In 2025, Union Theological Seminary was awarded a grant from Lilly Endowment, Inc to bring nourishing stories about Christian faith and life to a wider public. In 2026, Union is launching “Into the Crowd,” a media fellowship which will connect beloved Christian leaders and visionary storytellers to create stories that gather, guide, and inspire all who long for a more just and connected world.
Krista Tippett, a Peabody award-winning journalist, National Humanities Medalist, and New York Times bestselling author, will serve as the founding fellow of this new program.
Through her On Being podcast, which has been played more than 470 million times and received the highest honors in broadcast media, Krista Tippett has created a singular space for reflection and conversation in American and global public life. After ending On Being’s groundbreaking twenty-year run as a weekly NPR program in 2022, Krista entered a period of discernment about how she and this work are called to be in service in this moment, which she has called “a Kairos time in the life of the world.” “Into the Crowd” aims to cultivate relationships between unlikely collaborators who, together, will birth new kinds of stories that answer the call of this Kairos time.
As the founding fellow, Krista will bring her convening power, which draws on a rare, broad cultural trust; her stewardship of a 20-year archive of spiritual wisdom, social creativity, and public theology; and her distinctive expertise in listening and conversation to the design of the “Into the Crowd” fellowship and to the wider Union community.
During her yearlong tenure, which begins in February of 2026, Krista will work closely with the director of Union’s storytelling initiative, Casey Donahue, to design and launch “Into the Crowd.” Over this period, Union will become a base for On Being’s national and global distinctives. Krista will host public life events, chair closed-door convenings of journalists and other key stakeholders in faith-based media, and create opportunities to interact with Union students inside and outside the classroom.
“We are deeply grateful to Lilly Endowment Inc. for making this bold new initiative possible. At a time when public discourse is fractured and communities long for depth and trust, Into the Crowd represents Union’s commitment to cultivating stories that gather, guide, and inspire. Krista Tippett’s leadership as founding fellow brings extraordinary integrity, and spiritual imagination to this work. We could not imagine a more fitting partner for this moment,” stated Union President Serene Jones.
“I want to extend my sincere thanks to the Union community for welcoming me, particularly in this moment of such possibility and need. In my work, I’ve witnessed young people offering themselves – with real intention and humility – to the formation of the beloved community. There’s a hunger I see, a reaching for theological depth and spiritual resilience that can hold them. This fellowship creates a container for the intergenerational accompaniment that’s needed for new Christian stories to be born – stories that both return us to the heart of the Christian tradition and illuminate the specific questions and longings of the 21st century,” shared Krista Tippett.