DALLAS -- Southern Methodist University's Perkins School of Theology is establishing a leadership development program for high school students to study theology. A $1.4 million grant from the Lilly Endowment is funding the project, according to the Dallas Business Journal.
The Perkins Youth School of Theology is designed for racially or socioeconomically disadvantaged youth in the Southwest, according to the newspaper. The program will match youth involved in community service with clergy mentors and host a three-week summer academy. It also will sponsor research on youth and the church.
The SMU gift is part of Lilly's effort to attract talented youth to the ministry as a vocation, according to the paper.
