Westmont College has received a grant of $1 million from Lilly Endowment Inc. to help establish the Westmont Center for Thriving Communities.
The program is funded through Lilly Endowment’s Thriving Congregations Initiative. The aim of the national initiative is to strengthen Christian congregations so they can help people deepen their relationships with God, build strong relationships with each other and contribute to the flourishing of local communities and the world.
Through the initiative, Lilly Endowment is making nearly $93 million in grants that will support organizations as they work directly with congregations and help them gain clarity about their values and missions; better understand the communities they serve; and draw upon their theological traditions as they adapt ministries to meet changing needs.
The Westmont Center for Thriving Communities will gather local churches to explore how they can best serve the Central Coast region as individual congregations and as a network.
Through plenary retreats, local church events, and individual consulting, the program offers congregations the diverse resources of Westmont College, drawing especially on the insights of three existing initiatives:
The Center for Social Entrepreneurship, which helps Westmont students and faculty understand and engage the Santa Barbara area; Westmont Initiative for Public Dialogue and Deliberation, which gathers people to discuss complex social problems and shared values that might drive solutions; and Westmont Decision Lab, which uses formal economic theory to help churches and other organizations make crucial decisions.
“Demographic change, racial and socioeconomic dynamics, and shifting patterns of suburban development make the Central Coast a challenging and vital place to do ministry,” said Aaron Sizer, the program’s co-director.
“The pandemic has introduced new hurdles, but also fresh opportunities to rethink how we’re doing God’s work in the world,” he said.
“This is a fascinating time for churches and leaders as they engage their communities,” said campus pastor Scott Lisea, who also co-directs the program. “A great deal of current research can help churches consider what real impact looks like.
“Westmont has scholars in theology, sociology, economics, history, art, and many other fields who can connect congregations to those discussions, helping them thrive as they serve where God has placed them.”
Westmont College is one of 92 organizations taking part in the initiative. They represent and serve churches in a broad spectrum of Christian traditions, including Anabaptist, Baptist, Episcopal, evangelical, Lutheran, Methodist, Mennonite, Pentecostal, Presbyterian, Reformed, Restoration, Roman Catholic, and Orthodox, as well as congregations that describe themselves as nondenominational.
Several organizations serve congregations in Black, Hispanic and Asian-American traditions.
“In the midst of a rapidly changing world, Christian congregations are grappling with how they can best carry forward their ministries,” said Christopher Coble, Lilly Endowment’s vice president for religion.
“These grants will help congregations assess their ministries and draw on practices in their theological traditions to address new challenges and better nurture the spiritual vitality of the people they serve,” Coble said.