Thriving Congregations

Thriving Congregations: An initiative funded by the Lilly Endowment Inc.

This five-year project is being funded through the Lilly Endowment’s Thriving Congregations Initiative. The initiative aims to encourage the flourishing of parish communities by helping them deepen their relationships with God, enhance their connections with each other, and contribute to the vitality of their communities and the world.

Through this project, we are developing ways in which parishes can continue to grow and thrive by providing the following opportunities:

• Walking Together Summer Institute: a summer intensive designed to cultivate shared leadership, deepen intercultural awareness, and strengthen pastoral practice in today's Church.
• Resources for Parish Renewal: our online toolkit meant to be a place to find resources for specific ministries to deepen and enhance our evangelical efforts.
• Podcast - Called to Lead: Pastoral Leadership for Today's Church: The podcast dives into the art and spirit of leadership in the Catholic Church. Through storytelling and dialogue with pastoral leaders, ministers, and scholars, the podcast bridges academic theology with practical ministry. These conversations invite listeners to better understand how today’s leaders answer God’s call and work to build just and inclusive communities. 

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.