Christian Theological Seminary launches $18 million campaign after sold-out Jon Meacham event

Christian Theological Seminary publicly launched its largest campaign, RISE UP: The Campaign for Human Flourishing, on Tuesday in Indianapolis after a sold-out event with historian Jon Meacham. The campaign has raised $14.87 million toward its $18 million goal and will fund preaching, counseling, civic engagement and general support for the seminary.

Why it matters: - Christian Theological Seminary is using the campaign to expand training for clergy, counselors and community leaders at a time when faith-based institutions are being asked to address mental health, justice and civic leadership needs. - The campaign is already more than 82% funded, which gives CTS a strong base as it moves into the public phase. - The named initiatives are designed to support both the seminary’s programs and services that reach beyond campus in Indianapolis and statewide.

What happened: - CTS publicly launched RISE UP: The Campaign for Human Flourishing on Tuesday evening at Shelton Auditorium in Indianapolis. - The launch followed a sold-out conversation with Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and presidential biographer Jon Meacham, moderated by the Honorable Myra C. Selby, former Indiana Supreme Court justice and former chair of the CTS Board of Trustees. - CTS said the campaign has secured $14,872,430 toward its $18 million goal. - The commitments were raised during a quiet phase that began in 2023.

The details: - RISE UP centers on four commitments: Faithful Leadership, Equity & Justice, Healing & Wholeness, and Sustaining Generosity. - The campaign includes a $3 million effort to establish the Frank A. and Joyce S. Thomas Endowed Chair in African American Preaching and Sacred Rhetoric. - CTS says the endowed chair would be the first in the discipline. - The chair honors Dr. Frank A. Thomas, who founded CTS’s PhD program in the field and directed it as the first of its kind in the world. - The PhD program now includes the Compelling Preaching Initiative and the African American Legacy Preaching Series. - The program celebrated its first doctoral graduates in 2024. - The CTS Counseling Center has offered sliding-scale care since 1967. - The counseling center now provides more than 11,000 sessions each year. - The center serves clients statewide through telehealth and trains licensed counselors and therapists. - CTS said 66% of Marion County residents who need treatment for serious mental illness are not receiving it. - Campaign support will fund an outreach coordinator, renovate shared spaces for therapy and training, modernize secure telehealth and supervision technology, and provide subsidies that help lower fees for clients. - The campaign will establish a permanent Center for Faith & Action at CTS. - The Faith & Action Project, which sits at the center of that effort, has spent a decade bringing together faith communities, nonprofits, businesses and civic leaders to address poverty in Marion County. - The project has convened more than 5,000 participants and awarded more than $1 million in catalytic grants to more than 100 organizations. - The permanent center will add dedicated leadership, sustain grantmaking and offer a yearlong Fellowship for pastors and lay leaders. - The campaign also strengthens the CTS Annual Fund for flexible support across the School of Theology and School of Counseling. - CTS President Dr. David M. Mellott said RISE UP will help invest in the clergy, counselors, scholars and community leaders the city and world need. - Campaign co-chairs Alana Washington and Diane Thompson said the effort reflects what becomes possible when people believe in CTS and its future. - Dr. Kristin Champa, vice president for advancement, said each gift may help a preacher, a family seeking counseling or a congregation responding to a neighborhood need.

Between the lines: - The campaign’s mix of preaching, counseling and civic-engagement programs suggests CTS is positioning itself as both a theological school and a practical community institution. - The fundraising progress before the public launch signals strong early donor confidence and may help CTS build momentum for the remaining balance. - The emphasis on African American preaching, mental health access and neighborhood-based collaboration aligns the campaign with current needs in Indianapolis and similar urban communities.

What's next: - CTS will continue the public phase of RISE UP as it seeks the remaining $3,127,570 needed to reach the $18 million goal. - The seminary is inviting donors and community partners in Indianapolis and beyond to support the campaign. - More information is available at the campaign website. - The campaign leadership includes honorary co-chairs Mike and Sue Smith and Preston and Greta Adams, along with a steering committee of current and former CTS trustees.

The bottom line: - CTS is turning a strong quiet-phase fundraising run into a broader public push for programs that link leadership formation, mental health access and community change.