The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside still waters, He restores my soul . . . (Psalm 23:1-3a).

Sustaining Pastoral Excellence is directed through the Department of the Ordered Ministry of the Evangelical Covenant Church.  The program purpose is to resource our denominational ministers for continuing growth in their relationship with Jesus Christ as they continue to pursue God's call.  Credentialed pastors and missionaries can apply for grants to help them pursue growth opportunites in the areas of character, competence, and constancy.  The resources for this initiative come from a grant from the Lilly Endowment and financial support from the Covenant Ministerium, Regional Conferences, and individual donors. 

 

What does it mean to sustain pastoral excellence?  

"Pastoral excellence involves holistic Christ-centered character development, lifelong vocational and Biblical formation, and regular occasions of renewal and re-visioning that sustains healthy enduring ministry".

We ask a lot of our ministerial leaders.  The Department of the Ordered Ministry is pleased to be able to partner with the local church, on behalf of our denominational family, in helping resource our pastors for vitality in fulfilling their vocational call.  It takes a denominational wide effort to support those who help lead our churches in kingdom endeavors.   Grant funds will remain available from the department through winter/spring of 2009.