December 9, 2025 – Eden Theological Seminary has received a $10 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to help the seminary create large-scale collaborations that will push the envelope of innovation in preparing tomorrow’s ministers, pastors, and leaders in the progressive Christian movement.

The grant is being funded through Lilly Endowment’s Pathways for Tomorrow Initiative. This initiative is designed to help theological schools across the United States and Canada as they prioritize and respond to the most pressing challenges they face as they prepare pastoral leaders for Christian congregations both now and into the future. The grant to Eden is one of 45 that Lilly Endowment made in the competitive round of the Pathways initiative.

Eden’s collaborations with other seminaries, regional church bodies, and other church-organizations continue a trajectory of academic and financial cooperation to equip and empower congregations and their leaders in the current and future digital age. Eden is honored to embark on the initial phases of this project with United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities in Minnesota, as well as two schools of the Saskatoon Theological Union in Canada, Memphis Theological Seminary in Tennessee, and BSK Theological Seminary in Kentucky. Regional bodies and church organizations in the United Church of Christ currently collaborating in this project include the UCC Pension Boards, United Church Funds, and Southern New England Conference UCC, as well as AdMinWise as an ecumenical organization.

Eden Theological Seminary will launch the Momentum for Ministry Initiative to establish the Progressive Christian Ministry System for Congregational Vitality, with the goal to increase the number of educated progressive leaders prepared for ministry and to foster collaboration among seminaries nationwide. This project will produce new working relationships among faculty of multiple seminaries and new educational resources in cooperation with congregations that meet the moment of the new digital age. It will establish a fellowship program as a systematic relationship of mutual learning among recent seminary alumni, congregations, and seminaries for support and innovation much like new doctors, medical schools and hospitals learn together. Through this initiative, Eden and collaborators will bridge the current gap between congregations and schools, providing ongoing financial support to Christian leaders through a post-graduate fellowship that reduces their student debt and secures their retirements. The initiative will also provide a pathway for seminaries to work together by sharing faculty, staff, and curricular resources, ensuring that they are resourced to thrive in the digital age.

“We are thrilled to lead the way with our collaborators into a future where theological schools share resources and work with congregations, creating an ecosystem where tomorrow’s Christian leaders are empowered to support thriving communities in St. Louis, across the US and Canada, and far beyond.”
– Deborah Krause, President, Eden Theological Seminary

“Eden is on the frontier of Christian ministry and theological education, and Lilly Endowment Inc. has recognized Eden’s vision and disciplined work toward new models for the church.” – B. David Rowe, Windemere Consulting President

Lilly Endowment launched the Pathways for Tomorrow Initiative in 2021. Since then, it has provided grants totaling more than $700 million to support 163 theological schools in efforts to strengthen their own educational and financial capacities and to assist 61 schools in developing large-scale collaborative endeavors.

About Eden Theological Seminary
Established in 1850 by predecessors of the United Church of Christ, Eden Theological Seminary is a leading educational institution aligned with the progressive Christian movement. By combining theological rigor with community action, Eden offers a seminary education to meet the moment. Students can pursue Master’s, Doctorates, Certificates or other learning opportunities designed for Nonprofit, Community, Social Justice, and Congregational Leaders at Eden. Wherever you are in your educational journey, you are welcome at Eden. Learn more at www.eden.edu.

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 States and around the globe traditions in the United States and across the globe.

Jacob has Cerebral Palsy, a lifelong neurological condition often leading to difficulties with movement, posture, and muscle coordination (www.cerebralpalsycenter.com). That’s why he’s known as the “Six Fingered Pianist” – he plays using only one of the fingers on his left hand.

One of the reasons his time at Eden was significant was that it was the first place that Jacob learned about disability theology as a practice.

“As I think about it now, it feels like “Duh!,” but the idea that there was a part of theology that could speak to my experience as a disabled person was groundbreaking at the time.” – Rev. Jacob Nault

Today, Jacob volunteers his time advocating for accessibility and inclusion within the United Church of Christ (UCC). He serves on the UCC Disabilities Ministries Board, and chairs the Disability Theology Committee. In these roles he develops resources, shares devotionals on social media, creates music for the denomination that speaks to disability justice, and more.

Jacob the Small Town Pastor

Jacob is also a full-time pastor at Union Congregational Church in Waupun, Wisconsin. Waupun is a rural town of 11,000, yet it’s home to the largest maximum security prison in the state.

