Center for Compelling Preaching
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CURRENT AND ASPIRING PREACHERS:
Sign up for our 2025-26 Preaching Peer Groups
If you would like to register for the next round of Preaching Peer Groups, please fill out this Interest Form.
Resourcing, recharging, supporting and activating preachers in this digital and divided culture
About Point University’s Compelling Preaching Initiative
Point University received a Lilly Endowment grant to participate in its Compelling Preaching Initiative to “cultivate practices among aspiring and active preachers to help them proclaim the gospel to diverse audiences in engaging and effective ways.”
What is Included in the One-Year Preaching Peer Groups?
- Two in-person Preaching Retreats with sessions led by our teaching team. We cover the retreat costs for all participants.
- Monthly, virtual small-group gatherings with a preaching mentor/leader.
- Collaborative learning community.
- No cost for all 2025-26 participants that are selected to participate.
The Goal of these Groups
To cultivate practices among active and aspiring preachers that will help them proclaim the gospel to a variety of audiences in more engaging and effective ways – practices that produce sermons where the Spirit works and moves people to action and closer to God.
These groups will give each preacher a place for collaboration, support, renewal, and development.
Important Questions About Preaching
The current realities in our culture raise important questions about preaching:
- How can preachers communicate the gospel in ways that are more compelling and accessible for contemporary hearers?
- How can preachers and aspiring preachers best be supported, inspired, and developed?
- How might preaching effectively navigate the current cultural divisions and speak into them?
- How do preachers reach those who aren’t going to walk into their worship services?
- Are there methods and modes of preaching that preachers can experiment with and use to reach their contemporary hearers?
Our Preaching Peer Groups are part of our solution to these needs
These groups will give each preacher a place for collaboration, support, renewal, and development.
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Church Partnership
Through Preaching Peer Groups, we are:
Simplifying sermon prep, using new modes of preaching and new media in this digital culture, improving together and supporting each other and navigating the needs and pitfalls in the culture.
One year practicum includes:
Monthly virtual small group gatherings with a preaching mentor/leader, two in-person retreats with all participants of Preaching Peer Groups, collaborative learning community and free access to Point’s ministry seminars and conferences.
Eligibility
Full and part-time preachers, lay leaders wanting to develop preaching skills and university students studying to enter full-time ministry.
About Lilly Endowment
Lilly Endowment Inc. is a private philanthropic foundation based in Indianapolis. The Endowment was 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. Although the gifts of stock remain a financial bedrock of the Endowment, it is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff and location. (see lillyendowment.org)
Why Lilly Endowment created the “Compelling Preaching Initiative:”
Lilly Endowment has received reports from pastors and church leaders about significant challenges facing preachers. They note that the COVID-19 pandemic required many preachers to learn new preaching practices for proclaiming the gospel through digital technologies and social media. At the same time, preachers report increasing difficulty in preaching to communities divided by political and cultural polarizations.
