Mission Developer Scholarship

 
2009 Mission Developer Scholarship Recipients
Scott Simmons, Elizabeth Krolak, Tsena Dinssa, Denise Keltz

The Mission Developer Scholarship Fund is a new scholarship program designed to support future pastors called to start new ELCA congregations.

The Mission Developer Scholarship was started with a $1.5 million matching challenge from the ELCA Mission Investment Fund.

All gifts given to the Mission Developer Scholarship Fund will be matched 50 percent through the Mission Investment Fund’s challenge match. The goal is to raise an additional $3 million for this endowed scholarship. Our goal is to fund tuition for every student who qualifies as a mission developer candidate.

In the fall of 2009, the ELCA Fund for Leaders awarded the first four scholarships to future mission developers. In 2010, we will award an additional five scholarships.

Mission developer pastors have special talents and gifts to take on the challenge of forming new congregations from scratch. In the past, a pastor could only become a mission developer after they had previously served in an established congregation. Often this dissuaded qualified and gifted candidates from becoming mission developers.

With a recent rule change, qualified seminary candidates can study to become mission developers while they are still in school. Upon graduation they can immediately begin to develop new congregations. This will help this church reach its goal of starting 100 new congregations each year. Currently the ELCA has 214 new congregation starts.

Donate now to support future mission developers and have your gift matched 50 percent.

You may also make your gift through the mail. Please make your check payable to the ELCA Fund for Leaders and write Mission Developer in the memo line. You may send your check to:

ELCA Fund for Leaders
c/o ELCA Foundation
8765 West Higgins Road
Chicago, IL 60631