Grantee Directory

A Rocha USA’s Churches of Restoration program helps congregations understand and practically address the social, ecological, and spiritual impacts of nature loss and climate change. Our program connects participating congregations to local ecosystems and like-minded churches, empowering them to practically and collaboratively respond to pressing ecological concerns through restorative ecological actions.

Black congregations came into being to bear the gospel message of God’s kindom -- the reign of love and justice -- to the needs of healing and uplift for Black lives. In ethical and theological terms, justice is a divine moral imperative to do what is right in a manner that is fair and impartial. ABC stands in a unique position to help Tennessee congregations explore theological and ministry praxis for implementing strategies relevant for prophetic mission and social justice ministry. To this end, ABC is engaging congregations of varying denominations and sizes in Congregational Empowerment Zone (CEZ) cohorts from the four major urban areas of the state of Tennessee: Chattanooga, Knoxville, Memphis, and Nashville. ABC supports these congregations battling the intersecting evils of social crisis and justice-adjacent issues by facilitating their sociological and theological reflection and engagement on strategies for effective mission and ministry decision-making through learning communities for pastoral development, congregational study linking theology to lived reality, and peer learning. The common definitions for “thrive” or “thriving” are to grow vigorously, develop well, advance, or flourish with intentionality toward a purpose or mission. Adding theological content to the definition of “thriving,” this congregational initiative hopes to invigorate and breathe new life into the ecclesial practice of Black churches in three foci for spiritual and social empowerment: 1) Theological Imagination -- re-engaging all forms of oppression and dominant interpretations of reality through a congregation’s exercise of critical consciousness and human agency; 2) Ministry Praxis -- reorienting reflection and action upon forms of prophetic communal care to transform the ways in which congregations address social domains of injustice; and 3) Adaptive Leadership -- Re-visioning toward emancipatory models of non-hierarchical, gender equitable, and intergenerational leadership to humanize systems through profound love for people and the community. These areas of empowerment represent the Gospel’s portrayal of the teachings, moral uplift, and ministry of Jesus to those looked upon and treated by a spiritually ailing society as “the least of these.” ABC expects at the end of this process that congregations’ understandings of spirituality as social witness will stretch and empower participants to name the realities impacting marginalized and oppressed communities and imagine and engage unitive possibilities to transform them.

Augsburg University is about 1.5 miles north of the epicenter of the uprising in the wake of George Floyd’s murder. A thriving congregation in the Twin Cities from this day on must be actively engaged in dismantling white supremacy and leading in racial justice. The Christensen Center for Vocation (CCV) at Augsburg University creates systems that generate opportunities for students, faculty, and staff to experience vocational discernment through partnerships with local faith communities for the common good. The Thriving Congregations Initiative grant will enable Augsburg's CCV to expand and solidify the future of this work with congregations and the university community. We have been doing this work for three years with an expanding ecumenical network of ELCA, PCUSA, UMC, and ECUSA congregations located in urban, suburban, and exurban neighborhoods. We will walk with our partners through two consecutive two-year learning communities consisting of leadership teams from 12 congregations. Our hope is to develop an ecumenical network of 24 congregations over five years who are becoming more deeply engaged in the proclamation of Christ's good news in transformative ways in their contexts.

Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary's Houses of Hope program serves small town and rural congregations. Its mission explicitly includes service to the church in ways beyond theological degrees. The congregations the program addresses are places where hope is often at a low ebb, but where the potential for congregations to influence transformation toward hope is significant. The program focuses on Christian practices of forgiveness and gratitude that open to and nourish hope. A digital Houses of Hope Learning Center serves congregations across the country, while Houses of Hope Learning Cohorts deeply engage congregations in Oklahoma and Texas.

This project is a collaboration among academic researchers, pastors, ministry leaders, and church members. It will enhance the vitality of Christian congregations by inviting the Church and academy to work alongside each other in meaningful ways to bridge the gap between Sunday’s worship and the work of their congregants from Monday through Saturday. The project will gather pastors and leaders from 20 churches in four geographical areas: Southern California, Northern California, the Southwest, and Pacific Northwest. The participants will gather regularly over five-years to explore how churches can effectively empower Sunday worshipers to embrace their callings as Christians in their everyday lives. The project will conclude with one church in each region hosting an Engaging Faith Conference in the final two years to share what they have discovered with other congregations in their area.

Like anyone else, youth and young adults with disabilities, mental health conditions, and chronic illnesses want to know and be known by God, to love and be loved by their neighbors, to serve and be served by others, and to discover and live out their callings. Yet so many congregations still struggle to welcome and weave these young people into the life of their faith communities—both on and between Sundays. Our project is equipping churches to pursue and embrace youth and young adults (ages 13-25) in new ways that lead to spiritual growth, holistic well-being, belonging, and mutual thriving through accessible Christian practices. We are supporting churches to: 1) Engage creatively with local disability and mental health organizations to understand the needs and hopes of young people and their families; 2) Clarify their values and missions as they reflect theologically on disability and ministry; 3) Adapt and apply Christian practices in ways that are accessible, enriching, and spiritually formative; 4) Gather in new and faithful ways that lead to a strong sense of belonging to God and others. We are adopting a structured learning process for church cohorts that incorporates both research-based and relationally-driven approaches. We are convinced that the prayerful movements of churches can lead to the flourishing of young people with disabilities, mental health challenges, and chronic illness. We are also certain that embracing these individuals and their families leads to the flourishing of our faith communities. We are capturing and sharing this fuller story through strong evaluation, practical resource development, strategic partnerships, and broad dissemination. Our project reflects unique interdisciplinary collaboration across three schools (George W. Truett Theological Seminary, School of Education, Diana R. Garland School of Social Work) and two centers (Baylor Center for Developmental Disabilities, Center for Church and Community Impact).