Place Greater Emphasis on Planned Giving
By Wayne C. Barrett

An enormous societal trend has occurred before our very eyes. In little more than a single generation, we have evolved from a wealth-oriented culture to an income-oriented culture to a wealth-oriented culture once again. Somebody needs to notify the church!

The implications of this megatrend are absolutely profound and immediate. It means that a growing number of our members have an unprecedented ability to give at dramatically higher levels, even though their incomes may have increased only marginally. This is due to the tremendous increase in their wealth or capital. Clearly, planned giving is an appropriate way for Christians to express their "stewardship of capital resources."

Fortune magazine recently predicted that soon after the turn of the century, the redistribution of wealth due to death would reach unprecedented proportions. In the years 2002-2006, according to Fortune magazine, estates will distribute assets in excess of 6.5 percent of the Gross Domestic Product each year. The great question of our time is, "Where will this wealth go?"

The window of opportunity is wide open for the congregation that recognizes the three fundamentals of planned giving promotion:

a. People are going to die. In my denomination, The United Methodist Church, 1.3 percent to 2 percent of our members die each year. Moreover, it is a different group that dies every year.

b. The easiest money to give away is money you cannot keep anyway. Without even considering the implications of realities, such as estate taxes, the simple fact is, "You cannot take it with you."

c. Money only goes where it is welcome. Some congregations continue to receive substantial planned gifts nearly every year while other churches seldom do. Why? The answer may be as simple as the signals we send out about the appropriateness of such gifts.

Planned giving may be the purest measure of whether we are having success in teaching Christian stewardship. It is a tragic judgment upon much of our work when thousands of people each year live their lives as Christians and die as agnostics because they have made no provision for the cause of Christ in their estates.

From Get Well! Stay Well! Prescriptions for a Financially Healthy Congregation (pp. 75-76) by Wayne C. Barrett. Discipleship Resources © 1997. Used by permission. This resource is now about of print, but is available from Amazon.com.