Teach a New Way of Giving
By Donald W. Joiner

One sign of a financially healthy congregation is that it invites members to give "outside-the-line" through offerings such as estate and memorial gifts and endowments, says Wayne Barrett, executive director of the United Methodist Foundation of the West Michigan Annual Conference.

Many local churches talk to members about giving only from their earnings. That limits many people's giving. Offer members alternative ways to give from their accumulated assets.

Begin a five-year plan to teach members about giving from their assets. Publicize such giving opportunities in church bulletins, newsletters, and estate and financial planning seminars. The following steps can help your church begin:

• Explain why members should give to the church through their estates. Explain how an estate gift of $25,000, when invested properly, could provide $1,000 a year perpetually.
• Establish an endowment or permanent fund with assistance from your conference United Methodist Foundation.
• Remind members to give through memorial and honor giving if they want to see the immediate results of their giving
• Educate people about nontraditional ways of giving, such as giving through stocks.

First Chruch in Des Moines, Iowa, has a successful endowment program, called "First Church forever," which increased $580,045 between 1996 and 1997. Income generated from the investments allows the church to pay for unplanned needs and ministries that otherwise would be delayed until funds could be raised. The program is well publicized and includes free seminars in planned giving.

For more information, contact your area United Methodist Foundation or Donald W. Joiner at djoiner@gbod.org.

Donald W. Joiner (djoiner@gbod.org) is the Operations Officer and Director of Fund Development for the Discipleship Ministries Unit of the General Board of Discipleship. This article also appeared in the "Finance and Stewardship Idea Mart" of the September 1998 issue of >Interpreter magazine (published by United Methodist Communications). It is used by permission.