Biola University received a $1 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to help establish a Talbot School of Theology program to assist local churches to more fully integrate foster families and children into regular worship and prayer rhythms. The program, titled “Caring as a Church for Kids from Hard Places,” will be led by Biola professors Dr. James Petitfils, associate professor of New Testament and director of the program, along with Dr. Joanne Jung, associate dean and professor of biblical and theological studies, and Dr. Dennis Eastman, director of secondary education and professor of education in the School of Education.

“We are deeply honored to receive this grant from Lilly Endowment, which will enable us to build a meaningful program that fosters a richer connection between children and the worship experience,” said Biola President Barry H. Corey. “Biola University’s Talbot School of Theology is committed to helping congregations embrace practices that honor the diverse ways children encounter and express their Christian faith, especially those who are often marginalized, such as foster children.”

The program is funded through Lilly Endowment’s Nurturing Children Through Worship and Prayer Initiative, a national initiative designed to help Christian congregations more fully and intentionally engage children in intergenerational corporate worship and prayer practices that nurture their faith.

The parameters of the grant is that the new program would address one or more of the following objectives, “Strengthen worship and prayer practices that attend to and respect how children experience God and express their faith, enhance worship and prayer practices that are more fully inclusive of all children, including children with disabilities, draw more fully on the arts (e.g., music, visual arts, drama, etc.) to enhance the experience of worship and prayer for children, creating opportunities for Bible storytelling that help children hear and tell stories of faith through worship and prayer practices and enhance worship and prayer practices that more intentionally connect worship with the daily lives of children and their families.”

Biola will have up to five years to develop the new program for churches that will feature intentional education and the facilitation of inter-church collaboration and creative ministry contextualization.

“By drawing upon Scripture, the arts, storytelling and practices that bring worship into their daily lives, this generous Lilly Endowment grant enables us to create a spiritual space where all children, regardless of background or ability, can feel seen, heard and connected to God,” said Corey. “This desire to draw people close to God is at the heart of all we do.”

The new program at Talbot will leverage Biola’s strengths in excellent biblical education.

“Building on Talbot’s strong reputation for providing excellent and trustworthy Christian education, as well as our extensive network of churches and para-church ministries across Greater Los Angeles, Southern California and beyond, our proposed program will focus on intentional education, inter-church collaboration and creative ministry adaptation,” said Dean of Talbot School of Theology, Dr. Ed Stetzer.

Through the “Caring as a Church for Kids from Hard Places” program, Biola will encourage and support local church efforts to bring children, foster children in particular, into the prayer and worship life of the church by providing free education emphasizing the biblical and theological importance of this integration; and facilitate a sustainable think tank to support local ministry innovation in the realm of integrating children in the prayer and corporate worship gatherings. The think tank at Biola would provide church leaders with the time and space away from the day-to-day ministry hustle to dream, discuss and develop onramps for the meaningful and sustainable incorporation of children — especially foster children — into their regular worship and prayer gatherings.

Learn more about the many bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees offered by Talbot School of Theology and apply.

For more information, please email media.relations@biola.edu.