| | | | | | | | | | | | PRACTICAL WISDOM FOR LEADING CONGREGATIONS |
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| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Even though they couldn't make the mortgage, Edgar Villanueva's church gave. They took on significant risks, supporting missionaries, responding to natural disasters, helping hungry families.
They felt called to make major investments in the community, so they did. Even though it was scary, God always just provided, Villanueva said. It was biblical, he said, to continue toward their calling and trust that things were going to be OK.
"Helping generate wealth in diverse communities is one of the greatest things that churches can do," Villanueva said.
A registered member of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, Villanueva was first introduced to giving and selflessness through his mother, who did outreach for her church in the time between her several labor-intensive domestic jobs. She was passionate about getting people to church, especially kids, he said.
Villanueva is now a leading expert in global philanthropy and serves as the vice president of programs and advocacy at the Schott Foundation for Public Education. He is the author of "Decolonizing Wealth: Indigenous Wisdom to Heal Divides and Restore Balance."
Villanueva spoke recently to our colleagues at Faith & Leadership about philanthropy and how the church can better engage with wealth.
Read the interview with Edgar Villanueva » |
| EXECUTIVE CERTIFICATE IN RELIGIOUS FUNDRAISING |
Register today for the Lake Institute on Faith & Giving's Executive Certificate in Religious Fundraising
With sessions throughout the year, the Executive Certificate in Religious Fundraising is designed to be a a four-day transformative learning experience for clergy, lay leaders, denominational executives, and development professionals. The program provides the research, tools, and customized training to meet the growing needs of leaders in religious communities and fundraisers of faith-based organizations. The focus of the ECRF is on the cultural, organizational, and philanthropic practices unique to religious institutions. These practices in turn enable donors motivated by spiritual and religious values to experience the joy of generous giving.
To learn more and register for ECRF, visit Lake Institute's webpage »
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| | FROM OUR ARCHIVE: MINISTRY & MONEY |
After losing federal support in 2011, Amachi Pittsburgh, a faith-based organization that supports the children of people in prison, has worked to become financially sustainable by partnering without becoming dependent and broadening tactics without compromising mission.
Read more about Amachi Pittsburgh » |
Religious institutions need not live out of a scarcity mindset. Our religious communities are full of the necessary assets to cultivate a culture of generosity, writes the Karen Lake Buttrey Director of Lake Institute on Faith & Giving.
Read more from David P. King » |
Don't begin the conversation with the expenses to cut. Instead, focus on your organization's assets and how they can be leveraged in service of your missional impact, writes the executive director of Leadership Education at Duke Divinity.
Read more from David L. Odom » |
Offerings of the Heart: Money and Values in Faith Communities by Rabbi Shawn Israel Zevit
Nadiv Lev. "Offerings of the Heart." This phrase sets the tone for the Jewish spiritual perspective that money is a tool for actualizing God's presence in the world.
Building on this core value and setting aside the financial/spiritual split with which many congregational leaders operate, Rabbi Shawn Zevit brings the depth and breadth of Jewish teachings on money and the spiritual life to all faith communities.
This book provides texts and tools to help clergy, staff, and lay leaders of congregations of any faith approach financial and other resources as core means to build and maintain whole and holy lives in a communal setting. Zevit demonstrates how faith communities can create values-based approaches to developing and managing financial and human resources that are rooted in the very sacred traditions, principles, and impulses that bring us together.
Learn more and order the book » |
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