Selected from a pool of 60 grant proposals, each congregation will receive an award ranging from $5,000 to $12,000, according to a news release. The grants total $73,000.

FTE will award $200,000 in grants through 2009 as part of its Calling Congregations initiative, which is funded by Lilly Endowment Inc.  Calling Congregations is a national, ecumenical effort to encourage and equip churches to play a leading role in the vocational discernment of young men and women -- and to increase the number of gifted young people considering ordained ministry as a profession.

Church of the Apostles, a joint Episcopal and Evangelical Lutheran Church in America congregation, received $9,000 to support Kaleo, an ecumenical program which invites young adults to participate in an intensive process of discernment and spiritual preparation towards candidacy for ministry.

St. John's was awarded $12,000 for "Holy Discernment: Teen Vocations." Building on St. John's Journey to Adulthood (J2A) curriculum, this program seeks to integrate the language of vocation in a program of service and theological reflection for teens, their parents and mentors.
   
"Quality leadership in ministry matters to congregations and communities," said James Goodman, FTE Calling Congregations regional director and grant program administrator. "Our aim is to empower people to identify future pastoral leaders at the grassroots level and to support the faithful aspirations of the young people in their midst."

The 2007 grant recipients, in addition to Church of the Apostles and St. John's, are:

• Covenant United Church of Christ, South Holland, Illinois, $8,400 for Youth Called to Ministry, which offers teens a "safe, sacred space" for vocational discernment, including special programs and conversation with church leaders, parents and peers.
• First United Church of Christ, Northfield, Minnesota, $6,800 to support Leadership for the 21st Century, a program for college students and other young adults that incorporates music, poetry and visual arts in vocational and theological reflection.
• Kidron Mennonite Church, Kidron, Ohio, $5,000 for Ministry Exploration, a partnership in mentoring between leaders of local congregations and a Mennonite high school to introduce students to the profession of ordained ministry.
• Lott Carey Baptist Foreign Mission Convention, Washington, D.C., $12,000 to fund the Lott Carey Calling Congregations Network, an initiative of five congregations that encourages adolescents to share church leadership roles and to consider the call to ministry. Impact teams in each congregation will support young people's service and discernment.
• Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church, Memphis, Tennessee, $11,600 to support Gideon's Army: Exploring Your Call to Ministry. This mentoring program involves youth and young adults in congregational ministry and outreach. It also helps students develop leadership skills and assess their spiritual gifts.
• Mt. Olive Evangelical Lutheran Church, Hickory, North Carolina, $8,300 for Calling All College Students, which offers service opportunities at church and in surrounding communities to students from Lenoir-Rhyne College, with a focus on the leadership and spiritual gifts needed for ordained ministry.

Concerns about the supply of gifted clergy have increased as a generation of baby boomer pastors prepares to retire and local congregations seek qualified ministerial candidates, the FTE release said. A 2006 study by the Lewis Center for Leadership at Wesley Theological Seminary shows a significant 20-year decline in clergy under age 35 across denominations, both Protestant and Catholic. At the same time, student enrollment in Master of Divinity programs, the graduate degree typically sought by candidates for ordained ministry, are flat or declining, according to the release.  
     
FTE's Calling Congregations program seeks to establish a national network of 500 congregational and church-related partners by 2009, the release said. In addition to grants for local programs, the Fund offers workshops and conferences; national training for adults mentoring youth; teaching tools; web-based resources; and up to 40 fellowships annually which match a congregation's financial support toward tuition and expenses for a young church member's first year of seminary.

The Fund for Theological Education is a leading national advocate for excellence and diversity in Christian ministry and theological scholarship. It annually provides $1.2 million in fellowships and a network of support for gifted young people from all denominations and racial/ethnic backgrounds.