Collegeville Institute receives $3.88 million Lilly Endowment grant to fund four years of the Ecclesial Literature Project: Words for the Church and the World.

The Collegeville Institute has received a $3.88 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to support and expand the next four years of its Ecclesial Literature Project (ELP): Words for the Church and the World. Launched in 2006, ELP fosters vibrant cultures of religious and theological literacy in congregations, academic settings, and across the broader public.

“This generous gift from Lilly Endowment reflects a shared vision, one that reinvigorates the Collegeville Institute’s commitment to uplifting current and emerging pastoral voices in the public square,” said Collegeville Institute Executive Director, Rev. Dr. Aizaiah Yong. “It marks the beginning of a new era of deep partnership with communities across the global majority and carries generative potential to promote stories of healing, cultural transformation, and imaginative possibility in a world marked by fragmentation and othering.”

For nearly two decades, ELP has supported pastors, scholars, activists, and other Christian writers in growing their craft and vocation through writing workshops. These programs nurture the participants artistically and spiritually, while empowering them to write theologically imaginative works that enrich congregations and engage the broader public.

In the coming four years, ELP will host up to 39 in-person and eight virtual workshops, with a focus on engaging new and historically underrepresented communities. The project will continue cultivating a diverse network of writers whose work enriches congregational life and public discourse.

“We are deeply grateful for this generous support,” said Rev. Dr. Lauren F. Winner. “It allows us to grow our programming, reach new communities, and offer more opportunities for Christian writers to explore the richness of their faith. This investment opens doors for pastors, poets, essayists, and storytellers whose work strengthens congregational life and enriches the wider culture.”

Through ELP, the Collegeville Institute empowers individuals to tell their stories faithfully and creatively in response to the complexities of contemporary life.

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