The Missouri Baptist Foundation loves Missouri Baptist pastors. If you add up the years of ministry between our President Dr. Neil Franks and our Ambassadors (Dr. John Marshall and me) we represent over 100 years of pastoral ministry experience. We know the joy of preaching God’s Word and seeing people come to faith in Christ, seeing baptisms, watching people take their next step of faith, and officiating when people say, “I do”. We have lived through the grief of burying beloved friends and family. We have experienced ministry hurts and disappointments. We have all contemplated quitting. We love you, Pastors. You are the true heroes of the MBC!
When it comes down to it none of us has ever seen a year like 2020 before! No pastor in this modern age has seen anything like this year. Pastors, we know this year has been challenging. We know there is hurt and so much discouragement. We want to be a help and encouragement to you.
One of the ways the Missouri Baptist Foundation wants to help is in the area of church finances. We helped many churches begin their online giving accounts this spring with the beginning of COVID-19. If you are not set up for online giving, we can help. Further, a church member may desire to design an estate plan to invest in your church’s ministry or other Missouri Baptist entities like one of our colleges, the Children’s Home or the Baptist Home. Your church may receive a large gift and your finance team needs guidance. Or your church may need to borrow money for a new building project. In all these situations the Missouri Baptist Foundation wants to partner with you to impact missions, ministry, and advance the Gospel. Please contact the Foundation if you have questions in the area of church finances.
Pastors, we specifically want to help you and your family in your personal finances. The Missouri Baptist Foundation has partnered with Ramsey Solutions to offer Financial Peace University (FPU) free for up to 75 Missouri Baptist pastors in 2021. This nine-week class will bring education and motivation to be a good steward of your resources. Plus, this comes with a Ramsey+ membership that allows pastors to receive an app for budgeting, an app for keeping track of debt, as well as other videos on finances. These videos include The Legacy Journey and Smart Money, Smart Kids, which allows you to teach your children wise principles for money management.
This fall we offered our first Financial Peace University class with ten Missouri Baptist pastors. We used a Zoom format and met for about forty minutes on Monday evening. We had pastors from urban areas and rural, full-time and bi-vocational, lead pastors, associate pastors, an executive pastor, and a worship pastor. What a joy to learn together, to share together, laugh together, and to pray for each other.
I love what three of our Financial Peace members shared with me recently, “The best thing about FPU is how comprehensive it is. The budget process is great, and it makes me aware of the steps I need to take to get where I want to go.” Another wrote, “We now feel more confident with our long-term financial plan and are making changes to ensure that we have a solid retirement.” A young pastor shared, “Being able to go through FPU has helped us have the tools we need to be good stewards of our finances for the rest of our life. We are so thankful to the Missouri Baptist Foundation for allowing us the opportunity to be more prepared for the future!”
Financial Peace University offers practical guidance on how to handle your personal finances. Our pastor’s group allows you to go through this course in an environment with others in ministry. Whether you need encouragement to get serious about paying off debt, you need help preparing a family budget, or you are seeking to prepare for retirement, Financial Peace will give you the tools to take that next step.
In 2021 as you think about church or personal finances, we want you to remember the Missouri Baptist Foundation. Pastors, we specifically want to help you and your family navigate the challenges of finances through offering Financial Peace University. It can change your life. Our first Zoom class will begin on Monday, Jan. 11, at 6:30pm. Our second class will begin on Tuesday, April 6 at 6:30pm. If you took Financial Peace years ago and have gotten off-course or need some fresh motivation the videos have all been updated, plus you get the free apps. Our spots are limited, so please contact nfranks@mbfn.org at the Missouri Baptist Foundation and get signed up.