Columbia International University (CIU) has received a grant of $1 million from Lilly Endowment Inc. This funding will accelerate the full rollout of Columbia Biblical Seminary’s Engage Program, a pioneering model of competency-based theological education (CBTE) that makes ministry training more affordable, accessible and contextually grounded.
The Engage Program is being funded through Lilly Endowment’s Pathways for Tomorrow Initiative, which is intended to help theological schools across the United States and Canada strengthen their educational and financial capacities to prepare and support pastoral leaders for Christian congregations both now and into the future.
Launched in 2023 as a pilot program with initial support from the Association of Theological Schools, the Engage Program has already impacted students in 12 states. The program allows current and aspiring pastors, lay leaders, and other ministry-minded individuals to continue in their ministry contexts while completing rigorous theological studies. Students pay an affordable monthly subscription fee, enabling them to graduate debt-free while gaining both theological depth and practical ministry experience. The grant will enable the seminary to:
- Fund a full-time program director to lead the Engage Program,
- Develop comprehensive mentor training systems,
- Provide start-up scholarships for under-resourced students,
- Refine program systems and assessment tools, and
- Expand marketing and church engagement strategies.
Dr. David A. Croteau, Dean of Columbia Biblical Seminary, says the grant is an affirmation of CBS’s mission to equip biblically grounded leaders focused on impacting the nations with the message of Christ.
“The Engage Program is not only meeting the urgent need for affordable theological education, but also ensuring that students are shaped spiritually and practically within their own ministry contexts,” Croteau said.
The program’s first cohort graduated in May 2025, with students testifying to its life-changing impact.
“God created the program for me,” said graduate Will Stroud. “Faculty and staff walk alongside the student in a discipleship relationship as you grow in your ministry calling.”
In the next five years, CBS projects enrollment of more than 100 students, generating long-term sustainability while creating a replicable model for other seminaries nationwide.
Columbia Biblical Seminary is one of 163 theological schools that have received grants since 2021 through Lilly Endowment’s Pathways initiative. Together, the schools serve a broad spectrum of Christian traditions in the U.S. and Canada. They are affiliated with evangelical, mainline Protestant, nondenominational, Pentecostal, Orthodox, Catholic, Black church, Latino, Asian American, Indigenous and historic peace church traditions.
“Theological schools have long played a central role for most denominations and church networks in preparing and supporting pastoral leaders who guide congregations,” said Christopher L. Coble, the Endowment’s vice president for religion. “These schools are paying close attention to the challenges churches are facing today and will face in the foreseeable future. The grants will help these schools engage in wide-ranging, innovative efforts to adapt their educational programs and build their financial capacities so they can better prepare pastors and lay ministers to effectively lead the congregations they will serve in the future.”
About Lilly Endowment Inc.
Lilly Endowment Inc. is a private foundation created in 1937 by J.K. Lilly Sr. and his sons Eli and J.K. Jr. through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. While those gifts remain the financial bedrock of the Endowment, it is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff and location. In keeping with the founders’ wishes, the Endowment supports the causes of community development, education and religion and maintains a special commitment to its hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana. A principal aim of the Endowment’s religion grantmaking is to deepen and enrich the lives of Christians in the United States, primarily by seeking out and supporting efforts that enhance the vitality of congregations and strengthen the pastoral and lay leadership of Christian communities. The Endowment also seeks to improve public understanding of religion and lift up in fair, accurate and balanced ways the roles that people of all faiths and various religious communities play in the United State and around the globe.
About Columbia International University
Founded in 1923, Columbia International University, educates students from a biblical worldview to impact the nations with the message of Christ. Columbia Biblical Seminary, one of CIU’s key divisions, continues that legacy by preparing leaders who are biblically faithful, spiritually mature and missionally engaged. For more information about the Engage Program visit ciu.edu.
Photo: Engage program graduates Will Stroud (left) and Lucky Lee Detty (right) celebrate with Dr. David Croteau, dean of Columbia Biblical Seminary.
