If we took the time to think of all the people in our lives that have made a positive impact on our Christian walk we would no doubt remember believers familiar and long forgotten. Either way, these people made an intentional investment of time and wisdom to help grow in our faith.
This type of investment is one that is truly selfless in that it is made with no expectation of return in the form of profit or gratitude. Thankfully there are Christians surrounding us who are willing to invest themselves in our future. Paul assisted Titus, a Gentile, in this way by introducing him to a relationship with Christ and helping him prepare to minister in Crete. Paul wrote in Titus 1:4 “To Titus, my true son in our common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior. The reason I left you in Crete was that you might straighten out what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you. Paul must have known that he would not return to Crete to see Titus’ progress as he wrote but yet he was still willing to mentor him.
I am often reminded of those Christians who have helped me as I work with endowment donors at the Foundation. These committed believers have made arrangements for gifts that will minister beyond their own lives. An endowment gift is unique in that it is a perpetual fund. The principal gifts are invested for long term growth while also providing income now for the ministries that benefit from them. As the value of the fund grows, the income available to these ministries also increases. Over time, it is not unusual for these funds to distribute more than the original gift. For example, if a $100,000 endowment was established in 1988 from an estate, that fund would have distributed over one and a half times the original gift by the end of 2007. More specifically, the ministry benefiting from these distributions would have received $178,656 and the fund would have been valued at $263,584 at the end of 2007.
I encourage you to consider what lasting impact you want to have on God’s kingdom. In addition to the personal investment you make in other believers, you can also make a lasting financial impact on ministries you love. An endowment gift, as part of your estate plan, is a simple way to provide a future gift of a percentage of your estate. Your gift does not have to be $100,000 as the example above. The initial value of the gift is not as important as the knowledge that your gift has a lasting impact on every generation touched by the ministries you love.
My wife and I have made similar arrangements in our estate plan for our church and several Baptist ministries that are special to us. We have even talked to our 13 year old son about these future gifts and why we value these ministries. For us, our estate plan served as a teaching opportunity with our son. After we are gone, we trust that our gifts will minister to others and serve as a testimony of our life of service in Christ.
If you already have a will or revocable trust you can add this type of gift through a codicil or an amendment. If you have not planned your estate, then the desire to leave an endowment gift is one of several reasons you should take care of this important step of stewardship. For more information on how you can make a lasting impact please contact us at 800.949.9988.
Posted on
Wed, December 31, 2008
by Dan Allen
filed under