An Invitation to Indianapolis
In September, I traveled to Indianapolis with my friend Dr. Frank Guertin for the 2026 Pathways for Tomorrow gathering. Frank serves as executive director of Lipscomb University’s LIFT program, an initiative of the Hazelip School of Theology. As a member of LIFT’s advisory board, I was grateful for his invitation to join him September 22–24 and consider what we could learn together.
The gathering brought together approximately 600 participants representing 111 theological schools. I had wonderful conversations with people from a wide range of Christian traditions, learning about their work and the challenges they were trying to address. Our settings differed, sometimes considerably, but several questions kept surfacing:
- Who is seeking preparation for ministry today?
- What do congregations need from theological schools?
- How can those of us already serving in ministry help prepare the people who will serve alongside us and after us?
I came home encouraged by the collaborative spirit I encountered. People were willing to share ideas, discuss what they were learning, and listen to the experiences of others. Across both the sessions and the conversations between them, I saw a renewed interest in how churches and theological schools can work together to prepare leaders.
An Investment in the Future of Ministry
The Pathways for Tomorrow initiative is supported by Lilly Endowment Inc., a private philanthropic foundation whose work includes strengthening Christian congregations and their leaders. Through these grants, the Endowment is helping theological schools strengthen their educational programs and long-term sustainability so they can continue preparing and supporting people for ministry.
That work involves some substantial questions.
- How are the leadership needs of churches changing?
- Who has access to theological education, and who faces barriers to participating?
- What kinds of partnerships could help schools serve congregations more effectively?
The grants give participating schools resources to explore these questions and develop approaches suited to their particular settings.
The Association of Theological Schools (ATS), in partnership with the In Trust Center for Theological Schools, coordinates support and shared learning for the initiative. The Indianapolis gathering was part of that effort, bringing project leaders together to exchange ideas and learn from one another’s experiences.
At Lipscomb, Hazelip’s contribution takes shape through LIFT: the Leadership Initiative for Tomorrow. LIFT brings theological education into partnership with local congregations. Church leaders work with Frank to identify training needs, then collaborate with Hazelip faculty to develop customized online offerings. This creates opportunities for people who want to grow in their ministry but may be unable to pursue a degree.
That possibility interests me deeply. Our churches have people already teaching, leading, caring for others, and carrying significant ministry responsibilities. LIFT invites us to consider what further preparation would help them serve well, including opportunities beyond traditional seminary courses and degree programs.
Making Connections
One of the things I most appreciated about the gathering was the opportunity to talk with people working on similar questions in very different settings. Each school brought its own history, church relationships, and understanding of what preparing someone for ministry requires. I was able to spend extensive time with leaders from the Southern Baptists, American Baptists, Canadian Baptists, Orthodox, Catholic, United Methodist, and Assemblies of God traditions, for example. Listening to their experiences helped me think deeply about my own work and context at Tusculum.
The organizers had even created an AI tool, Explore PFT, to help groups find one another and connect around their projects. I loved the collaborative spirit behind that effort. With so many schools represented, there were opportunities to find people exploring similar ideas, learn from their experience, and offer something from our own. I’ve received several bits of follow-up correspondence from some of the people I met there.
The conversations were valuable in themselves. They also gave me a glimpse of some larger developments in theological education. Across the differences among our traditions, I kept hearing about changing student populations, the importance of listening closely to churches, and the essential contribution of experienced ministers to the formation of future leaders. Those themes stayed with me after I returned home.
Who Are We Preparing?
One recurring theme was the variety of people seeking preparation for ministry. In conversations with Orthodox participants, I heard about an influx of young adults into their churches. We also discussed preparing people who discern a call to ministry after years in another career. These learners bring varied experiences, family responsibilities, and educational needs.
Our conversations at Lipscomb include another group: people who want theological education and ministry training without pursuing a degree. Many are already serving in their congregations. They teach classes, lead ministries, visit people in difficult circumstances, and help their churches make consequential decisions. What would help them carry those responsibilities with greater understanding and wisdom?
