two women raising their hand in praise during church

LIFT: Equipping Congregational Leaders

An Initiative of the Hazelip School of Theology at Lipscomb University.

The LIFT (Leadership Initiative for Tomorrow) program brings the goods of theological education to the local church through an educational partnership model.  Senior church leaders work with the LIFT program executive director to identify leadership training needs and then collaborate with the Bible faculty of the Hazelip School to deliver those customized offerings online to their congregations.    

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At a glance

Audience

Congregational leaders who want to grow in their ministry skills for the sake of their local churches

Format

Customized offerings are delivered online

Starting point

Conversation with LIFT executive director and senior church leader

Cost

Varies according to each collaboration

Who are we?

Lilly Endowment Inc. logo

The LIFT program is an initiative of Lipscomb’s Hazelip School of Theology and part of the Pathways for Tomorrow Initiative supported by the Lilly Endowment, Inc. As an ATS-accredited school, Hazelip received an individual school grant in September 2025. You can read more about the award here. The LIFT program began its work in January 2026.

Who can participate?

Church partnerships are first explored between the LIFT program executive director and senior leaders from each church. Congregations that go on to participate will select leaders in their settings to engage the LIFT offerings. With an online delivery model, church partnerships can be developed anywhere in the world.

What are the goals and outcomes?

  • Equip local church leaders for ministry where they are
  • Network church leaderships involved in the LIFT program to learn from one another
  • Bring the educational resources of the Hazelip School of Theology to those who are unable to train through credit-based degree programs

Next steps

  1. Review the details on this page with your church leaders
  2. Reach out to the executive director via email or using the form below

 

Contact
Frank Guertin, Executive Director
615.966.5352
frank.guertin [at] lipscomb.edu (frank[dot]guertin[at]lipscomb[dot]edu)

Title
Your role in the church
The name of your congregation.

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.