faith + finances + freedom
The Lifeline Fund
Stewardship Grants
Resourceful Servants
The Lifeline Fund
You know that sinking feeling you get when you open a bill that you cannot possibly pay on time? Or the stress of a financial burden that becomes so great you cannot imagine a way through it? Sometimes when we find ourselves stuck or worried about money, we need help. The Lifeline Fund of the South Carolina Synod is that life changing help for rostered ministers.
In the last two years, the South Carolina Synod has paid off $117,406 worth of rostered minister education debt. Seven rostered ministers serving in the Synod have received this tremendous blessing, eliminating nearly 75 years of debt payments among them.
One rostered minister who received a debt reduction grant from the Lifeline Fund shares, “Because of your [Lifeline Distribution] team’s ministry, I can begin to breathe! I can see a light! It is an elimination of seminary debt that was paralyzing me. Without you, I would not be seeing this light!”
Another rostered minister who received funds says, “I have experienced the grace and love of God in a transformational way through the ministry of the Lifeline Fund. The gifts you have given us are hope and a relief.”
Take a moment to think how the freedom that this education debt repayment program has already offered others could be a relief for the pastors and deacons in your faith family. The Lifeline Fund benefits whole communities of faith because the gifts that come from it are not only financial. As one rostered minister says, “[The Lifeline Fund] helped to relieve a huge burden for us, allowing us to better care for our family, be a healthier leader in the church, and share the fruit of these gifts with the world.”
If you are a rostered minister, consider if the Lifeline Fund might be a needed blessing for you. If you know a rostered minister, tell them about the Lifeline Fund and how it might provide life changing help for their education debt.
The Lifeline Fund is made possible…
Through a “scaling grant” from the Lilly Endowment, Inc. awarded to the North Carolina Synod, synods in Region Nine are invited to participate in the “Faith + Finances + Freedom” initiative. This is part of the “National Initiative to Address Economic Challenges Facing Pastoral Leaders.”
The North Carolina Synod, Virginia Synod, Southeastern Synod, South Carolina Synod, and Caribbean Synod agreed to collaborate by raising matching funds as they work to address the economic challenges facing rostered leaders.
We are excited about this opportunity to be Church Together, awarding grants to Rostered Leaders for Education Debt Relief, and grants to Congregations for Stewardship Education!
Insurmountable
By Rev. Ozzie Herlong
Adam had finished his undergraduate degree in music and had planned to be a band director. His first nudge to become a pastor came when he served as a counselor at Lutheridge. He prayed about how God might be calling to go to seminary. He had completed his undergraduate work debt free because of state and music scholarships but was worried about taking out student loans to attend seminary.
Single while in seminary, Adam graduated from seminary and was married in his first call. His wife had undergraduate education debt and was paying off student loans. “As I looked towards marriage, I had a goal to buy a house, but the repayment plan I chose was too aggressive to purchase a home. My loan was accumulating interest faster than I was paying it off. It felt insurmountable -the principal never went down. Feeling captured by debt I was not able to give what I would like to have given to my church. Covid hit, which actually helped -my debt and interest were put ‘on pause’. I realized my payments would start up again. Then, I began to hear about others who were going through the Lifeline Fund.”
“In the first three years of my first call my congregation helped pay off some of my education debt. I felt strange about applying to the Lifeline Fund since I was already receiving money from my congregation. We wanted to start a family. We realized childcare would be expensive and our student loans were going to take a larger part of our budget.”
“I applied to the Lifeline Fund and began work on the required financial management education from Portico and ‘Six Weeks of Money’ offered by the ELCA. When I completed the process, the Lifeline Fund paid off my seminary education debt. All of it.”
“With my seminary education debt paid off we moved into a new house at my new call. We are now able to give back to our church as never before. We now give to organizations that have impacted our lives. It has impacted my view of the wider church – I feel more supported. This gift has changed my personal stewardship and I feel the freedom to preach and teach giving out of abundance.”
