Ministry Exploration and Mentoring Projects

Eligible ministry leaders must be a ministry professional—Christian pastor, minister, Christian educator or professor—or leader within the church that mentors, accompanies or supports young adults’ vocational exploration and discernment. Applicants must demonstrate a commitment to Christian ministry and articulate how their activity or project will deepen young adults’ sense of call, exploration, and enrichment of ministry.

Young people exploring their call need mentors to nurture their spiritual and vocational growth. These funds provide opportunities for mentors and young adults to:

- Create a project to explore ministry as a vocation,

- Expand their view of what they might do through the church,

- Learn more about traditional and innovative ecclesial models of ministry,

- Connect with congregations within communities the applicant wants to serve, and

- Create a meaningful mentoring relationship with a pastoral leader.

Applicants must be a US citizen, Canadian citizen or permanent resident of either country. 

A complete application includes:

• A leader and/or sponsoring organization that will assist young adults in the exploration of ministry.
• A grant application form that answers the provided questions and explains the applicant’s idea for a ministry exploration and mentoring project and how the $2,000 will support the implementation of the project. (The project must be carried out and completed within 11 months of award.)
• Budget items related to the ministry exploration and mentoring project. (Limited to travel expenses, books, materials, registration fees and other 4 related expenses. Funds may not be used to purchase equipment or used for philanthropic purposes.)
• Additional documentation, photos or videos that will assist FTE’s selection committee in evaluating the merits of your proposal (optional).

Please Note: If awarded, changes to the project budget and proposal plan can be made but only with the approval of FTE. Don't hesitate to reach out to and revise a plan if COVID or anything else disrupts the initial proposal. FTE is here as a partner to help you discern how this project best assists your ministry even during difficult times.

Although there may be more, we’ve found the following four types of projects to be successful. Decide which of the following types is most applicable to your ministry. We highly encourage you to reach out to FTE staff to discuss your idea before completing your application.

The Pilgrimage: I want to accompany a small group of young adults to visit several pastoral leaders and/or communities doing ministry of interest. Both virtual and in-person visits are possibilities. Example:

1. We will visit 3-4 faith communities working with food justice.
2. We will purchase two books related to ministry and food justice.
3. We'll schedule a series of virtual video conversations over a meal (ex. E-gift cards for Doordash or /Grubhub to be provided).
4. We'll mentor YAs through processing the experience and naming the next steps for preparation/discernment, etc.

The Mini-Internship: Provide an opportunity for YAs who want to explore ministry alongside one pastoral leader and/or community. Both virtual and in-person visits are possibilities. Example:

1. To spend a few weeks working with YAs in my/a congregation learning about leading worship and small groups online. 
2. Mentor and help YAs integrate learnings from this virtual internship and discern next steps in engaging ministry.

Connecting with a ministry network focused on a specific aspect of ministry YAs in my context are interested in learning more about. To go to a network gathering or training that helps people network and learn about a particular aspect of ministry. Example:

1. We want to participate in the Biblical Storytelling Festival (Other examples include: Proctor Institute, Young Preachers Festival, Why Christian Conference, etc.).
2. The project funds will pay for my registration, meals while attending the gathering, meals with a mentor, etc. (ex. E-gift cards for Doordash or /Grubhub)
3. We will engage in the exploration of one key topic of ministry after the enrichment event and will continue working with these YAs in discernment.

Learning more about a topic: (and sharing it with others) We want to explore a cause (e.g., food justice, the environment, anti-racism training) or some specific intervention congregations could use (e.g., art therapy, hip hop aesthetic) and consider how we would engage a faith community in it. Example:

1. We want to participate in an anti-racism training so we can awaken other Christians to their call to do anti-racism work.
2. The project funds will cover the registration cost for the training we attend and meals with mentees to process the experience (ex. E-gift cards for Doordash or Grubhub).
3. We will reflect on learnings from the training. How did the training inform our ongoing call? Are we called to invite Christians into deeper engagement with this; if so, what further preparation or training do we need?

Applicants may apply to do a one-year Ministry Exploration and Mentoring Project of $2,000 per person. Awarded proposals must begin within 3 months of receiving the award.

Each recipient is required to complete the following within one month of completing their Ministry Exploration and Mentoring Project:

• Submit a brief report form questionnaire summarizing their experience.
• A budget/expense detailing how funds were spent.

Recipients will receive a notification within 40 days of the application deadline. 

Please contact Heather B.P. Wallace or send a message to us on our contact page.