We are creating a learning community.
Through the Ministry in Rural Areas and Small Towns Initiative, Lilly Endowment Inc. has funded 20 organizations that are committed to investing in the vitality of ministries with this geographic context.
These organizations are working to strengthen ministries in rural areas and small towns by:
- Developing pastoral leadership
- Clarifying congregational mission
- Enhancing ministerial effectiveness
- Building community partnerships
Many grantees are extending their impact by offering subgrants to local partners. Altogether, an estimated 160 community organizations may become part of this growing network, which the coordination program will also help to nurture.
What is the coordination program?
The coordination program is hosted by Leadership Education at Duke Divinity, which has served as an intermediary organization for the Endowment since 2008. Leadership Education’s mission is to strengthen Christian institutions that help pastors and congregations across the United States thrive.
Staff
Alaina Kleinbeck
Associate Executive Director for Coordination Programs
Contact: akleinbeck@div.duke.edu
Alaina Kleinbeck is the Associate Executive Director for Coordination Programs at Leadership Education at Duke Divinity. She and her team support more than 300 grantees in the Thriving in Ministry and Thriving Congregations Coordination Programs.
She has served ministries and organizations in suburban St. Louis, urban Houston, Central America and Norway. She holds degrees from Concordia University Nebraska and Duke Divinity School. From 2013 to 2018, she was director of the Duke Youth Academy for Christian Formation. Before that, she was a director of Christian education working with middle school students. She is committed to developing faithful Christian practices within communities, eliminating barriers to resources for Christian communities and pastors at the margins, and including young people in all aspects of life in the church.
Wanda White
Associate Director,
Ministry in Rural Areas and Small Towns Coordination Program
Contact: wwhite@div.duke.edu
Wanda White started as the Assistant Director for the Thriving in Ministry Coordination Program in March 2020 and became Associate Director in September 2023. She has worked with Leadership Education at Duke Divinity since 2015 as a Staff Assistant, maintaining finances, managing day-to-day office operations, and processing mini grant applications for grants issued to cohort participants. Wanda received her Bachelor of Arts degree from North Carolina A&T State University, Master of Arts degree from Strayer University, and a few certifications from Duke University. Wanda believes her purpose in life is to use her God-given gifts to listen, give, and help others in various capacities of their lives.
Averee Gentry
Program Coordinator,
Coordination Programs
Contact: agentry@div.duke.edu
Averee Gentry joined Leadership Education at Duke Divinity as a program coordinator for Thriving Congregations and Thriving in Ministry in February 2024. She holds a bachelor’s degree in social entrepreneurship from Carson-Newman University and a master of divinity from McAfee School of Theology at Mercer University, where she did administrative work as a teacher’s assistant. She has previous experience coordinating events and doing customer service as a co-owner and store manager of her family’s donut shop in Knoxville, Tennessee.
David L. Odom
Executive Director,
Leadership Education at Duke Divinity
Contact: dodom@div.duke.edu
David L. Odom joined Duke Divinity School in August 2007 to launch Leadership Education at Duke Divinity and now oversees all of its programs and publications, including Faith & Leadership. He regularly teaches and facilitates events and both writes and solicits content for Faith & Leadership. In addition, Odom develops and supervises select initiatives at Duke Divinity School, where he serves as an associate dean. Before coming to Duke, Odom was the founder and president of the Center for Congregational Health in Winston-Salem, N.C., which supported healthy communities of faith through consultation, leadership development, interim ministry training and vocational discernment. Odom, who was an adjunct professor at Wake Forest Divinity School, has extensive experience in program development and evaluation, staff and adjunct faculty development, and strategic organizational management. He also plays a leadership role in the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. He is a graduate of Furman University, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and Princeton Theological Seminary.