“It’s odd to be thinking about liberation and justice, pastoring in a town where one of the biggest contributors to the local economy is the criminal justice system.” – Rev. Jacob Nault

Yet, Jacob stays committed to progressive Christian values in a town full of conservative churches. This year, Jacob has found himself in the center of a controversy during an ultra-right campaign to ban books that feature the LGBTQ+ community at local libraries. Jacob spoke out, sharing that not all theological viewpoints supported banning the books. As a result of Jacob’s advocacy, folks have steadily been more interested in progressive theological viewpoints; visitors often report to Jacob that his preaching feels refreshing in comparison to other churches they’ve attended.

“My community advocacy here in Waupun seems like it sort of happened by accident.” – Rev. Jacob Nault

There’s still a long way to go, as more explicitly affirming theological views are fairly rare in the community. But he’s learned from his community that small steps, incremental change, and patience are the pathway toward justice.

“What I’ve learned in this whole process is you have to meet people where they are, sometimes stumble, realize your priorities won’t be their priorities, but try to move the needle in a small way. If the arc of the moral universe is long but bends toward justice, if I can just bend that arc even a little, I feel like I’m doing what God is calling me to do.” – Rev. Jacob Nault

Jacob the Musician

Through it all, Jacob never abandoned his passion for music. He’s currently working on music that will be published through the Convergence Music Project. Jacob’s music thematically focuses on theology and disability justice. This year, he developed a website to showcase his music. Explore Jacob’s songwriting and advocacy here: www.jacobnault.com.

Cassandra’s call to ministry was affirmed in the A.M.E. Church; she is a proud preacher in the Prophetic Black Church Tradition but it was Eden that helped her build connections and access experiences like the Samuel Dewitt Conference within her first year. It was there she found her people, and saw firsthand the praxis of the Prophetic Black Ministry. Encountering,  connecting with, and becoming a mentee of Dr. Jeremiah Wright Jr., who she had only listened to on cassette tapes and after years of reading his scholarship and meeting the late Dr. James Cone while he was lecturing at Eden were life changing encounters. Eden provided opportunities to not only affirm and equip Cassandra but to help her and others wrestle with issues of theology and culture. One such class was Professor Emeritus Rev. Dr. Oglesby, Eden’s first Black tenured faculty member’s class on Religion, Race & Theology. 

It’s been 15 years since she was a student at Eden and now as an adjunct faculty member teaching Doctor of Ministry students alongside President Krause, Cassandra has witnessed  Eden evolve. 

“The UCC has always been a place of liberation for some, but Eden was steeped in whiteness which meant it was often a struggle for Black students . This 175-year-old institution has not just taught us about justice, it has transformed internally and externally. And not without struggle but with intentionality.” – Rev. Dr. Cassandra Gould.

For Cassandra, it was gratifying to see Eden become more diverse, and to lean more deeply into the theological education rooted in social justice. But her proudest moment as an Eden alumn came at a time of tragedy, in the wake of Ferguson. 

Cassandra’s Career of Service and Justice

After graduating, Cassandra became a pastor first in Paris, MO and then in Jefferson City. She pursued her Doctor of Ministry at another institution and started spending time advocating against predatory lending practices and for Medicaid expansion at the state and national level. Her work caught the attention of a local organization, Missouri Faith Voices, an affiliate of Faith in Action, formerly known as PICO, which helps communities build power through faith-led community organizing. 

In August of 2014, in response to the murder of Mike Brown, Cassandra knew in her spirit the people of Ferguson would need an all hands on deck moment and called PICO to see if they could help. PICO team members responded from across the country and  had a presence in Ferguson for close to a year. Eden graciously provided housing. Moreover, Eden alumni, students and faculty walked alongside the Ferguson community in protest of racialized police violence. 

“When Eden says, “community,” it’s not just about classmates. It’s about building a culture of belonging and forming deep, lifelong connections.” – Rev. Dr. Cassandra Gould

As a result of her work in Ferguson, Cassandra accepted a position on the board of the local organization, Missouri Faith Voices, and later, after much convincing, agreed to become the executive director. In that role, she found herself in front of rooms full of faith leaders, often engaging in the work for formation that distinguished justice from charity. Cassandra helped them learn how to show up in their communities before a tragedy happens, so that when a tragedy happens they’ve already built credibility and trust. Cassandra’s hotel ballroom prayer was answered. 

“I live in the answered prayer of God. I get to teach people of faith.” – Rev. Dr. Cassandra Gould. 

Today, Cassandra lives in Washington D.C. and works for the same national network she called to Ferguson, Faith in Action, formerly known as PICO. She is the National Political Director at Faith in Action. Her role allows her to keep her pulpit in the public square, address issues of injustice, and continue to show up with compassion and faith often in times of tragedy. 

