| The Academy for Church Finance registration deadline is Friday, September 22. Please go to the Registration link here for the Academy in Wilmington DE to generate a Registration Form and Voucher. The Registration Form will be emailed to frankrobert.mafoundation@gmail.com and the deposit check of at least $200 should be made out to the Mid-Atlantic United Methodist Foundation and mailed to the Conference Office, Attn: Tracy Brown. Remember: the total $1,500 fee–a real value–may be paid in 3 payments over the 18-month academy.
Watch this short video to learn more about the importance of this financial leadership academy for your church. |
Leveraging the strengths and success of its Financial Leadership Academy (FLA) for clergy from three neighboring conferences, the Mid-Atlantic UM Foundation (MAUMF) will begin a similar training program this fall for joint teams of clergy and laity. Registration begins August 1 and ends when the 20-team maximum is reached in two locations.
The four-session Academy for Church Finance (ACF) for laity and clergy will begin with Part 1 on Saturday, Oct. 7, at the Baltimore-Washington Mission Resource Center in Fulton, Md., and be repeated on Saturday, Oct. 14, at Aldersgate UMC in Wilmington, Del. The same session will be offered in a choice of two locations on two consecutive Saturdays each time for the convenience of participants and to manage the expected attendance size. Future sessions will be held in March and October 2018 and March 2019.
Like the FLA, ACF teams will come from the three conferences the foundation serves: Eastern PA, Peninsula-Delaware and Baltimore-Washington.
The foundation conducted a survey that indicated wide interest in this next-level financial educational opportunity for church leaders. It will feature several proven best practices, including clergy-lay team training, goal-oriented group coaching and engaged peer learning.
The FLA model of high-quality instruction from expert, published presenters, peer-group relationship-building and guidance from academy coaches has drawn high marks from clergy participants. The current, second enrolled FLA class has 36 members, of whom 19—more than half—are from the Eastern PA Conference.
The Academy for Church Finances topics may include:
- Personal Finance.
- Theology of Stewardship.
- Creating a Culture of Year-Round Generosity
- Vision- and Mission-Driven Budgeting.
- Effective Stewardship.
- Best Practices in Church Finance.
- Understanding Our Competition for Charitable Funds.
- Planned Giving and Endowment Funds.
Expected outcomes for churches that engage fully in the carefully designed process include:
- Increased congregational stewardship.
- Adoption of best church-finance practices.
- Enhanced funds for mission and ministry.
- Creation of a planned giving program and an endowment fund.
The full schedule of classes are:
Session One—A Theology of Stewardship and Personal Finance
Fulton, MD, October 7; Wilmington, DE, October 14
Session Two –Organizing for Effective Stewardship and Creating a Culture of Giving
Fulton, MD, March 17, 2018; Wilmington, DE, March 24, 2018
Session Three— Best Practices for Church Finances and Using Vision and Mission Budgets
Fulton, MD, October 6, 2018; Wilmington, DE, October 13, 2018
Session Four— What We Can Learn from Community Fund Raisers and Planned Giving
Fulton, MD, March 23, 2019; Wilmington, DE, March 30, 2019
For more information, visit the website (for Wilmington location), read the brochure, or e-mail the MAUMF’s Frank Robert at frankrobert.mafoundation@gmail.com.