Congregational Will Planning Presentation

Contact your local deferred WELS Christian giving counselor to present to your congregation about how to write or revise a will to reflect Christian values while providing for family and the Lord’s work. Participants will also have the opportunity to schedule private consultations with the counselor for free assistance with completing the process.

Once the presentation is scheduled, resources are available for promoting it including bulletin inserts, digital slides, social media images, text. Click the large “DOWNLOAD” button at the bottom right to download a folder of all these resources at once.

Christian Giving Now and for the Future

In his Word, our Lord provides timeless motivation and instruction about giving thanks with our offerings for all that he does for us—particularly for the salvation that Jesus won for us—yet there have been many helpful changes in ways that we can give that are worth discussing. The “offering plate” might look a lot different today for many people who offer gifts of assets or use a variety of electronic options. Congregations are also discovering how teaching members about planned giving now will help them support Christ’s church a generation or two down the road. These options not only allow us to give to the Lord but to save on taxes and support our families. This presentation, originally given at the 2023 WELS National Conference on Lutheran Leadership, reviews today’s giving opportunities and methods in the light of Christ’s unchanging Scriptures.

IRA Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs)

For anybody 70.5 years or older, an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) is a great option for making gifts to the Lord’s work at church, a local WELS-affiliated ministry, and/or a WELS area of ministry.

Typically IRA distributions are taxable, but, for anyone 70.5 or older, qualified distributions from an IRA to charity are free from federal and potentially state income tax. Consider directing IRA distributions to WELS to save on taxes, then using the cash you would have given for other needs. The rollover to charity counts toward satisfying the required minimum distribution for anyone 73 and older.

You and your spouse, assuming he or she is 70.5 years or older and has an IRA, may each make direct transfers of up to $105,000 per year to charity. Rather than being treated as taxable income, direct transfers to charity are wholly excluded for federal income tax purposes. These transfers do not generate a charitable deduction, but the relief from tax impact is often more advantageous. Consult your tax or financial advisor to determine the most appropriate gift assets for your situation.

You can also make a QCD of up to $53,000 (out of the annual limit) into a charitable gift annuity in one calendar year. You and your spouse can each distribute up to $53,000 from your IRAs in one year for a CGA. A CGA provides you and/or your spouse with fixed quarterly payments for life. Then, after the donor goes to heaven, the remainder of the gift goes to the ministries you choose. Consult your tax or financial advisor to determine how appropriate this option may be for you.

Contact the investment firm that handles your IRA to request a direct transfer of IRA assets to a WELS ministry. The custodian typically provides the appropriate paperwork (or you can download an authorization letter template below). To ensure that your IRA distribution is not taxable, the check must be made payable to the charity, not to you personally.

You can give to multiple WELS ministries by directing your IRA distribution to WELS Foundation. WELS Foundation will distribute funds to the ministries per your instructions and provide you with the proper gift acknowledgment letter.

If interested, talk to your financial planners and your local WELS Christian giving counselor to learn more.

Stewardship Toolbox – January 2015

Mission prayers ask God’s blessings on different areas of WELS ministry.

Planned giving reprintables are intended to encourage members about good stewardship practices and to inform them about ways to make planned gifts to benefit your church and other WELS ministry.

Stewardship by the Lectionary is stewardship-themed lessons every week based on readings from the lectionary.

Congregational Planned Giving Program

Our weekly offering at worship is not the only opportunity we have for giving to the Lord. We honor the Lord when planning for the transition of our accumulated wealth (our “estate”) at life’s end. There are also a variety of other opportunities that enable us to support the Lord’s work now (while at the same time receiving tax benefits). The Bible encourages planned giving—intentional, cheerful management of our blessings to care for family and to return a portion of our possessions to our Creator and Savior God.

The purpose of the congregational planned giving program is (Part I) to help your congregation jump-start a program of promoting planned giving opportunities to members. Part II shares an easy way to start a congregational endowment fund through WELS Foundation. Part III tells how to set up a congregational planned giving committee to provide further manpower for carrying out this work. Part IV discusses how to establish and administer an endowment fund. Finally, Part V highlights WELS organizations that can help you with any of these steps.