Episcopal Church Foundation Vestry Papers - for leading congregations

As congregational leaders, we seek to find the right balance between tending to the temporal matters of our churches and working towards our hopeful vision of what God is asking us to do in our communities. Having the right tools in place helps us be more efficient in managing our business affairs; this month we offer practical guidance and resources related to endowments and insurance as well as an introduction to the congregational coach approach used by the Diocese of Massachusetts to support congregations.

Our articles this month include:

1 Corinthians 12 reminds us that the body of Christ is made up of many interdependent parts. In the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts, Episcopalians model this ministry through the congregational consultants program. “Who Can You Call” by Chris Meyers shares how his diocese actively links volunteer consultants with business, financial, or leadership experience with congregations in need of assistance.

Does your congregation have an endowment? Are you thinking of starting one? In “Endowments,” ECF consultant Lynn Mander outlines the key issues congregations should consider when planning for and creating an endowment.

Regular evaluation of all of a church’s insurance policies is an important part of the vestry’s responsibilities, In “For Things Done and Left Undone” Steve Follos of The Church Insurance Company looks at the various types of liability insurance that every congregation should consider.

We never know when a disaster might strike. In “Help When You Need It,” Steve Follos offers recommendations for vestries to consider when evaluating property and casualty insurance plans.

Each Vestry Papers article includes a list of related resources and a practical application related to the article that you might try at an upcoming vestry meeting.

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