Pastors and church leaders shape the spiritual and financial future of their congregations, not only through sermons and sacraments, but through the everyday decisions that direct how God’s gifts are received, managed, and shared. Every pledge card, planned gift, and endowment carries a story—now and in generations to come.

The “For the Love of God, Let’s Talk” Stewardship and Generosity series has invited clergy, church leaders, and members to look beyond anxiety about money and into a fuller picture of discipleship. Earlier webinars explored why stewardship matters, how narrative budgets translate dollars into ministry, and how good financial practices and internal controls build trust. Throughout, Jim Ducker, Director of Finance for the Dakotas Annual Conference, and Sheri Meister, President of the Dakotas and Minnesota Methodist Foundations, have emphasized that the church’s financial life is not separate from its spiritual life; it is one integrated expression of faith, gratitude, and mission.

In this fourth and final webinar in the series, the focus turns to “Ways to Give”: the streams of support that make ministry possible today and plant seeds for tomorrow. Jim and Sheri walk through annual pledges and regular giving, explore assets and income sources, and then move into legacy giving—planned gifts, endowments, bequests, and fundraisers that extend impact far beyond a single budget year.

At the heart of giving

At the heart of the session is a simple but profound reminder drawn from 2 Corinthians 8: the motivation for giving generously, even in seasons of scarcity, is the grace of Jesus Christ. “Radical generosity is contagious,” the devotion Jim shares says; grace turns the world’s assumptions upside down and shows that in God’s kingdom, more comes through giving.

Jim started with the importance and practicality of an annual pledging process. “Annual commitments help churches build realistic budgets, make faithful plans for ministry, and stabilize financial life so that leaders can focus more attention on mission.” When a congregation has a clear picture of what it can count on from givers in the coming year, it can sustain core ministries and respond to new opportunities with confidence. Sheri added the importance of keeping generosity and stewardship messaging in front of the congregation throughout the year, while focusing on the pledge process annually, just before budgeting for the coming year.

She expanded the thought process about generosity from income to accumulated assets and long-term planning. She invited leaders to consider the full range of resources entrusted to their congregations—buildings, land, investments, and reserves—and to ask how those assets can be aligned more intentionally with their mission. Through tools like endowments, investment funds, and structured gift policies, churches can turn existing assets into ongoing streams of support for ministry, rather than letting them sit idle.

YOUR STORY

Sheri reminded participants that every financial decision is ultimately about the story a congregation wants to tell. “I don’t know that I do a presentation where I don’t talk about the story,” she said. “What is the story of your church, and who are you as a church? Who do you want to be—now and twenty years from now?” She invited leaders to name whether their hearts are drawn to children and outreach, pastoral well-being, community ministries, or creative uses of their facilities, and then to align their giving, assets, and long-term plans with that calling.

Good stewardship of resources involves intentional planning and preparation.

Legacy giving, endowments, and the wise use of assets become tools for living out that story, ensuring that the ministries congregations care about most have the support they need for decades to come.

conversations that shape ministry

Sheri encouraged pastors and finance leaders to normalize talking about wills, beneficiary designations, and estate gifts as expressions of faith, not just financial transactions. Legacy gifts—whether through bequests, charitable gift annuities, or other planned giving vehicles—allow people to support the ministries they love long after they are gone, bearing witness to their trust that God will continue to work through the church in future generations. Even simple steps, such as including a line in church communications inviting members to remember the church in their estate plans, can open the door to conversations that shape ministry for decades to come.

From Sunday offerings to legacy bequests, from annual pledge drives to carefully structured endowments, ‘Ways to Give’ equips churches to hold resources loosely, steward them faithfully, and invest them boldly in the transforming work of Christ.

This is a glimpse into the depth and energy of this particular webinar. Go to the Foundations website or the Dakotas Conference website to experience the full conversation, catch up on previous webinars.

FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, LET’S TALK WEBINARS

Stewardship & Generosity Series with Jim Ducker and Sheri

Webinar #4 WAYS TO GIVE

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DakMinnMethodistFoundations
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/for-the-love-of-god-lets-talk/id1841402100
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/208KgXp81QtFcdgiI44cnm?si=e8543fd5e42c4e8c
Dakotas | Minnesota Foundation: https://www.dkmnmf.org/For-The-Love-of-God
Dakotas Conference Stewardship Resources: https://www.dakotasumc.org/administration/church-committees/finance/stewardship-generosity

Topics with Timecodes
1. 5:36             Giving Sources
2. 6:08              Income
3. 28:43          Assets – Investments
4. 32:32          Assets – Real Estate
5. 41:05          Planning Now vs. Not Planning
6. 45:47           Sustainable Ministry
7. 46:11          The Story of Your Church
8. 47:15          Legacy Giving
9. 52:06          Barriers that Stop People from Estate Planning
10. 59:17       Endowments
11. 1:12:26   Fundraisers
12. 1:15:04   Education
13. 1:16:30   Resources
14. 1:23:30   Future Events