Pueblo Pastoral Resource Grant

The Pueblo Pastoral Resource Grant (Pueblo PRG) provides a matching grant for pastors to participate in continuing education or to purchase resources to enable the pastor to be more effective in their ministry. ABCRM prefers to pay the Pueblo PRG directly to a provider or to the pastor’s church. If the grant is paid directly to the pastor, the pastor must submit receipts or ABCRM will report the grant as income and will send the pastor a 1099 at the end of the year. The Pastor Resource Grant is not designed for degree programs.

Maximum Grants Awarded:

• Pueblo PRG are 80% matching. (e.g. Pastor or church provides $600, the Pueblo PRG provides up to $3,000.)

• The max Pueblo PRG is $3,000.  

• Each project/program is eligible for a single grant.

• A pastor may receive only one Pueblo PRG in a 24-month period.

Due Dates:

• Pueblo PRGs requests are due by January 31 or June 30th.

• Grant letters will be sent to applicants by March 31 or September 30.

Pueblo Community Service Grant

The Pueblo Community Service Grant (Pueblo CSG) provides a matching grant for ABCRM churches to build new connections with their local community by developing community service projects (e.g., food pantries, outreached to unhoused, immigrant services, addiction recovery, etc. see Mt 25:31-46). Successful grant requests will provide a clear description of the program/project with SMART goals in the application. Pueblo CSG targets new projects/programs, but churches can apply for a grant for an existing project/program. These programs/projects will be eligible for a reduced maximum grant and a total of two grants. See the Grant Application for more information.

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Maximum Grants Awarded:

• Pueblo CSGs are 50% matching grants. The church must provide at least 50% of the funds for the program/project.

• The max Pueblo CSG for a new project/program is $5,000.

• Each project is eligible for up to two additional grant requests for the same project/program. (Year 1 max: $5,000, Year 2 max: $2,500, Year 3 max: $1,000)

• ABCRM will consider grants for existing projects/programs with a max grant of $2,500. (Year 2 max: $1,000)

• A church may only receive one Pueblo CSG in a 12-month period.

Due Dates:

• Pueblo PRGs requests are due by January 31 or June 30th.

• Grant letters will be sent to applicants by March 31 or September 30.

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Church Transformation Grant 

The Church Transformation Grant (CT Grant) provides a matching grant for ABCRM churches to engage in a healthy transformation process. ABCRM believes that every church needs transformation to be a healthy, thriving, mature, incarnational presence of Jesus in their community. Successful grant requests will provide a clear description of the transformation process in which they are participating. They will identify clear SMART goals in the application. The application needs to describe what resources they are using to help guide their transformation process. ABCRM believes that outside support and leadership can be a key to an effective transformation process (e.g., Unstuck process, Bridge Builders, Fresh Expressions, etc.)

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Maximum Grants Awarded:

• CT Grants are matching 75% grants. The church must provide 25% of the funds, and ABCRM will match up to 75% of the needed funds.

• The maximum CT Grant is $10,000 per transformation process/program.  

• ABCRM recognizes that true transformation is a multi-year process. Each CT Grant is eligible for two additional grant requests; however, these additional grants must be directly linked to the original grant process in purpose and goals. (Year 2 max: $5,000, Year 3 max: $2,500)

• A church may only receive one CT Grant in a five-year period.

Due Dates: Church Transformation Grant requests may be submitted at any time and will be considered at the next board meeting.

Pueblo Pastoral Scholarship

Pueblo Pastoral ScholarshipPurpose:The Pueblo Pastoral Scholarship seeks to provide funds to help ministry vocational students, pastors, chaplains, and church staff members seek further academic training for ministry. These funds came to ABCRM when the First Baptist Church of Pueblo closed. They represent the balance of the church’s scholarship fund.

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Scholarship Criteria:

1. Applicants must apply for the scholarship through the ABCRM Pastoral Grant application.

2. Applicants must be members of an ABCRM church that actively participates in the Region: supports American Baptist Mission Support, completes the annual report, and regularly attends the ABCRM Gathering and other broader events.

