Higher Education and Leadership Ministries does a lot. HELM:

• Serves as a connection between the church and the 17 colleges and universities, 10 theological institutions and more than 140 campus ministries that are raising up ministers and leaders.

• Supports those who care for the spiritual needs of thousands of students in both public and private colleges and universities.

• Provides support for leadership training and scholarship assistance for undergraduate Disciples through the HELM Leadership Fellows Program.

• Supports the Disciples Leadership Institute, gathering younger congregational leaders from both new and established congregations and across the divides of race, culture and language.

• Creates networking opportunities and provides resources for college students through the Student Ecumenical Partnership (STEP), a partnership with the United Church of Christ.

• Helps congregations with local scholarship programs by processing applications and managing investments.

• Provides educational grants for ministerial students.

• Coordinates the biennial Seminarians Conference for future clergy leaders.

• Supports young adults through partnerships with other general ministries and the Young Adult Commission.

• Supports Ph.D. students in religious studies through the Ann E. Dickerson Scholarship and the William Gilbert and Florence Leonard Jones Scholarship.

• Coordinates recruiting efforts to make all Disciples aware of Disciples-related colleges and universities through the General Assembly, college fairs, and coordinated publications.

• Administers grants in support of programs to enhance and strengthen the relationship between the church and the educational institutions.

• Helps seminarians transition smoothly to local church ministry through assistance to the Bethany Fellows Program.

• Manages endowments from individuals that support future leaders, both in the pulpit and in the pews.

• Recognizes excellence in teaching and scholarship through the T.A. Abbott Award.

• Organizes forums where campus leaders can gather and create resources for their institutions, Disciples higher education, and the church as a whole.