In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus tells a parable about a man who entrusts three servants with very large sums of money. To one, he gives five talents—roughly one hundred years of regular wages in Jesus’ time. To another, he gives two talents, or about forty years of wages. To the third, he gives one talent, or about twenty years of wages. The first servant puts the money to work and doubles it. The second does the same. The third simply buries the money, protecting it so that nothing is lost—but nothing is gained. When the man returns, he makes clear what kind of investor he is: he celebrates the servants who put the funds to work. As for the third, who did nothing, things do not turn out so well.
Through this parable and others, Jesus makes clear that what we do with what we have been entrusted matters deeply in life and ministry. We are called to put our resources to work and maximize their impact.
As President and CEO of the Missouri United Methodist Foundation, I want us to remain attentive to the impact our resources have on the ministries of our people and churches. The Foundation has made a positive difference since 1967. My hope is to build on that work and do even more with the resources entrusted to us in the future.
In June, we reached an important milestone: for the first time, our Assets Under Management exceeded $150 million. Some of those funds belong to the Foundation and support our ministries. Some were given with donor restrictions for specific churches or ministries. Others have been invested with us by local churches. In every case, I want our Investment Committee to do all it can to maximize returns on invested assets. Even more, I want the Foundation to maximize the impact of our grants, scholarships, and educational ministries. I want us to be relentless in finding new ways to have even greater impact on clergy, churches and other United Methodist ministries. This is what I mean when I speak of Deep Impact.
Several years ago, the president of another United Methodist foundation asked its Board of Trustees, “If we eventually reach $1 billion in assets under management but have no more United Methodist churches, have we fulfilled our purpose as a foundation?” The answer, of course, is no. Such an achievement would have little lasting impact.
Through our donors, client churches, and ministry partners, God has entrusted us with generous resources. In truth, the Foundation stewards far more than one hundred years’ worth of wages. Because of that, we must remain focused on the impact those resources can make. If you would like to learn more or help ensure a deep impact through the Foundation’s work, please reach out to any member of our staff. We would be honored to talk.