Austin Seminary receives grant to launch The Children’s Sermons by Children Project

Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary has received a $1.25 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to help establish The Children’s Sermons by Children Project, an initiative designed to provide congregations with the tools needed to empower children as active co-ministers within their community and the larger Church. The Reverend Dr. Carolyn Helsel, Associate Professor in the Blair Monie Distinguished Chair in Homiletics, wrote the grant and will oversee the project.

The program is funded through Lilly Endowment’s Nurturing Children Through Worship and Prayer Initiative, a national initiative designed to help Christian congregations more fully and intentionally engage children in intergenerational corporate worship and prayer practices.

While many churches have a “Time for Children” or a “Children’s Sermon,” adults typically lead these events in worship. The Children’s Sermons by Children Project seeks to change that. Through listening sessions, cohorts, gatherings, workshops, and other resources, the Children’s Sermons by Children Project will work with both English- and Spanish-speaking Protestant congregations in Texas to ensure they have the support they need to provide older children (ages 8-12) with relevant leadership opportunities.

“The goal of the Children’s Sermons by Children Project is to equip congregations to see children not as passive audience members in worship, but rather as active co-ministers of proclamation,” says Professor Helsel. “This project is important as we seek to raise up new leaders for the church—while many youth drop out of church as teenagers and young adults, empowering children to feel integral to Christian worship can enrich the faith of children and their church communities.”

“I was raised in a congregational tradition that valued and promoted the leadership of the young,” said Austin Seminary President José R. Irizarry. “I have seen how, when nurtured in children, the passion for ministry turns into a faithful commitment to church and society in adult life. With this new grant, Austin Seminary will continue to advance its vision of forging and supporting a new generation of Christians.”

Austin Seminary is one of 91 organizations funded through the latest round of the initiative. The recipients of these grants represent and serve congregations in a broad spectrum of Christian traditions, including Catholic, mainline Protestant, evangelical, Orthodox, Anabaptist and Pentecostal faith communities.

“Congregational worship and prayer play a critical role in the spiritual growth of children and offer settings for children to acquire the language of faith, learn their faith traditions and experience the love of God as part of a supportive community,” said Christopher L. Coble, Lilly Endowment’s vice president for religion. “These programs will help congregations give greater attention to children and how they can more intentionally nurture the faith of children, as well as adults, through worship and prayer.”

About Lilly Endowment Inc
Lilly Endowment Inc. is a private philanthropic 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. The 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.

About Austin Seminary
Founded in 1902, Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary is an institution of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) whose mission is to educate and equip individuals for the ordained Christian ministry and other forms of Christian service and leadership. For more information and ways to support Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, visit www.austinseminary.edu.