Debt relief for the church’s workers

Applications are now open for debt-relief grants for pastors and other church workers through MinistryFOCUS, a Recognized Service Organization (RSO) of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS). The grants are available to pastors, teachers, directors of Christian education and other rostered LCMS church workers. Since 2015, MinistryFOCUS has awarded $810,000 in grants to 313 rostered church workers. To receive an award in 2025, applications must be submitted by Dec. 31, 2024, at ministryfocus.org.

New in 2025, a special opportunity for pastors has been made possible by a partnership among MinistryFOCUS, Lilly Endowment Inc., Lutheran Church Extension Fund (LCEF), the Batterman School of Business at Concordia University Wisconsin (CUW), Mequon, Wis., and participating districts that are a part of LCEF. The opportunity, named the Ministerial Excellence Fund (MEF), will offer grants for up to three pastors from each of the participating districts. These special grants will include a total cash grant of $4,500 plus $500 in tuition to participate in a 14-module online financial education curriculum developed by CUW. Grantees must complete the curriculum in order to receive the full cash grant amount. Applications for the MEF are the same as for other MinistryFOCUS grants and are available at ministryfocus.org with the same Dec. 31 due date.

The MEF is being funded by 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 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. Thanks to a matching grant by LCEF, the MEF will provide loan repayment assistance grants totaling $5,000 to up to 93 pastors and their families in 2025.

The Rev. Ken Krueger, president of MinistryFOCUS, said, “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 Lilly Endowment for their work and contributions.”

Applicants will be informed of grant decisions by the end of January 2025.

For more information, visit ministryfocus.org or send an email to ken@ministryfocus.org.

Posted Nov. 18, 2024