Financial Assistance for Candidates for Rostered Ministry
Indiana-Kentucky Synod, ELCA
Thanks to the generosity and forethought of God’s people, the Indiana-Kentucky Synod has endowment funds designated for the financial support of its candidates for rostered ministry in the ELCA. Under policies and procedures established by the Finance Committee and Synod Council the annual draw from the growth of these funds provides funding to be distributed among candidates in any given fiscal year.
The Assistant to the Bishop/Director of Candidacy works with the Indiana-Kentucky Synod Candidacy Committee’s Financial Aid Team to determine scholarship dispersals. This team consists of four to five members and we seek to include at least one individual that has professional/vocational experience with financial aid in higher education. Other team members are closely connected to the synod Candidacy Committee as current or former members. This team reviews applications and requests for financial assistance and makes decisions about dispersals of the Beyond Basics Scholarships, the Indiana-Kentucky Scholarship Fund for Leaders Scholarship and Emergency/Discretionary Funds.
Typically, the Financial Aid Team meets in mid-April of each year to make decisions about scholarships for the coming academic year. Two primary concerns guide this Team’s decision making:
- Demonstrated need rooted in limited access to other funding resources
- The accumulation of significant educational debt or high-interest, unsubsidized, or “instant interest” debt
For more information about the specific financial aid available through the Indiana-Kentucky Synod, click on the links below. You may also contact the Director of Candidacy, Rev. Heather Apel: [email protected]; 317-253-3522 ext. 303.