Cassandra continues to fulfill her call, from traveling to Charlotte after the murder of Keith Lamont Scott in 2016 to responding to an urgent call to go to Buffalo in 2022, after the targeted murder of 10 innocent Black people in a grocery store.

In Buffalo, she found herself providing spiritual care for surviving family members, literally spending hours in funeral homes, and attending most of the funerals. While it was the most difficult call she had ever responded to, it is the very praxis of justice ministry that her time at Eden prepared her for.

“My mother was a voter rights worker and showed up in Selma, so some of it is my spiritual DNA and the rest Eden gave me the tools of praxis.” – Rev. Dr. Cassandra Gould. 

This year, Cassandra has shown up at Delany Hall, the infamous ICE detention center in NJ, in the face of troops in  LA, at an ICE detention Center in Basille, LA, and now in her own city, to help folks of faith resist military and ICE presence in their communities. 

“The clarity I have is that one of my calls is to help people further clarify their calls, be rooted in justice, not just in the words of ministry, but ministry beyond the walls. As President Deb Krause would say, “I wrote my own template.”  – Rev. Dr. Cassandra Gould aka “Pastor in the Public Square”

Read the full story on stlpr.org.

• There are 40 students in our incoming cohort
• About half are working toward Masters in Divinity (MDivs).
• 65% of the students are between the ages of 40 and 50. We love when students join us to pursue a second career.
• 55% self identify as female, 43% self identify as male, and 3% self-identify as gender fluid.
• The main thing that influenced our new students to attend Eden were our wonderful Eden alumni!
• 50% of our students identify as White and 33% identify as African American.
• 14 are from Missouri, and 25 are from other states within the US.
• Three students are from outside the US: India, Kenya, and Rwanda!
• 38% of students are from the United Church of Christ, and together the cohort represents 14 different faith denominations!
• Our new students come from all different professional backgrounds including pastors, education , corporate, and nonprofit.
• The average GPA of our students is 3.42!

We are thrilled to welcome this group of smart, talented, passionate, and service-oriented students to Eden!

Rev. Dr. Christopher Grundy began a year long sabbatical that will include creative work on song writing and time with theology, trees and plants in Eden’s Sacred Grove.

Rev. Dr. Ben Hartley was part of a delegation of seminary professors that traveled to Palestine with Sabeel, a Palestinian liberation theology organization. He also spent four days with the Missouri UMC Annual Conference Licensing School for Ministry, teaching and mentoring future UMC ministers.

Rev. Dr. Deborah Krause was given an honorary doctorate from Heidelberg University in recognition of her contributions to theological education and ministry and was honored as one of the great preachers for the 2025 Hall-Proctor Leadership Institute.

Dr. Henry Kuo attended the Wabash Center Workshop for Early Career Seminary Faculty and has been writing. He served as an editor to the volume, “Receiving Nicaea Today: Global Voices from Reformed Perspectives” and contributed a chapter to “Towards a Reforming Nicene Ecclesiology: Navigating Reformed Catholicity, the Legacy of Nicaea, and Imperial Power.” Both books will be released this fall.

Rev. Dr. Raquel Lettsome was recognized by Rev. Dr. DeForest Soaries, the first Black Secretary of State of NJ and Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens, as being one of the ten inspirational female preachers he knows. She also contributed a chapter on womanist criticism of historical Jesus scholarship for the Oxford Handbook on the Historical Jesus and ran a preaching lab for pastors of the 8th episcopal district of the AME church.

Rev. Dr. Clint McCann has been organizing the Saint Louis Metro CROP Hunger Walk, to take place September 28, 2025, a movement to provide meals for those in our community who need them. He also has been connecting with local congregations with his 2024 book “Reading the Psalms Again for the First Time.”

Rev. Dr. Damayanthi Niles gave lectures on women in ministry, mission, and gender/sexuality at Jaffna Theological Seminary in Sri Lanka with Darshan Ambalavanar and on her book, Doing Theology with Humility, Generosity, and Wonder at Artha Wacana Christian University in Indonesia.

Rev. Dr. Dietra Wise Baker received a Living Legends Award for Service to Humanity from the Be The Change organization. She also attended the Wabash Center workshop for Early Career seminary faculty and became transitional pastor at Centennial Christian Church. In August, she was on a televised panel, broadcast on 9 PBS, sharing stories of loss, resilience, and recovery in St. Louis following the tornado.