Austin Seminary Receives Grant to Renew Engagement with the Sacrament of Baptism

Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary is excited to announce that it has received a Vital Worship, Vital Preaching Grant to help renew engagement with the sacrament of baptism in Protestant worshipping communities. The grant, through the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship and funded through the Lilly Endowment Inc., will allow the Seminary to study Orthodox Christian baptismal practices and offer workshops, webinars, and other offerings. The Reverend Dr. Jennifer Lord, The Dorothy B. Vickery Professor of Homiletics and Liturgical Studies, wrote the grant and will be charged with conducting the research and designing the educational programming.

“As a Presbyterian minister and academic leader, I am concerned that baptism is often treated as a one-time event in many congregations,” said the Reverend Dr. Jennifer Lord. “I believe it is a lifelong journey of spiritual growth. My desire is to renew engagement with baptism in Protestant communities through workshops, webinars, and seminary teaching.”

In studying and learning from an Orthodox Christian worshiping community during Lent, Holy Week, and the first days of Eastertide, the Rev. Dr. Jennifer Lord hopes to glean deeper insights into the dimensions of baptismal living in that congregation. Through this research, Austin Seminary will support and engage pastoral leaders and protestant worshiping communities by offering educational opportunities that seek to:

1.        Teach the ancient rites of baptism and focus on the meanings of each component;

2.        Provide instruction on the range of theological meanings of baptism;

3.        Invite congregations to reflect on their understandings and beliefs about sin;

4.        Invite congregations to reflect on their understandings and beliefs about evil.

Austin Seminary is one of eight educational institutions that received the teacher-scholars segment of the Vital Worship, Vital Preaching Grant. The teacher-scholars division of the grant is awarded to teachers and scholars who are strengthening Christian worship through their respective disciplines. The eight projects funded through the teacher-scholars program range from examining the role public prayer plays in social witness to engaging the sacrament of baptism as a life-long spiritual practice.

“It’s inspiring to see pastoral leaders and teacher-scholars who are eager to promote vital congregational life in their local contexts and to engage Christian faith and life more deeply,” said John Witvliet, director of the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship. “We look forward to learning from each of these grantees.”

Since its inception in 2000, the Vital Worship, Vital Preaching Grants Program has awarded over a thousand one-year grants to worshipping communities and teacher-scholars. The grants fund innovative projects that reimagine and reinvigorate public worship and faith formation.

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.

About Vital Worship, Vital Preaching Grants

Since its beginning in the year 2000, the Vital Worship, Vital Preaching Grants Program has awarded more than a thousand one-year grants to worshiping communities (churches, schools, and other organizations) and teacher-scholars in various disciplines across the United States and Canada. The grants fund thoughtful, creative projects that promote renewal in public worship and faith formation at the local level. In 2023, the program launched an invitational Spanish-language grant program for Hispanic worshiping communities in the United States, including Puerto Rico. The Vital Worship, Vital Preaching Grants program is generously supported by Indianapolis-based Lilly Endowment Inc.