San Diego, CA — July 15, 2025 — Point Loma Nazarene University is pleased to announce that it has received an additional $500,000 from Lilly Endowment Inc. to help sustain and expand the Ministerial Coaching Initiative, a program of the Center for Pastoral Leadership.
Launched in 2020 with the support of a $1 million grant from Lilly Endowment, the aim of the Ministerial Coaching Initiative is to strengthen pastoral leadership in Southwest US. It is designed to equip pastors with professional development and peer-to-peer coaching, addressing the specific leadership challenges faced in congregational ministry today. The program emphasizes relational support, resilience, and authentic leadership, encouraging pastors to navigate their vocations with courage and conviction. With a team of over 40 professional trained coaches, MCI now serves pastors all over the US and Canada. It is offered in Korean and Spanish in addition to English.
Derek Taylor, Director of the PLNU Center for Pastoral Leadership, expressed gratitude for the continued support: “This additional funding enables us to deepen our impact, expanding our capacity to serve more pastors and sustain the innovative model of personal and cohort coaching that promotes peer connection, collaboration, and deep professional growth.”
The Center for Pastoral Leadership remains committed to partnering with pastors to foster leadership that is authentic, resilient, and equipped to meet the demands of contemporary ministry. This additional grant will significantly expand the reach and sustainability of the initiative, ensuring its lasting positive impact on faith communities nationwide.
Lilly Endowment has supported the center’s programs through the Thriving in Ministry Initiative. The national initiative is designed to help organizations committed to supporting pastoral leaders in congregations develop new or strengthen existing programs that help pastors build relationships with experienced clergy who can serve as role models.
For more information about the Center for Pastoral Leadership and the Ministerial Coaching Initiative, visit ministerialcoachinginitiatitve.org.
About Point Loma Nazarene University
Point Loma Nazarene University’s core mission is to develop students spiritually, academically, and professionally as they prepare to serve and lead with integrity and compassion. The Center for Pastoral Leadership exemplifies the university’s commitment to nurturing effective faith-based leaders.
Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based private foundation created in 1937 by J. K. Lilly 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, the Endowment is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff and location. In keeping with its founders’ wishes, the Endowment supports the causes of community development, education and religion. While the Endowment funds programs throughout the United States on an invitational basis to support these causes, especially in the field of religion, it maintains a special commitment to its founders’ hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana.