FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Waxahachie, Texas – October 8, 2026 – Nelson University is launching Project Generations, a new initiative designed to help churches cultivate shared faith cultures where children and adults worship, pray, learn, and grow in faith together. 

Project Generations was created through a five–year, $1,249,050 grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. through its Nurturing Children Through Worship and Prayer Initiative II. The program supports promising and creative efforts that help children come to know and love God and grow in faith by helping Christian congregations more intentionally engage children in intergenerational worship and prayer.  

Project Generations’ team will come alongside congregations, parents, and families to equip them to nurture children’s faith, particularly children ages 0–12, through sensory-rich worship and prayer experiences, practical training, and shared faith journeys. 

“We believe that children are not simply the future of the church; they are an important part of the church today,” said Dr. Chris Corbett, Executive Director of Project Generations. “This grant gives us an extraordinary opportunity to help congregations create environments where children are welcomed, known, valued, and invited to participate fully in the life of faith. Our desire is to help churches build on the important ministry they are already doing with children by cultivating a shared faith culture where generations worship, pray, serve, and grow together.” 

Project Generations is built around three movements that shape its ministry and approach: 

Worship. Journey. Discover. 

Worship is the shared experience of encountering God together. 

Journey is the ongoing relationship of walking with one another in faith. 

Discover is the active, growing awareness of who God is and how He is at work in our lives. 

“Worship, Journey, Discover is more than a phrase,” said Dr. Goran Kojchev, Program Director for Project Generations. “It describes a shared life of faith. We worship together in God’s presence, we journey side by side across generations, and we discover who God is and how He is working in our lives. Children need more than information about faith. They need a community that will live faith with them.” 

At the heart of Project Generations is the conviction that faith is not simply taught—it is shared, experienced, and lived together across generations. 

Project Generations draws inspiration from Psalm 145:4: “One generation commends your works to another; they tell of your mighty acts.” The verse reflects Project Generations’ understanding that faith is shared, modeled, experienced, and proclaimed across generations. 

“Psalm 145 gives us a beautiful picture of generations participating in the story of God together,” Kojchev said. “It portrays a living culture in which children hear the stories of God, see faith modeled, participate in worship and prayer, ask questions, experience belonging, and discover who God is alongside people from every generation.” 

Cultivating a Shared Faith Culture 

Project Generations’ distinctive contribution is its focus on cultivating a shared faith culture within congregations. 

“When children know they belong, when they are invited to engage, when they are surrounded by relationships that nurture their faith, and when faith becomes part of everyday life at home, spiritual formation becomes more holistic, shaped by the whole life of the child and the community around them,” said Rev. Julie Pratt, National Director of Children’s Discipleship, Assemblies of God USA, and Project Generations’ Ministry Specialist.

Project Generations will serve churches through four primary areas: 

Training — Equipping pastors, ministry leaders, volunteers, and parents with practical tools and understanding for nurturing children’s faith. 

Demonstration — Modeling sensory-rich, intergenerational worship and prayer experiences that churches can experience and adapt within their own contexts. 

Mentoring — Walking alongside congregations as they implement new practices and develop sustainable approaches to intergenerational faith formation. 

Resources — Providing practical tools, activities, devotionals, worship supports, and family resources for use in congregational and home settings. 

The initiative reflects Lilly Endowment’s broader interest in helping Christian congregations more fully and intentionally engage children in worship and prayer. The Endowment has identified several areas for innovation, including intergenerational worship, inclusion of children with disabilities, sensory and artistic expressions of faith, biblical storytelling, and connections between worship and the daily lives of children and families. 

“We want to support churches in nurturing a shared faith culture where children say, ‘I belong here. I am known here. I worship here. I am walking with people who love Jesus, and I am discovering who God is,’” Kojchev said.  

“Project Generations allows us to bring together our commitment to theological education, ministry preparation, children and family ministry, and the life of the local church,” Corbett said. “We are grateful to Lilly Endowment for investing in this work and for giving us the opportunity to serve congregations as they consider how children can more fully experience and participate in worship and prayer.” 

For more information or to start the conversation, please contact: 

Project Generations
Nelson University
1200 Sycamore Street
Waxahachie, TX 75165
www.projectgenerations.net
[email protected]
972.825.4661 

About Lilly Endowment Inc. 

Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based private foundation established in 1937 by J.K. Lilly and his sons, Eli and J.K. Lilly Jr. The Endowment supports community development, education, and religion. Its grantmaking in religion seeks to deepen and enrich the lives of Christians in the United States, primarily by supporting efforts that enhance the vitality of congregations and strengthen pastoral and lay leadership. 

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About Nelson University 

Nelson University is a private Christian institution located in Waxahachie, Texas, just 30 minutes south of the Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex. Established in 1927, the university offers more than 100 undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs on campus and online. With a mission to integrate faith and learning, Nelson equips students to pursue their God‑given callings within a Spirit‑empowered community. For additional details, Request Information or call 1‑888‑937‑7248.