Academy on Finances for Local Churches

Achieve your church’s goals over the next two years

On a mountainside, Jesus taught his disciples about many subjects, including money and stewardship. Local churches have the responsibility and opportunity to learn stewardship methods that follow best practices for congregations in stewardship: 

  1. Give members an opportunity to give to something that matters.
  2. Fund mission and ministry that impacts communities and the world.
  3. Teach congregation members about the role of money in a Christian’s life and how to imitate Christ in the way we live.

The AFLC is the only resource that incorporates classroom teaching, coaching, peer learning, and accountability with an academy model for highly effective, long-lasting results. It involves clergy and laity in training together and provides video resources for ongoing training every year. The model we’ve developed captures the best learning practices used in forums and organizations within and outside the church.

Topics include:

  • Personal Finance
  • Theology of Stewardship
  • Creating a Culture of Year-Round Generosity
  • Vison and Mission in Budgeting
  • Effective Stewardship
  • Best Practices in Church Finances
  • Understanding Community Fundraising
  • Implementing Planned Giving

A local church that engages fully in this process will: 

  1. Increase their stewardship
  2. Increase money for mission and ministry
  3. Understand endowment and planned giving concepts and implement a program4. Adopt best practices 
Expert Led Seminars

Clergy and two to four Laity meet four times over a period of 18 months with people from other congregations for a seminar and teaching from an expert in the field.

Handbooks, Webinars, and Videos

Clergy and Laity will have a set of videos and handbooks to share with their local church leadership with exercises to complete that will lead to an action plan. This is a critical piece of the process, empowering participants to implement what they learn.

Coaching

A coach will meet in person with the team and broader group twice during the AFLC time frame and six times via phone/Facetime/Skype. The coach will lead the group in attaining the goals that the congregation set as it relates to stewardship.

The coach will also have a one-on-one call with the pastor prior to the group call.

Peer Learning

Each congregation is matched with an appropriate learning partner that they will engage with in conversation at the seminars.

Tuition: $1,500 per church (Discounts for current clients)
Payable in installments over 2 years

Tuition Includes: 

  • Up to 5 persons per church
  • 4 Saturday sessions over 2 years
  • Guide/Facilitator
  • Lunch
  • Book
  • $200 due at time of acceptance into the Academy 

The Mid Atlantic United Methodist Foundation is subsidizing this effort to promote Church Financial Stewardship Excellence.

Continuing Education credits will be provided for those who successfully complete the Academy.

“We are delighted with the success of the Financial Leadership Academy for clergy – great presenters and great pastor-scholars. Now we begin a new era in training lay/clergy leaders in local church nance. Take your church to the next level in generosity- development and nancial management. Let’s see what God will do!”

– Rev. Dr. Kent E. Kroehler, Chair Stewardship MAUMF

“As one who was a lay leader for many years and now clergy, I have seen how proper nancial leadership and stewardship is a major component in sustaining, revitalizing and growing local churches. Investment in nancial stewardship training will return much more than it costs in me and money. Be er nancial leadership and stewardship by laity and clergy results in more me and resources for ministry, higher con dence in proper opera on of the church and increased giving.”

– Rev. Lawrence Pelham, Pastor, Coleman Memorial UMC