3. The Pueblo Pastoral Scholarship is intended for students continuing their education to engage in vocational ministry.

4. Applicants must prove they have completed classwork with a minimum of a 2.5 GPA.

5. Scholarships can be used for a Master of Divinity, Doctor of Ministry, or another academic program at an ATS-accredited graduate seminary or theological school. For programs not at a graduate seminary or theological school, the scholarship committee will consider the program's academic standards.

6. The applicant must state the intended purpose of pursuing the course of study.

7. The applicant must include a statement of their call to vocational ministry in their application.

8. Applications must be submitted by June 30.

Scholarships:

• The Pueblo Pastoral Scholarship is for up to $2,000 per semester for a maximum of four years. (A maximum of $16,000.)

• Scholarships will be paid directly to the institution of higher learning in the student's name.

• The student must verify that they are enrolled prior to each academic year.

• At the end of each semester, the student must verify that they completed the intended coursework with the required GPA.

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Due Date: June 30th 

Equipping Scholarship 

The Equipping Scholarship provides funds to help lay church staff and active lay leaders develop new skills and competencies in serving their local church. The ABCRM board designated the funds for the Equipping Scholarship on a three year trial basis beginning June 1, 2025, or when $20,000 in scholarships have been given.

Scholarship Criteria:

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1. The applicant must be a member of an *active ABCRM church and have a defined role in this church, which could be paid or unpaid.

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2. The church pastor must submit a letter endorsing the applicant and the training.

1. Confirms the role of the applicant in the local church.

2.  Describes how the training or course will further the church's mission or resolve a block.

​3. The equipping scholarship is not for students pursuing vocational ministry or for a degree program. (ABCRM provides other scholarships for these courses of study.)

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4. The applicant must provide a one-page narrative that

1.  Describe the applicant’s involvement in the local church

2.  Describe the challenge they (personal or church) are facing

3. Describe the course or training and how it helps address the challenge

4. Describe how this would move the ministry of the church forward

5.  The applicant must submit a report (500 words) describing how the training or course impacted their ministry within 12 months of completing the course.

The Equipping Scholarship:

1. The Equipping Scholarship: 100% of the cost of the training, with a maximum payment of $2,000.

2. Scholarships will be paid directly to the training provider in the student's name when possible.

*An active ABCRM church is defined as: 1) supporting the broader American Baptist work through the American Baptist Mission Support system, 2) completing and submitting the church’s annual report, and 3) participating in broader ABCRM events such as the Gathering.

The applicant must provide contact information and any necessary ID to facilitate the payment. If the payment is made directly to the applicant, a 1099 will be issued unless a receipt is submitted by December 1 of the calendar year the scholarship is paid.. Applicants may receive two scholarships in three years. A second scholarship request from the same lay leader must include the previous application and report.

Church Planting Grant

The Church Planting Grant (CP Grant) provides initial working capital for a healthy new church planting process. ABCRM believes that every church plant will be different in the way they are formed and when and how they need funds. ABCRM’s goal is to provide support (money and other support) to help new churches become healthy, thriving, worshiping communities that are an incarnational presence of Jesus in their community. CP Grants are not sufficient for providing salary support for the church planting team. Successful grant requests will provide a clear description of the church planting process in which they are participating. They will identify SMART goals in the application. They will describe what resources they are using to help guide their planting process. In the application, they will provide a timeline for becoming a “covenanting congregation.” ABCRM believes that outside support and leadership can be a key to an effective church planting process.

Maximum Grants Awarded:

• CP Grants match the human capital of those seeking to plant a new church.

• ABCRM recognizes that church planting is a multi-year and difficult process. Each CP Grant is eligible for two additional grant requests; however, these additional grants must be directly linked to the original grant process in purpose and goals. The maximum CP Grant over the three-year period is $35,000.

• A church may receive two additional grants of up to $5,000 in years four and five. These grants are not included in the $35,000 grant cap.

Due Dates: Church Planting Grant requests may be submitted at any time.