Your generosity to the Lifeline Fund makes it possible to alleviate seminary debt for our pastors and deacons and affirm God’s call to ministry. They don’t have to worry about putting a burden on their families or feel the burden of education debt. The ELCA Synod of South Carolina is working through the Lifeline Fund to support pastors and deacons in our congregations. Thank you for your generosity.
Education Debt Relief
Three Major Components
- Financial Literacy
- Financial Peace University
- Financial counseling with LSS Minnesota or Portico
- Education Debt Grants
- Grant levels will vary depending upon the level of debt and ability to repay
- Coaching
- helps leaders reach financial goals (optional)
New applicant’s requirements:
- Complete the Financial Peace University course
- Receive 3 free financial counseling sessions from a Portico or LSS Minnesota representative
- Submit proof of education loan payments for the previous 12 months
- Submit your Report to your Bishop for the current year
To apply you must meet the following requirements:
- Complete the application
- Submit proof of debt payments for the previous 12 months
- Submit your Report to the Bishop for the current year
A Video Explanation from the North Carolina Synod
Are you a rostered minister who would like to reduce your family education dept”? If so, view the video titled, Save Yourself. While this video was produced by the North Carolina Synod, it also addresses what a difference it can make for all rostered ministers who receive debt education re-payments to relieve the stress of financial dept and to sustain healthy ministers in this church. In the video you will hear from pastors and deacons who have received education debt re-payments. The Rev. John Mocko, is Program Coordinator, Lifeline Fund, North Carolina Synod. South Carolina Synod also participates in the Lifeline Fund by providing education debt re-payments for rostered ministers along with Virginia Synod, Caribbean Synod, and Southeastern Synod. Contact Rev. Ozzie Herlong (ovherlong@aol.com) or go to (link) for more information.
Stewardship Grants
South Carolina congregations will work with their Directors for Stewardship (The Rev. Ozzie Herlong) to receive monetary support for participating in one of three stewardship efforts:
- “Stewardship for All Seasons” (SAS)
- “Cultivating Generous Congregations” (CGC)
- “Executive Certificate in Religious Fundraising”
Resourceful Servants
Is Your Congregation Struggling with Church Finances?
Although there is strong desire among many ELCA congregations to be financially healthy, it is common for congregations to wrestle with financial problems.
- Shrinking attendance in worship
- Decreased giving
- Short tenure of congregational treasurers
- A reluctance to apply business practices to the finances of a church
- Lack of financial knowledge among pastors and many in the congregation resulting in struggles with budgets, resource allocation and sustained growth
Through the ELCA’s Resourceful Servants the “Congregational Certificate Program”, offers your congregation the opportunity to follow a road map to greater financial stability, using healthy behaviors which focus on five key areas: Accounting, Finance, Human Resources, Risk Management and Stewardship.
Each module contains resources related to healthy financial behaviors. Ultimately, by implementing and maintaining a set of financially healthy behaviors, and tracking them through this website, your congregations will receive a certificate, indicating your focus on financial health.
The goal of the program is for your congregation to deepen its financial knowledge and improve its financial behaviors, enabling you to best use the funding available to you.
Click here for more information: https://www.resourcefulservants.org/congregations/
Questions?
Program Director, John Mocko, at 336-596-4517.
Mission Partners
Get In Touch
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We are the church that shares a living, daring confidence in God’s grace. Liberated by our faith, we embrace you as a whole person–questions, complexities and all. Join us as we do God’s work in Christ’s name for the life of the world.
Contact Information
ELCA South Carolina Synod
1003 Richland Street
Columbia, SC 29201
Telephone 803-765-0590
Fax 803-252-5558
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James R. Crumley, Jr., Archives (ELCA Archives)
Lutheran Homes of South Carolina
Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary
NovusWay (Lutheridge+Lutherock+Luther Springs+Lutheranch)
South Carolina Lutheran Church Youth
South Carolina Lutheran Men in Mission
