I grew up in a very United Methodist home.  Going to Christ  United Methodist Church in Alliance on Sunday was never in question.  Dad was the Lay Leader for our church, my brothers and I did Sunday School, UMYF, various choirs and projects.  We earned our Eagle Scout Award from the church’s boy scout troop.  […]

Church Finance

March 4, 2019

Time for Connection or Silos?

In the past 24 hours I have read many blogs, posts, texts and emails along the lines of, “Now What?” I say now is the time for The One Church Plan. No, not the one you’ve been hearing about. My plan is for you to focus on One Church, yours. In many communities around the […]

Church Finance

February 27, 2019

The One Church Plan Reimagined

About 90 minutes ago the General Conference announced the results of the prioritization vote.  The Traditional Plan had 55% of the voters rate it a high priority for discussion  The One Church Plan had 48%, The Simple Plan 19% and the Connectional Conference Plan 12%.  Incidentally that adds up to 134%. Folks in the conservative […]

Church Finance

February 24, 2019

So What Just Happened?

Sunday is looking like an interesting day. It’s Sunday morning so we start with worship, of course.  At 7:30 a.m.  Why the early start?  Because one of our rules is that we have to be done by 6:30 each evening.  We’ll have an hour or so for lunch.  They’re planning for a busy day.  And […]

Church Finance

February 24, 2019

What Sunday Looks Like

Because we’re the church, we pray.  A lot.  We pray before meetings, we pray at the office pot luck and we pray before General Conference.  But today was different.  An entire day of prayer, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. or so.  We sang hymns, prayed in languages I did not understand and prayed in styles […]

Church Finance

February 23, 2019

Under The Big Top

When General Conference met in Portland about three years ago we worked under the theme, “Therefore Go,” a shortened version, presumably, of The Great Commission, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” from Matthew 28:19, NIV. That General […]

Church Finance

February 20, 2019

The Irony of a Theme

Our annual grant cycle has begun and we invite you to apply for Foundation grants and scholarships.  Deadline for all is March 1. See our grants and scholarships page for more information. If you are a seminary student or know someone who is there are two options available: The Excellence in Clergy Leadership Scholarship is […]

Church Finance

January 10, 2019

Grants and Scholarships Available

My neighbor, Rick, loped up the driveway the other day and after a couple minutes of chit chat he said, “Hey I need to get that edger off of you this afternoon.” Now I don’t mind lending out my tools.  Rick’s earned a reputation for taking care of stuff he borrows and prompt returns, but […]

Church Finance

July 19, 2018

Thanks for asking

Gift annuities have always been attractive for donors.  They offer a great win-win, with individuals receiving a guaranteed income for life and their churches benefiting at the end of the donor’s life. Here at the Foundation we manage about 45 annuities totaling more than $580,000. Effective July 1, we will increase the payout rate for […]

Church Finance

May 21, 2018

Gift Annuity Rates on the Rise

In the last week or so, stock markets have seen significant volatility, or change, and it has folks worried.  Stocks dropped about 6% early in the week.  Does a bad week make Chicken Little correct, maybe people wonder. The chart above is a great illustration for times such as these.  It was provided to me […]

Church Finance

February 7, 2018

Unexpected Market Volatility