewal Programs team has prepared helpful resources for congregations and pastors applying to receive a renewal grant. These resources include advice from past grant recipients, tips for a high-quality proposal, and multimedia interviews designed to help you as you complete your proposal.
The programs are open to clergy serving as pastoral leaders in congregational ministry regardless of their role or title.
Clergy Renewal Grant funds cannot be used as a fellowship program for work toward an academic degree. Clergy whose plans are strictly dedicated to the pursuit of an academic degree are encouraged to seek support elsewhere.
A total renewal leave time of 12 weeks is encouraged. The renewal leave may be planned as a single 12-week span or as multiple leaves of no less than 2 weeks spread over the two calendar years following the year in which the proposal is submitted.
This depends on a few factors. If, in your role as a campus pastor, you are employed by the college or university where you minister, you would not be eligible to benefit from a grant. However, if you serve as a pastoral leader with a congregation that operates on the campus and are employed by the congregation, then yes.
Only clergy serving as pastoral leaders in congregational ministry are eligible to benefit from a Clergy Renewal Programs grant.
Clergy Renewal Programs grant funds may only be used for costs associated with a congregation’s and leave-taking pastor’s renewal leave program. Congregations in search of financial support for the purpose of building repairs, updates, renovations, or capital improvements should seek out other sources for these types of financial needs.
Once Steps 1-4 are completed, you are ready to review your proposal PDF as described in the Request for Proposals Checklist, gather the worksheets, and submit your proposal using the online portal (link available December 1). All proposals submitted by eligible congregations receive equal consideration in the review process. Please note, access to the online portal closes with the March 18, 2026, deadline.
If you have questions not answered in the timeline, eligibility, programs description, Request for Proposals, FAQs, or detailed application process steps outlined above, please complete this Contact form.
Please be aware that all fields are required to successfully submit the form, and it will only accept one inquiry per email address. . If you have previously used this form, please send us an email instead at ClergyRenewal@cts.edu and one of our staff will be happy to respond to you.
Para más información en español contactar ale@zoenetwork.mx.
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