Lilly Compelling Preaching Initiative—what’s it all about?

In the early 2020s, Lilly Endowment, Inc., fondly and somewhat cheekily known as the Church’s One Foundation, invited a select group to apply for grants in a new initiative they called Compelling Preaching. One of the largest foundations in the United States, Lilly Endowment gives millions in support of “efforts that enhance the vitality of congregations and strengthen the pastoral and lay leadership of Christian communities.” This new initiative grew out of the acknowledgement that we are living through a time of significant change for Christianity in North America.