That question deserves serious attention. A degree program offers a valuable path of preparation, and congregations also need accessible opportunities for people whose circumstances call for a different approach. Through LIFT, Lipscomb is exploring what that learning could look like when it begins with the people in the pews and the ministries they are being asked to undertake.
Listening to the Churches
Another encouraging theme was a renewed commitment to listening to congregations. I heard people asking how their schools could better understand the churches they serve and prepare students for the responsibilities awaiting them.
As a long-time minister who is still actively serving in congregational ministry, it means a lot to me to see seminaries like Hazelip asking such relevant questions and striving to help.
There can be a considerable distance between designing a curriculum and carrying the daily responsibilities of ministry. Congregational life involves interpreting Scripture, accompanying people through suffering, navigating conflict, developing volunteers, and helping a community discern its next faithful step. Preparing people for that work requires sustained conversation with those who are doing it.
Theological schools bring scholarship, depth, and resources that churches need. Congregations bring experience and questions that should help shape ministerial preparation. That relationship can become a fruitful exchange, with each helping the other see more clearly.
Churches also have a responsibility to recognize and encourage potential leaders. Who among us shows gifts that deserve cultivation? Who needs an invitation to consider ministry? The partnership begins well before someone submits a seminary application, and it should continue throughout their preparation.
Learning Alongside a Minister
Several presenters and conversation partners emphasized how crucial it is for future ministers to learn alongside experienced ministers who can mentor them. Congregations provide places to practice, receive honest feedback, and grow in judgment.
At Tusculum, we welcomed Lipscomb student Barrett Starks as a preaching ministry intern during the 2025–2026 school year. I arranged opportunities for him to learn from our deacons and ministry leaders and share meals with households in the congregation.
As his preaching mentor, I wanted him to gain experience in the pulpit, combined with extensive conversations about what goes on “beneath the hood” in the process of sermon development and delivery. I shared all of my prep work with him for months, and we discussed regularly what I did, how I did it, and why, as well as how we felt it all went from week to week.
For his involvement, we began with shorter devotionals, including communion reflections, then progressed to shared preaching, a stand-alone sermon, and finally a three-part sermon series. That final assignment required him to develop a coherent direction across several weeks and consider how each sermon contributed to the whole.
Coaching him through that progression was, honestly, a lot of work. But it was good work. Barrett now serves full-time in ministry and expresses deep gratitude for the ways Tusculum invested in him and gave him room to grow. You can listen to our exit interview here.
Preparing the next generation of ministers asks our churches to give time, attention, and opportunities to people who are still learning. Those investments matter.
Two Lessons Worth Bringing Home
All of the sessions I attended offered insights I could readily connect with congregational ministry. Here were two of my favorites.
In “The Asynchronous Conundrum,” Lindsay Andreolli-Comstock and Mary Andreolli explored how to build human connection into online learning. Our group began with a playful question: How could we design a course guaranteed to make students quit? Confusing instructions, tedious material, and absent feedback came easily to mind. Reversing those failures gave us practical design principles. I can think of dozens of places in church life where beginning with the negative question–“How can we get this totally wrong?”–could give us wisdom and core values for how to get things right!
In “Turning Data into Direction,” Kay Edwards framed evaluation as stewardship. Offering a workshop tells us what we did; discovering how participants apply what they learned tells us something about its impact. That distinction matters for churches, too. When we invest time and resources in preparing leaders, we should consider what growth we hope to see and what evidence would help us recognize it. It is important not only to consider what people report, but also what they actually do with what they’ve learned. Did anything actually change?
Preparing Leaders Together
I’m grateful to Frank for inviting me into these conversations and for the opportunity to participate in LIFT’s work. I returned from Indianapolis encouraged by the willingness of so many people to listen, share what they are learning, and build partnerships for the good of churches.
For those of us serving in congregations, this work is close at hand. There are people among us whose gifts need encouragement, whose questions deserve thoughtful engagement, and whose growth will require opportunities we can help provide. Theological schools bring valuable resources to that work, and our churches have much to contribute. Preparing leaders together begins with recognizing those people and making room for them to grow.
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