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 the Forum for Congregational Life (formerly Leadership Education at Duke Divinity), which has served as an intermediary organization for the Endowment since 2008. The Forum's mission is to serve as a connection and resource point that affirms, equips and inspires networks of Christian institutions and leaders that nurture congregations.
Staff
Alaina Kleinbeck
Executive Director of Grants and Services
Contact: akleinbeck@div.duke.edu
Alaina Kleinbeck is the Executive Director of Grants and Services at the Forum for Congregational Life. She and her team support networks of organizations and leaders across Christians traditions who support congregational vitality.
Previously, she led the team supporting more than 300 grantees in the Thriving in Ministry, Thriving Congregations, and Ministry in Rural Areas and Small Towns Coordination Programs.
Alaina 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 the Forum for Congregational Life 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 the Forum for Congregational Life 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
Contact: dodom@div.duke.edu
Congregations are essential to the fabric of Dave’s life and ministry. He was raised by his family in congregations in Alabama and Florida and worked in and with congregations since his teenage years in a range of roles from custodian to pastor.
In 2026, Dave led the effort to establish the Forum for Congregational Life to nurture a “network of networks” to support congregations. The Forum hosts conversations, publishes stories and offers grants. He is a leader of the coordination programs for Thriving Congregations, Thriving in Ministry and Ministry in Rural Areas and Small Towns. The Forum builds on the work of Leadership Education at Duke Divinity where Dave was a part of the founding team and worked as executive director from 2008 to 2026.
In addition, Dave supervises select initiatives at Duke Divinity School, where he serves as an associate dean and consulting faculty. He teaches courses on strategy and leadership along with consulting on program and staff development.
Before coming to Duke, Dave was the founder and president of the Center for Congregational Health in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, which supported healthy communities of faith through consultation, leadership development, interim ministry training and vocational discernment.
For more than 30 years, he has been active in the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. He is an ordained Baptist pastor and graduate of Furman University, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and Princeton Theological Seminary.