NEWS PROVIDED BY
Biola University
Dec. 3, 2025
LA MIRADA, Calif., Dec. 3, 2025 /Standard Newswire/ — Biola University is one of the institutions selected to receive the maximum $10 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc., which gave $400+ million to a selection of theological schools in North America. The grant will help establish Talbot Embedded within the Talbot School of Theology, a cohort-based pathway for ministry leaders within the Master of Arts in Christian Ministry and Leadership (Ministry & Leadership) and Master of Divinity (Pastoral and General Ministries) programs.
Designed for pastors and leaders currently in ministry, Talbot Embedded offers the depth of Talbot’s theological training within a community of peers walking the same journey. Each semester combines online coursework with modular in-person gatherings, creating a rhythm of learning that is both flexible and deeply relational. San Diego and Seattle cohorts begin in spring, with other locations launching soon after — including plans for cohorts in Honolulu, Houston, Chicago, Orlando, Las Vegas, Portland and Phoenix. In addition, several denominations and networks will launch Talbot Embedded cohorts specific to their denomination or network.
“A few years ago, we started a journey to move Talbot closer to the Church. Part of that is new partnerships with ministries around the globe. And part of it is launching regional locations to deliver our world-class education in sites across the country and around the world,” said Dr. Ed Stetzer, dean of the Talbot School of Theology. “When Lilly announced this grant, we were thrilled that Lilly would resource the strategy that we were already implementing. Now, we will accelerate with gospel urgency into new and expanded locations and partnerships!”
Talbot Embedded is being funded through Lilly Endowment’s Pathways for Tomorrow Initiative, which launched in 2021. The grant awarded to Talbot is one of 45 approved in this competitive round of funding to support theological schools as they lead large-scale collaborations with other seminaries, colleges and universities, and other church-related organizations, a fact recently highlighted by Forbes.
Lilly Endowment Inc. is a private foundation created in 1937 through gifts of stock in the family’s pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. A principal aim of the Endowment’s religion grantmaking is to deepen and enrich the lives of Christians in the United States.
When students choose to study in the Talbot Embedded program through the Talbot School of Theology, they receive strong biblical and theological foundations. Now is the time to apply to the Talbot School of Theology.
SOURCE Biola University
CONTACT: Sarah Dougher, 562-906-4524, media.relations@biola.edu