Pathways for Tomorrow Initiative 2025: Individual School Grants

Lilly Endowment

A Seminary Education Initiative

Northeastern Seminary Digital Innovation Project

Our goal is to make seminary education stronger and more effective for today’s pastors and leaders. With this grant, we will use technology to create a stronger, more effective online seminary experience.

Northeastern Seminary, part of Roberts Wesleyan University, is rooted in the Free Methodist tradition. Our mission is to prepare Christ-centered women and men to serve the church and the world. 

Strengthening Student Learning

This grant will help us:

  • Make online tools simpler
  • Improve video classes
  • Redesign fieldwork

New Technology

We will use virtual reality, 360° video, and AI.

Students will walk through Bible sites, meet in 3D classrooms, try ministry simulations, and practice counseling.

Preparing Future Leaders

This project will help students move from seminary to ministry with confidence. Our graduates will be grounded in Scripture, strong in faith, and ready to serve.

About the Project

We’re rebuilding our online seminary experience so it forms pastors more deeply and serves churches more effectively. Two big moves drive the work:

  • Streamline our platforms and teaching practices

  • Integrate emerging technologies like virtual reality, 360° media, and AI

Our goal: an online environment that is simple, relational, immersive, and grounded in historic Christian faith.

Who Benefits?

Current students preparing for pastoral & lay ministry

Woman at graduation

Alumni seeking targeted upskilling

Partner churches that host field placements and benefit from better-prepared leaders

About the Lilly Grant

This project is funded through the Pathways for Tomorrow Initiative, supported by Lilly Endowment Inc. The initiative provides resources for theological schools to better prepare pastoral leaders for the changing needs of the church.

With this support, Northeastern Seminary will:

  • Reimagine its entire online learning environment
  • Invest in faculty training and program design
  • Build long-term capacity to serve both pastors and lay leaders

Frequently Asked Questions

The grant supports a full redesign of Northeastern Seminary’s online experience.

We want to make theological education more formative, relational, and effective for real ministry. That means streamlining digital tools and teaching practices, renovating our field placement experience, and introducing immersive technologies that give students hands-on practice in preaching, counseling, and leadership.

At its core, the project advances our mission: preparing biblically grounded, spiritually mature, culturally aware, and technologically adept leaders for the church and the world.

These tools are not replacing traditional study or spiritual formation. Instead, they enhance them. Students will be able to:

  • Walk through biblical and historic sites in VR to deepen interpretation.
  • Gather in 3D collaborative spaces for class discussion and prayer.
  • Engage in 360° ministry simulations to practice pastoral decision-making.
  • Use AI-enabled counseling scenarios to build conversational and care skills with guided feedback.

Each tool is carefully chosen to support learning outcomes, not just add novelty.

Students will see a simpler, more consistent online learning environment with standardized platforms, improved course design, and clearer expectations. Zoom use will feel more intentional and interactive. Field placements will be overhauled, offering stronger mentoring, integrated assessments, and direct links to coursework.

The goal is to close the gap between seminary education and the realities of ministry so graduates step into leadership with greater confidence and readiness.

Yes. Core learning will always be available through standard laptops and internet access. VR and 360° features will be layered in as enhancements, not requirements, and we’ll provide accessible alternatives for students without high-end devices.

Faculty will receive training to ensure technology supports - not distracts from - student formation.

We are also committed to ethical use of AI, protecting privacy, and aligning tools with Christian convictions.

The first changes come with streamlined platforms and redesigned fieldwork. Immersive technologies will be piloted in select courses before scaling more broadly.

Success will be measured by student engagement, mentor feedback, skill growth in simulations, and church reports on graduates’ preparedness.

Churches and alumni will also have opportunities to partner, contributing real-world scenarios, mentoring students, and helping shape the tools that will serve the church of the future.