May News, 2022

Before Talking to the Church about a Deficit

Rev. Dr. Sherry Parker-Lewis

What do church leaders do when the church is experiencing a deficit? Finance teams compare monthly congregational giving to church expenditures and become concerned. They note that the church is running “in the red” or soon will be. They decide to tell the congregation that the church needs more money and appoint a member of the team to make an appeal during worship.

Is this an effective strategy? The answer is “yes” and “no”. As faithful stewards of God’s gifts, church leaders consistently say “yes” to financial transparency. However, leaders who are sensitive to today’s generosity culture say “no” to a simple we-need-more-money appeal. 

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Saving Grace: A Guide to Financial Well-Being

The Foundation is committed to bringing better financial health to churches, individuals and pastors in 2022. We are poised to provide training, coaching and grants. Fall classes are forming soon.

To learn more about Saving Grace: A Guide to Financial Well-Being, visit our website today. You can watch a free session, view materials and learn how financial health can help you and your congregation!

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Podcast Alert

David S. Bell, President & Executive Director, was a recent guest on the Third Turn Podcast.

Watch and listen to his insights about generosity, leadership, and legacy.

Grants Awarded

Big Beaver, Marshall, West Branch and Mt. Hope (Lansing) UMCs were all recently awarded $2500.00 grants after being selected to receive the Wayne C. Barrett Stewardship Leader Award. All four churches demonstrated in their applications an exemplary stewardship ministry and culture of generosity.

Wayne Barrett provided over 35 years of leadership for the United Methodist Foundation of Michigan. He served more than 1,000 congregations with programs and consultations in planned giving, capital funding, and stewardship development. A prolific author, Dr. Barrett wrote featured articles for leading church-related magazines and penned three best-selling stewardship books.

We are excited to continue his legacy and recognize these churches for providing the highest levels of leadership in the area of financial stewardship.

Audits Completed

The Foundation recently completed the audit process for all financial operations and investment pools for the YE 2021. The Foundation received the highest validation possible during this process as the audits were deemed “clean” and there were no discrepancies, deficiencies or concerns noted. 

The audits are posted on our website for investors and public review.

Helping Faithful People Live Generous Lives

for Over 90 Years