WILMORE, Ky. — Asbury Theological Seminary is one of only eight evangelical seminaries in the nation selected to receive $1.5 million for the Kern Scholars Initiative. This grant creates a new source of scholarship money for qualified Asbury Seminary students.
Through the Kern Scholars Initiative, the Kern Family Foundation provides selected seminaries with grants for scholarships awarded to evangelical men and women committed to lifelong service in pastoral ministry who eventually become senior preaching and teaching pastors with pulpit responsibilities.
The initiative will support hundreds of highly qualified students seeking the Master of Divinity degree, strengthen the education and practical experience they receive in seminary and cultivate a growing nationwide network of pastors.
“On January 11, 2011, the Board of Directors of the Kern Family Foundation selected Asbury Theological Seminary as one of eight seminaries to receive grants for the Kern Scholars Initiative. I am delighted with this grant and its importance to Asbury Seminary. This partnership will assure that the highest quality students will come to Asbury Seminary to be prepared for ministry in a post-Christendom world,” said Dr. Timothy C. Tennent, President of Asbury Theological Seminary.
The first cohorts of Kern Scholars supported by these grants will begin their theological education in fall 2011. These students are committed to serving as pastors or church planters in the U.S. after graduation, and they are expected to eventually become senior preaching and teaching pastors with pulpit responsibilities. Kern Scholars who graduate and become pastors are invited to participate in the development of a nationwide network of pastors with unique opportunities for personal and professional growth.
Established in 1999, The Kern Family Foundation of Waukesha, Wis., invests in the future through support of programs that promote values, education and innovation. The Foundation aims to effect systemic change through broad-impact, long-term initiatives, including Education Reform, K-12 STEM Education, the Kern Entrepreneurship Education Network, American History, Economics & Religion and the Pastoral Ministry Program. The Pastoral Ministry Program began in 2002 and is comprised of four areas of investment: the Pre-seminary Initiative, the Kern Scholars Initiative, the Postgraduate Initiative, and the Theological Education Initiative.
For more information about the Kern Scholars Initiative, visit www.kffdn.org. To learn more about Asbury Theological Seminary, visit www.asburyseminary.edu.
About Asbury Theological Seminary:
With multiple campuses, Asbury Theological Seminary is an interdenominational graduate school of theology committed to teaching the unchanging truth of historic Wesleyan Christianity through the most dynamic means available. Asbury offers a variety of degrees, including the master of arts, master of divinity, master of theology, doctor of ministry and doctor of philosophy in intercultural studies, biblical studies. Total current enrollment nears 1,600 students, representing 93 denominations and 47 countries. For more information, please visit asburyseminary.edu.
(Source: Asbury Seminary)