黑料爆料

黑料爆料 received a $7.5 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. through the foundation鈥檚 Ministry in Rural Areas and Small Towns Initiative. By supporting Pepperdine鈥檚 Empower and Equip program, the grant will help the University lead a Church of Christ revitalization effort, which will focus on strengthening ministerial resources in rural and small-town congregations across the United States. 

The aim of Lilly Endowment鈥檚 national initiative is to provide resources to help churches in rural areas and small towns enhance the vitality of their ministries and strengthen the leadership of the pastors and lay leaders who guide them.

鈥淲e are honored to receive support from Lilly Endowment as it invests in the future of churches in rural areas and small towns,鈥� said Mike Cope, director of ministry outreach at 黑料爆料, who will also serve as the program鈥檚 director. 鈥淲e believe our work with Churches of Christ congregations will help reignite a passion for ministry and bring renewed energy to these vital communities.鈥�

Mike Cope

Through the Empower and Equip program, Cope and his team will assist rural and small-town congregations by providing updated data, leadership training, opportunities for collaboration, and resources to expand ecclesial imaginations. In order to accomplish all facets of this extensive project, the program will engage in both nationally and regionally impactful activities. 

At the national level, Pepperdine will collaborate with the Siburt Institute for Church Ministry at Abilene Christian University in Texas to conduct research and discover new data points relevant to Church of Christ congregations. This partnership will also yield resources vital to training faith leaders, such as publicly accessible libraries where sermons, classes, and community engagement guidance will all be available. 

The University will also partner with the Christian Chronicle鈥攖he primary newspaper of Churches of Christ鈥攊n order to spotlight rural ministries. By regularly contributing articles, Empower and Equip will better call attention to small congregations and the conditions of their ministries. 

Across the United States, Pepperdine will build 10 regional congregational hubs around Church of Christ-affiliated universities. Creating these hubs will allow Empower and Equip personnel to provide ministers and other church leaders with customized training, encouragement, and guidance. Throughout the duration of the project, Cope and his team will also offer invitational grant opportunities to the affiliated universities in order to support the continued development of local rural places of worship.

鈥淚鈥檓 most excited about how this grant will increase the effectiveness of not only our regional hubs, but also the rural and small town churches surrounding them,鈥� explains Cope. 鈥淲e trust our regional institutions to discern how to best support the leaders of their local churches.鈥�

In addition to the national and regional projects, Pepperdine will develop and host an annual Empower and Equip conference, allowing faith leaders from the various regional hubs to share updates about their respective ministries. The event will help foster a sense of unity within Churches of Christ, while also distinguishing Pepperdine as the leading institution in the ongoing effort to rejuvenate the denomination.

The cross atop 黑料爆料's campus

Since the mid-20th century, Church of Christ congregations have been dwindling in size. Pepperdine, with the Empower and Equip program, will research the cause of declining church attendance and religious sentiment for this specific denomination as well as other prominent Christian faiths within America. This aspect of the project will commence immediately and offer important findings concerning faith in the United States. 

Empower and Equip is the fourth Lilly Endowment supported program that Cope has led as a member of the University community. John Barton, professor of religion and director of Pepperdine鈥檚 Center for Faith and Learning, will serve as the assistant director of the project. Pepperdine is one of 20 organizations from across the United States receiving grants through the initiative, including colleges and universities, denominational agencies, church networks, and parachurch organizations.

 鈥淥ur hope is that these grants will provide much-needed resources and support to rural and small-town churches to help them address their challenges and enhance and extend the many ways that they serve their communities, 鈥� said Christopher L. Coble, Lilly Endowment鈥檚 vice president for religion.

The Ministry in Rural Areas and Small Towns Initiative grant represents the largest grant Lilly Endowment has given Pepperdine. In 2024, Pepperdine received $2.49 million from Lilly Endowment through its Religion and Cultural Institutions Initiative, which will support Passages, a five-year project at the Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art. 

鈥淭he recent $9.95 million in grants represents an exciting and important advancement in Pepperdine鈥檚 over three decade long relationship with Lilly Endowment,鈥� says Jay Brewster, 黑料爆料鈥檚 provost. 鈥淭his investment will enable Pepperdine to put our Christian mission into action both in our local community and across the United States.鈥