wfn.org | Newsline: Indiana districts receive Lilly Endowment grant to aid pastors

[cobnews <cobnews@brethren.org>]

Newsline: Church of the Brethren News Service, News Director Cheryl Brumbau gh-Cayford, 800-323-8039 ext. 260, cobnews@brethren.org

INDIANA DISTRICTS RECEIVE LILLY ENDOWMENT GRANT TO AID PASTORS

(March 20, 2009) Elgin, IL -- The Church of the Brethren's Northern Indiana  District and South Central Indiana District have jointly received a grant  of $335,000 from the Lilly Endowment's new Initiative to Address Economic C hallenges Facing Indiana Pastors.

The two districts are among 16 regional bodies from a variety of Christian  denominations to receive awards that total more than $11 million.

In Dec. 2007, the endowment awarded planning grants to Protestant regional  judicatories in Indiana to study financial challenges faced by their pastor s and ways to address them, according to a press release from the endowment .

The groups conducted extensive surveys and engaged in in-depth interviews w ith pastors and congregational leaders about their current economic situati ons. The groups then submitted proposals for new programs designed to addre ss the most challenging economic issues their pastors face. In late 2008, t he endowment gave grants to those groups that submitted compelling program  plans. The amounts of the grants were based on the number of congregations  served.

"The planning process during the past year identified a number of economic  challenges impacting our pastors," said Northern Indiana District executive  Herman Kauffman. "These were very similar to those impacting pastors of ot her denominations in Indiana. The financial concern listed most often as a  serious stressor was the cost of health care. Second was inadequate retirem ent funds. Third was salary and benefits. Financial management was also a s ignificant issue."

Kauffman reported that providing education to clergy and congregations rela ted to specific ways to help alleviate stress on pastors and to improve con gregational life will be a key component of the districts' program. The two  districts are considering such things as financial management seminars for  clergy, stewardship education and financial management at the congregation al level, and perhaps individual counseling with clergy where needed.

The two district boards have appointed a Ministerial Excellence Board consi sting of six people--two appointed by each district board plus the two dist rict executives--to oversee the hiring of a quarter-time director and to gi ve oversight to the program and the grant funds. The Ministerial Excellence  Board also will work at recruiting consultants in the areas of insurance,  financial planning, fundraising, and legal matters.

"In addition to the grant received from Lilly Endowment, the Ministerial Ex cellence Board will work at generating matching funds to allow the program  to grow and continue beyond the initial four-year period," Kauffman added.  He said the districts anticipate that grants will be provided in areas that  would include health care costs, retirement funds, educational debt, and h igher education costs for children of clergy, with encouragement to congreg ations to match these grants.

"Even before the recent economic turmoil...we noticed and were increasingly  troubled by ways that financial hardships facing some pastors can weigh th em down and create barriers that make it very difficult for them to lead th eir congregations effectively," said Craig Dykstra, senior vice president f or religion at the Lilly Endowment, in the press release.

The Indiana pastors included in the study admitted that personal financial  pressures make it hard for them to contribute much financially to their own  churches, the release reported, adding that as a result pastors are reluct ant to talk openly about financial matters, to take active roles in managin g congregational finances, or to encourage members to give to church minist ries. "Church leaders also noted that these personal financial pressures ar e a major motivating factor for clergy leaving the ministry," the release s aid.

The Church of the Brethren is a Christian denomination committed to continu ing the work of Jesus peacefully and simply, and to living out its faith in  community. The denomination is based in the Anabaptist and Pietist faith t raditions and is one of the three Historic Peace Churches. It celebrated it s 300th anniversary in 2008. It counts more than 125,000 members across the  United States and Puerto Rico, and has missions and sister churches in Nig eria, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and India.

># # #

>For more information contact:

>Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford
>Director of News Services
>Church of the Brethren
>1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120
>800-323-8039 ext. 260
>cobnews@brethren.org