Author

Mark Elsdon

Social entrepreneur, strategic executive and author

Mark Elsdon is a social entrepreneur, strategic executive and author who lives in Madison, Wisconsin. He is a national thought leader and speaker on faith-based impact investing, social enterprise and property development. Elsdon is author of “We Aren’t Broke: Uncovering Hidden Resources for Mission and Ministry” and editor of “Gone for Good? Negotiating the Coming Wave of Church Property Transition.”

He holds degrees from the University of California, Berkeley; Princeton Theological Seminary; and the University of Wisconsin School of Business. In addition, he is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and serves as co-founder of RootedGood and principal at Threshold Sacred Development.

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Apply for a Vital Worship, Vital Preaching Grant 

Vital Worship, Vital Preaching Grants from the Calvin Institute for Christian Worship are designed for worshiping communities. These grants allow a wide range of Christian worshiping communities to focus on projects that connect public worship with Christian discipleship and faith formation. Funding awards range from $8,000 to $25,000. 

The grants support year-long projects that show promise in fostering renewed or strengthened worship practices within worshiping communities in the United States or Canada. Vital Worship, Vital Preaching Grants for teacher-scholars are also available. Applications for the October 15 deadline will open on July 15, 2026.

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