Dr. Lisa Long
Lee University’s Dr. Lisa Long has been awarded a Teacher-Scholar grant from the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, which she will use to explore the understanding of the effect of participation in Holy Communion among congregants from a diverse set of denominations in East Tennessee.
CICW announced that they will fund 14 grants to Teacher-Scholars for 2019-2020 as part of its Vital Worship Grants Program. Projects funded have a variety of emphases, such as intercultural music, patristic preaching practices, and women’s leadership. According to CICW, all projects share the desire to both deepen people’s understanding of worship and strengthen practices of public worship and faith formation.
Each grant, ranging from $11,000 to $18,000, will fund a research project that shows promise to serve worshiping communities by strengthening Christian public worship practices. This year’s recipients include scholars at five research universities, four seminaries, and five regional Christian colleges. They represent eight states, one Canadian province, and the District of Columbia.
The purpose of Dr. Long’s research is to provide congregational leaders with an overview of their congregants' understanding, to compare that overview with the doctrinal teachings of the specific denomination, and to offer leaders means and/or methods of improving congregants' understanding and apprehension of taking Holy Communion.
Kathy Smith, leader of the Vital Worship Grants Team, said, “We are delighted to join with these distinguished scholars to explore the ways that scholarship in different fields can contribute to the deepening of worship practices in congregations.
Dr. Long joined Lee’s faculty in 2006 and now serves as the director of graduate studies in Christian ministries and is an associate professor of Christian formation. She has published numerous articles on a variety of topics related to Christian formation and is a contributing author in the Encyclopedia of Christian Education.
Dr. Long earned her Doctorate of Philosophy from Biola University, her Master of Arts from the Church of God Theological Seminary, and her Bachelor of Science from Lee University.
Since it began in 2000, the Vital Worship Grants Program of Grand Rapids, Michigan, has awarded 827 grants to churches, schools, and organizations across North America. An advisory board of pastors and teachers from a variety of backgrounds assists in the grant selections, and the program is generously supported by Indianapolis-based Lilly Endowment Inc.
For more information on the grants program, including a complete list of this year’s grants recipients, visit www.worship.calvin.edu/grants.