Flipbooks

ADVERTISEMENT The Finan Being a pastor, teacher, director of Christian education (DCE), missionary, or other rostered church worker is not for the faint of heart. Church workers often are expected to fill a variety of roles and perform various duties that place heavy demands on their time and energy. However, while the demands of the office are substantial, the pay is not, often resulting in financial stress. According to a 2017 survey of worker wellness by The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS), 55 percent of all LCMS church workers have experienced stress due to financial concerns. 1 A 2011 survey of LCMS pastors and teachers by the Lutheran Church Extension Fund (LCEF) also found that, due to financial pressures based on education debt, a full third (34 percent) of respondents felt a personal sense of failure or shame, 2 and more than half of all respondents (51 percent) re- ported that such debt negatively affects their ability to support healthy stewardship principles in the congre- gations they serve. 3 Furthermore, 15 percent of LCMS church workers considered leaving their ministry work due to financial concerns, a figure that increased to 60 percent of the identified at-risk group populations, including newer and younger workers. 4 These financial pressures lead to or exacerbate burnout issues, marital problems, addictions, misconduct, 5 and a decreased focus on ministry. Ultimately, then, financial health is a key ingredient not only for family wellness but also for sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ in word and deeds. It is an issue not primarily about money but about ministry. Recognizing the impact of debt on wellness and minis- try, a group of then-students from the 2015 graduating class of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, established MinistryFocus, a Recognized Service Organization of the LCMS that provides loan repayment assistance grants to rostered church workers. Funds for the grants come from individuals, congregations, and even a cou- ple of LCMS districts. Each year MinistryFocus assem- bles a grants panel to review applications that require both quantitative and qualitative information and make grant decisions. As noted by MinistryFocus chair and president Rev. Ken Krueger, "I've shed more than a few tears over the years while reading the applications. Some workers and their families are in great need of assistance due to the educational debt they have in- curred in order to serve as church workers." In January 2021, MinistryFocus announced the award- ing of loan repayment assistance grants to fifty-four LCMS rostered church workers from twenty-one states. Of the fifty-four, thirty-three are pastors, twenty are teachers, and one is a DCE. Each grant is worth $2,500 for the year—an amount specifically targeted at helping the recipients with their educational loan payments. In response to learning about the grant, one recipient wrote, "THANK YOU. This grant has offered my family and me the opportunity to make payments with less stress and to continue on in Lutheran ministry. We are blessed—thank you!" In total, MinistryFocus now has awarded 186 grants since 2015. Krueger notes, "As more and more people recognize the negative impact of debt on ministry, MinistryFocus has grown. We praise God for His grace and the generosity of His people! But we also know that the need is great. We are not able to award grants to everyone who needs one, so we pray for more people to support our workers in this way, so that they remain focused on serving God and not mammon." w 1 The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, January 2019 supplement to Reporter, https://files.lcms.org /wl/?id=FuZVw3mg3UNazFnx3Q8jy1bi4TFuq7Qy. 2 Behavior Research Center, Inc. for Lutheran Church Extension Fund, "Rostered Church Worker Survey," April 2011. 3 Ibid. 4 Ibid. 5 A. J. Weaver, K. J. Flannelly, D. B. Larson, C. L. Stapleton, and H. G. Koenig, "Mental Health Issues Among Clergy and Other Reli- gious Professionals: A Review of Research," The Journal of Pastoral Care and Counseling, Winter 2002, vol. 56, no. 4. 26 Lutheran Life

• Cover