Leading Theological Education into a Hybrid Future
Pacific School of Religion (PSR) has been awarded a $1 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. through its Pathways for Tomorrow Initiative. This grant supports Leading Theological Education into a Hybrid Future, a bold project designed to equip Christian leaders for ministry in a world where congregational life is increasingly both digital and in-person.
Why Hybrid Matters
The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated a shift toward hybrid ministry, reshaping how churches worship, teach, and build community. This reality presents both challenges and opportunities. Congregations now require leaders who are spiritually grounded, technologically fluent, and pastorally agile.
At PSR, we’ve embraced this new landscape with a hybrid-first educational model that expands access, strengthens formation, and increases diversity. Building on this foundation, Leading Theological Education into a Hybrid Future deepens our commitment to preparing leaders for a church and world that are neither wholly physical nor wholly digital—but faithfully hybrid.
Project Pillars
Faculty Development and Learning Journeys
Faculty will engage in immersive “learning journeys,” visiting students in their ministry contexts, congregations pioneering digital engagement, and organizations creating emerging technologies. These experiences will inform pedagogy, enrich student formation, and ensure PSR graduates are prepared to lead faithfully in hybrid spaces.
Reimagining Campus Spaces
PSR’s historic Berkeley campus is being reimagined as a hub for collaboration. Through this project, we will work with expert consultants to explore how our spaces might become more flexible and technology enabled. We will ask what environments best foster collaboration, worship, and innovation, and how we might model possibilities for congregations seeking to repurpose legacy facilities in response to changing community needs.
Resources for Congregations
The project will generate digital toolkits, workshops, and practical theological resources to support pastors and lay leaders navigating hybrid ministry. These resources will be distributed through the PSR Collective on Kwaray (PSR’s digital learning platform), and shared through “teaching journeys” with denominational partners and congregations nationwide.
A Word from Our President
“PSR’s future is faithfully hybrid, engaging with learners and leaders in both physical and digital spaces. This initiative strengthens our ability to form spiritually grounded, technologically fluent leaders who can guide communities with resilience, compassion, and imagination.”
— Rev. Dr. David Vásquez-Levy, President of PSR
About Lilly Endowment Inc.
Lilly Endowment Inc. is a private foundation created in 1937 by J.K. Lilly Sr. and his sons Eli and J.K. Jr. through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. While those gifts remain the financial bedrock of the Endowment, it is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff and location. In keeping with the founders’ wishes, the Endowment supports the causes of community development, education and religion and maintains a special commitment to its hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana. A principal aim of the Endowment’s religion grantmaking is to deepen and enrich the lives of Christians in the United States, primarily by seeking out and supporting efforts that enhance the vitality of congregations and strengthen the pastoral and lay leadership of Christian communities. The Endowment also seeks to improve public understanding of about religion and lift up in fair, accurate and balanced ways the roles that people of all faiths and various religious communities play in the United State and around the globe traditions in the United States and across the globe.
Stay Connected
We invite you to follow the progress of Leading Theological Education into a Hybrid Future and stay engaged with PSR’s mission to form leaders for a hybrid world.
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Media Inquiries
Jacob Perez
Sr. Director of Marketing, Growth & Communications
jperez@psr.edu | (510) 848-8239