What is SPE?

Sustaining Pastoral Excellence (SPE) is a project for pastors, pastors’ spouses, and ultimately for congregations. It’s been made possible by a generous grant given to the Christian Reformed Christian Church in North America (CRCNA) by Lilly Endowment Inc. The project began with a five-year grant in 2003. In June 2007, the CRC was awarded a second SPE grant from Lilly for an additional five years. The new grant period began January 1, 2008. The purpose of SPE is to support and strengthen Christian Reformed pastors so they can help build vital congregations.

The current programming includes:

• grants for pastors to form peer learning groups
• grants for pastors’ spouses to form peer groups
• a Calvin Theological Seminary/SPE course: The Theology and Practice of Pastoral Ministry
• bi-national conferences for pastors’ spouses
• learning events for pastor couples
• publication of training tools
• survey of pastors and clerks of council
• informational dinners for those entering ministry

We encourage you to check out any of the programming that interests you. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact us at:

• 877-279-9994 X0805 toll free
• pastoralexcellence@crcna.org

You may also be interested in the Sustaining Congregational Excellence (SCE) program which offers grants to smaller congregations.