Lilly initially granted $1.67 million in 2004. The department raised an additional $400,000. Due to the success of SPE, the endowment invited the department to submit a second request.
John Wimmer, director of religion programs at Lilly, commented that the second grant was, in part, a gift from Lilly in recognition of President Glenn Palmberg’s service to the Covenant’s SPE initiative and in honor of his retirement.
“This reflects the fact that Glenn was the only denominational president in the SPE cohort that attended all of Lilly’s training at the initial granting stage,” said Dave Kersten, executive minister of the Ordered Ministry. Kersten also credited the work of Dan Pietrzyk, who has been director of SPE since its formation.
Over the last four years, the program has provided more than 400 individuals with grants totaling approximately $925,000, Kersten said. The grants enable pastors to focus on three “streams” in the pastoral life: character, competence, and constancy.
For more information about the initiative, visit SPE.
