A number of years ago, I had the honor of working with Pastor Howie Baird when he was serving Grand Forks Wesley UMC. If I recall correctly, a big concern of Howie’s was that about 25% of the church’s income came from three donors…all in their 80’s. At the time, Howie was working with one of the donors to have them redirect their giving to an endowment that would provide a source of income indefinitely to the church long after the donor had passed.
A little over three years ago, I met with Pastor Charlie Moore and his finance chair, Joel Metz. We discussed plans to get Sioux Falls Sunnycrest UMC on solid financial ground. Part of their plan was to contribute 3% of their offerings into an investment account so that the church would one day have an emergency fund…which is now fully funded.
The reason I share these with you is that a lot of pastors and church leaders wish their churches were better off financially, but rarely take the steps that could lead their churches in that direction. The future ministry of your church will be much brighter if you start planning and then acting today on securing your church’s financial future. This webinar, led by Sheri Meister, will help you get started today.
Useful Links
- Contagious Generosity book: https://www.amazon.com/Contagious-Generosity-Creating-Leadership-Innovation/dp/0310893135
- Dakotas UMF Endowments: https://www.dakotasumc.org/foundation/what-we-do/endowments
- Dakotas UMF Investments: https://www.dakotasumc.org/foundation/what-we-do/investments
- Guide to manage long-term funds: https://www.dakotasumc.org/media/files/CONFERENCE/5_Conf_Finance_Benefits/Finance/Managing_Long-Term_Funds.pdf
- Gift Acceptance Policy template: https://www.dakotasumc.org/media/files/CONFERENCE/5_Conf_Finance_Benefits/Finance/Gift_Acceptance_Policy.docx
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