Things a Pastor Can Do
- Preach on Biblical themes pertaining to being good stewards of one’s trust from
God (including one’s income and accumulated possessions).
- Teach in adult education settings the subject of
responsible Christian
stewardship in matters of personal financial planning and estate planning.
- Counsel with persons as a part of their pastoral ministry on the importance
of wills and estate planning, especially in conjunction with premarital
counseling, preparation for baptism of children, counseling at times of health
crisis or at the death of a spouse, and pre-planning funeral arrangements.
- Encourage the formation of a “Permanent Endowment Fund Committee” in the
local church which will in turn seek to promote bequests, life income gifts, and
other planned gifts in the life of the congregation.
- Educate himself/herself about planned giving opportunities drawing upon basic
information available through United Methodist Foundation. Study and become
familiar with the resource, Planned Giving Handbook, and other sources which the
Foundation can recommend.
- Communicate with church members through the various church media channels
about the importance of Christian estate planning and the
opportunities for
giving through careful, prayerful, and creative gift planning.
- Encourage the lay leadership to plan (and attend, and support)
stewardship
events in the local church such as Estate and Gift Planning Workshops, Estate
Planning Seminars, workshops on Creative Gift Planning, and Financial Planning
Seminars.
- Develop a long-range planning process with the congregation culminating in a
mission statement which includes endowment funding for the church’s mission and
ministry to and with future generations.
- Acknowledge personally and publicly the receiving of
bequests and other
planned gifts which benefit the local church as a way of encouraging others as
well as a way of saying “thank you” to donors.
- Celebrate with gratitude what faithful friends have made possible through
planned gifts that support the ministry and mission of the church today (in
other words, what is being made possible because of planned giving and endowment
funding).
- Evaluate their own estate plan. Are the church or other charitable
institutions in the will?
- Minister patiently and faithfully since this important aspect of Christian
stewardship takes time to “bear fruit.”
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