Rostered Church Worker Debt Retirement

News: MinistryFocus Has Two Applications Open Now!

Applications are now available online for 2025 LCMS Rostered Church Worker financial assistance grants. These grants are available to pastors, teachers, directors of Christian education and other LCMS rostered church workers in all districts through the MinistryFocus general fund. Since 2015, MinistryFocus has awarded $810,000 in grants to 313 rostered church workers. Applications must be submitted by December 31, 2024. The applications are available at https://ministryfocus.org/.

Lilly Endowment Inc. Awards Grant to Help LCMS Pastors

MinistryFocus, the Nebraska District LCMS, the Lutheran Church Extension Fund (LCEF), and the Batterman School of Business at Concordia University Wisconsin (CUW) are working in partnership to establish a Pastoral Excellence Fund (PEF). The PEF will provide pastors with both educational debt relief and personal and organizational financial education.

The effort is being funded with a $1.25 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. through its National Initiative to Address Economic Challenges Facing Pastoral Leaders. The aim of the initiative is to help ministry-serving organizations strengthen and sustain programs to the address economic challenges that hinder the ability of pastors to lead congregations effectively.

The grant was awarded to LCEF and is being administered by MinistryFocus, a Recognized Service Organization (RSO) of the Lutheran Church─Missouri Synod (LCMS). Since 2015, MinistryFocus has awarded loan repayment assistance grants totaling $810,000 to 313 rostered church workers of the LCMS. Thanks to a matching grant by LCEF, the PEF will provide loan repayment assistance grants totaling $5,000 to up to 93 pastors and their families in 2025.

Rev. Ken Krueger, the MinistryFocus President, noted, “The goals of the loan repayment assistance program have always been to help church workers focus on ministry, so that the faith of believers is strengthened and more people come to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. The matching grant by LCEF underscores its commitment to these goals and we are grateful to both LCEF and LEI for their work and contributions.”

In addition to loan repayment assistance grants, PEF participants also will be enrolled in a 10-module, self-paced, online financial education curriculum being developed by CUW. Seven of the modules will be focused on personal finances, while the remaining three will be focused on organizational finances. This curriculum is a reflection of the Batterman School’s continuing commitment to helping LCMS pastors further their personal and organizational leadership schools. At the completion curriculum, PEF participants also will attend an online closing session facilitated by LCEF’s Grace Place Wellness Ministries. The goal of this closing session is to discuss what has been learned and how financial wellness is one component of overall wellness.

Applications for the PEF are now available online at MinistryFocus.org and are due by December 31, 2024. Applicants will be informed of grant decisions by the end of January 2025. For more information, please contact Rev. Ken Krueger at [email protected].

Please note: Nebraska District debt retirement is a separate program, and will open again in February with a June 1 deadline.

Applying for Nebraska District Church Worker Debt Retirement Grants

Student Loan repayment grants will be available for rostered church workers in our district each year. The application period opens February 1 of each year and applications are due by June 1. 

Church workers are eligible to apply if they are:

    • rostered Nebraska LCMS church workers who are members in good standing of a Nebraska LCMS congregation;
    • full-time workers who have incurred higher education debt while in pursuit of their professional church work degree;
    • currently full-time church workers who have completed at least one year of full-time church work as a member of the Nebraska District.

 

Application Process:

1. Download the Debt Retirement Policy for more information: Debt Retirement Policy

2. All applications must be received no later than June 1 of each year. 

3. Fill out the Debt Retirement Application Form using this link to our secure Breeze portal, which will re-open on February 1. Please have all necessary supporting documents ready to upload before you fill out the form.

Notification of chosen applications can be expected in early August. Awards are made directly to the recipient’s student loan company. If awarded, a W-9 must be submitted to our office by October 15 of the same year, or the award will be voided.

Contact Joyce Bruha with questions at [email protected] or 402-643-2961.

To make a donation to this fund in support of church worker debt retirement:

Send a check with a note that it is for the “Church Worker Debt Retirement Fund” to:
Nebraska District LCMS
PO Box 407
Seward, NE 68434

Or pay online through our secure Vanco payment portal at this link. Choose the option “restricted gifts” and fill in the amount of your gift and “Church Worker Debt Retirement Fund” in the space next to that.

Resources to assist with church worker education debt & finances

Concordia Plans has a tool available for church workers who are paying off student loans. The Fidelity Student Tool is available to the LCMS family. For more information see this flyer or visit the tool.

Concordia Plans offers resources to help church workers better understand personal finance and plan for retirement, including webinars through their Financial Education Series. Past sessions are available to watch on-demand and can be found on their website. Members who would like to take a deeper dive into their personal finances can meet one-on-one with a  Financial Educator. Learn more and set up an appointment here.

In addition, church workers are encouraged to learn more about MinistryFocus, an RSO of The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod that believes that the realities of educational debt negatively and irreparably harm ministries and congregations. MinistryFocus has provided grants totaling nearly $500,000 to pastors, Lutheran school teachers, directors of Christian outreach, and missionaries. Learn more at their website.