he Five-Year Collaborative Project Will Strengthen Leadership Development Across the Anglican Church in North America
AMBRIDGE, PA — Trinity Anglican Seminary has received a grant of $9,999,876 from Lilly Endowment Inc. to establish the Anglican Formation Network: Equipping Leaders for Mission. Working in collaboration with the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) and in partnership with several regional formation centers across the province, this five-year initiative will create a comprehensive leadership development ecosystem to strengthen Anglican ministry formation across North America.
The Anglican Formation Network addresses a critical need in the ACNA. As one of North America’s fastest-growing Christian denominations, with 13% growth in 2024, the ACNA needs more well-formed clergy and lay leaders than our existing pathways can provide. The grant will enable Trinity to work closely with the ACNA Provincial Office to develop a strong network of strategic partnerships, including The Ridley Institute, The Charles Simeon Institute, Anselm House, The Anglican Center for Theology and Formation, The Anglican Catechist Training School, the Brazos Societies Project, and others.
“This grant represents a transformative moment not just for Trinity but for the entire Anglican Church in North America,” said the Very Rev. Cn. Dr. Bryan Hollon, Dean & President of Trinity Anglican Seminary. “We face a wonderful challenge: The ACNA is growing rapidly, drawing young leaders hungry for theological depth and liturgical formation. But our bishops and rectors tell us often that they need more qualified candidates than we can supply. The Anglican Formation Network will multiply our capacity to form excellent leaders while ensuring that Anglican formation—grounded in Scripture, shaped by the Prayer Book, and oriented toward mission—becomes more accessible across our province.”
The Anglican Formation Network addresses the need for more robust leadership development through three strategic initiatives: first, by cultivating a robust vocational discernment and leadership pipeline infrastructure; second, by integrating residential seminary education with practical church-based ministry experience; and third, by developing consistent leadership formation standards across the ACNA.
“Identifying and developing the next generation of Anglican leaders is the most strategic and valuable investment we can be making in the future of the Anglican Church in North America,” said the Rt. Rev. Julian Dobbs, Dean of the Province. “The opportunity to partner with some of our best training institutions, like Trinity, to provide the deep theological and liturgical formation that Anglican ministry requires provides remarkable hope for how God is strengthening His Church in this time.”
The program 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 Trinity Anglican Seminary is one of 45 that was approved in this competitive round of funding to support theological schools as they lead large-scale collaborations with other seminaries, colleges and universities, and other church-related organizations.
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.
Parishes and dioceses interested in partnering with the Anglican Formation Network or learning more about fellowship programs, church-based pathways, and formation opportunities are invited to contact Allyson Martin, Executive Assistant to the Dean & President, at amartin@tas.edu.
About Trinity Anglican Seminary
Trinity Anglican Seminary, located in Ambridge, Pennsylvania, is the flagship seminary of the Anglican Church in North America. Founded in 1975, Trinity forms biblically faithful Christian leaders through a residential community oriented around prayer, worship, study, and formation in the Anglican way. Trinity trains students in the 2019 Book of Common Prayer and provides a formation fully aligned with the ACNA’s vision and standards. The seminary maintains strong connections with global Anglicans through GAFCON (Global Anglican Future Conference) and the Global South Fellowship of Anglicans. Its student body includes residential students, online learners, and international students from Africa, Asia, Latin America, Australia, and Europe. For more information, visit www.tas.edu.
About the Anglican Church in North America
The Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) unites 28 dioceses comprising approximately 1,000 congregations and 130,000 members across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. As part of the global Anglican Communion, the ACNA is committed to biblical faithfulness, missionary zeal, and church planting. The province reported 13% growth in Average Sunday Attendance (ASA) in 2024, making it one of the fastest-growing Christian denominations in North America. For more information, visit www.anglicanchurch.net.
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.