Last week we talked about how a single generous major donor can be a blessing or a curse.  The same is true for a significant bequest. It seems whenever I talk with church leaders about a planned giving program, they are worried about it ruining their church. I don’t blame them, I’ve seen it happen. […]

In Vegas they call them “whales.” Major universities call them “investors” or “special friends.” But in a church setting individuals who give very large amounts can be a curse, if we let them. In the last several months I have had two conversations on the topic. The first is the pastor at Hasbeen UMC. This […]

Three weeks ago this morning my plane from Liberia by way of Ghana touched down in New York. My adventure had come to a close and on the very long overnight flight I once again got used to things like toilets that flush, drinks with ice and in-flight movies (by the way, The Butler is […]

While I was in Liberia I had the opportunity to attend their Annual Conference.  No less than three speakers devoted some or all of their presentations to stewardship.  I was looking forward to what they had to say.  I wanted to learn more about stewardship in a world where extreme poverty is the norm and […]

  For the first time in my life I’m part of a posse.  You know, a posse, when famous people travel they bring an entourage, a group of hangers on who like to bask in the star’s limelight. At the Liberia Annual Conference Kathy and Danny Dickriede are most definitely rock stars.  Danny’s quick smile […]

A different kind of brand   Marketers say that a brand is what people think when they consider a product.  Rolls Royce, for instance, has branded itself differently from a Yugo; a Rolex is different from a Timex. For the last six days I have been interested to see what the United Methodist brand is […]

If you’re a regular reader of this space you know that missions are important to me.  In fact, if I could only have the church do one thing, I would skip worship, Sunday School and (gasp!) even committee meetings and just do missions.  But clearly missions would be more difficult without the other things. How […]

Chick Lane probably is not a name a lot of United Methodists are familiar with, but he’s a favorite read of mine.  Chick is the Director of the Center for Stewardship Leaders at Luther Seminary, a Lutheran school in St. Paul, Minnesota. He has just retired and on his way out he posted the following to […]

A New Year’s Prayer Author Unknown May God make your year a happy one! Not by shielding you from all sorrows and pain, But by strengthening you to bear it, as it comes; Not by making your path easy, But by making you sturdy to travel any path; Not by taking hardships from you, But […]

I had a great consultation last week with a pastor who had an interesting dilemma, one that many wish they were in.  The church was about to receive a significant bequest from a member and he was looking for some guidance before meeting with the family to discuss its best use in ministry. I, of […]