From Dr. Jack Jackson, President & Dr. Heather Lear, Vice President for Grants
The Foundation for Evangelism concluded 2024 with a celebration of our 75 years “dispersing the blessings of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.” That celebration has served as a launchpad for a new decade and an exciting new year!
We take our founders’ vision seriously and prioritize it in all that we do – to equip disciples to share the Good News of Jesus Christ – in an ever-changing ministry landscape. Through the full scope of the Foundation’s grant funding and resources, we are working with churches and leaders in eight Wesleyan-tradition denominations, across the United States, and on five continents.
We begin our 76th year with two grant cycles that encompass all three of our grant focus areas: Raising Up Gospel Leaders, Engaging the Ministry of the Laity, and Equipping the Local Church.
- Thriving Congregations Cohorts concluded applications in mid-January, and the churches chosen to participate have already begun meeting for the spring session. These cohorts are made possible with a grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. and will provide comprehensive training and resources with an approach based on John 10:10, for churches who want to live into sharing God’s abundance with their communities. When completed, cohort participants will have developed a plan to launch an evangelism experiment or new initiative and will also receive “seed money” to help get started. A second round of cohorts will take place in the fall, with the application cycle beginning late summer.
- For the fourth year, the Foundation is offering Equipping the Local Church Grants of $5,000 or $10,000. These grants are awarded to small and medium-sized churches (250 or fewer participants) or a group of churches working together to launch an experiment or initiative to share the Gospel in word and deed, build relationships, and invite others into a discipleship journey with Jesus.
These two grants build on the foundation laid by our long-standing E. Stanley Jones Professors of Evangelism with Wesleyan-tradition seminaries. These grant-funded faculty positions provide support at Methodist Theological School in Ohio, Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Ill.; Drew Theological School in Madison, N.J.; Boston University School of Theology in Boston, Mass.; Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Ky.; St. Paul School of Theology in Leawood, Kansas; Reutlingen Theological Seminary in Germany; and Moscow Theological Seminary of the United Methodist Church in Russia.
This year begins the fifth year that Duke Divinity School’s Hispanic House of Studies, La Casa, has received support for the work of Rev. Dr. Alma Tinoco Ruiz. Dr. Ruiz works with students, lay and clergy, who are in engaging in ministry predominantly working among Hispanic and Latino populations.
New in 2025, we will be launching the Foundation for Evangelism Laity Award, recognizing passionate and effective laity engaged in evangelism. Up to 30 nominees across the Wesleyan tradition denominations will be selected to receive $1,000 grants for their ministry.
And we look forward to sharing updates from our “So That The World May Know Jesus” global grant recipient, Wesley College in Mwanza, Tanzania. This second global grant from the Dr. H. Eddie and Mary Nell Fox Endowment for Evangelism was announced at the World Methodist Conference held in Gothenburg Sweden in 2024. Wesley College is developing evangelism curriculum for use in Tanzania, and culturally similar regions.
As we embark on our 76th year, we want you to know that you are a part of the Foundation’s story, and help our grants and resources make a difference. Your gifts, encouragement, prayers and partnership bring our mission to life: to promote, encourage and provide resources for Wesleyan evangelism, inviting all people into life-transforming relationship with Jesus Christ. You’re a vital part of our work, and we are grateful for the many ways you engage with us. We’d love to hear from you this year!
