In a time when people are pulled in so many conflicting directions, congregations and their members often struggle to find meaning and purpose in their lives. Many people and communities seek the wisdom to know how they are called to live faithfully in their own unique contexts. They may grapple with questions of identity, vocation, and relationships. Congregational leadership might want to provide resources to address these questions, but do not know where to begin.

Boston University School of Theology (BUSTH) is pleased to announce Lilly Endowment Inc. has awarded BUSTH a $1.5 million five-year grant to create an innovation hub to foster creative vocational reflection in congregations today. This hub will focus on the important BUSTH constituency of mainline New England Protestant congregations. BUSTH officials intend to share resulting research with others across the United States.

The grant awarded to BUSTH is one of 13 grants Lilly Endowment is making through Called to Lives of Meaning and Purpose, a $20 million national initiative. The initiative is designed to help US-based organizations as they work with congregations to build new ministries and lift up practices of discernment of vocation in Christian traditions. At BUSTH, the Center for Practical Theology will be the locus of the grant project.