brown on green, A Regular column about finances

A Significant Boost

Over the last few years, a number of pastors have asked the Free Will Baptist Foundation to develop an estate-planning seminar for churches. The Foundation had begun creating this program, but it was slow in developing.

In July 2012, Mike Wootton of Cornerstone Estate Planning had an exhibit at the national convention, and after talking together, we realized his company was doing exactly what we needed. In 2013, the Foundation officially partnered with Cornerstone Estate Planning and began to host estate-planning seminars in Free Will Baptist churches.

The partnership has been an overwhelming success. We have already helped over 200 families set up an estate plan. The purpose of this partnership is threefold. We want to serve the denomination, and this important ministry will help Free Will Baptist families. We also believe that if you give Free Will Baptist people an opportunity to make an estate gift, they will do so. We have seen this time and again when Free Will Baptist families leave an estate gift to their church or other Free Will Baptist ministry.

Finally, the Foundation wants to develop relationships with our people. The estate planning service we offer is more than just developing and delivering legal documents. We stay in contact with every family with an estate plan to make them aware of their opportunities to establish an endowment, to use the Foundation’s money management services, or to make a planned gift.

Over 35 pastors have allowed us to present this seminar in their churches. Whether presented during the Sunday School hour or on Sunday night or Wednesday night, the presentation has been well received. Families who have decided to use the estate planning service have made six figure estate gifts to their local churches. We believe the program has the potential to significantly boost estate gifts to Free Will Baptist ministries over the next 25 years.

Cornerstone and the Foundation are in the process of expanding the scope of these seminars from coast to coast, but it may take a few years to develop all areas of the country. Please be patient as this ministry grows.

Every pastor should consider scheduling a seminar in his church as soon as possible. Please contact the Foundation office to learn more or to schedule a seminar for your church.

David Brown, CPA, became director of the Free Will Baptist Foundation in 2007. Send your questions to David at david@nafwb.org. To learn how the Foundation can help you become a more effective giver, call 877-336-7575.