The Stewardship of Wealth Transfer

Ron Blue of Kingdom Advisors is doing some important teaching for the many Christian advisors who are part of this excellent organization. This month the focus is on wealth transfer with the key question: "How do you decide how much to leave to whom?"

As stewardship officers, we don't have the training or certifications to allow us to work on the specific documents, nor can we be fully objective in posing the question about how much is being left and to whom and why.

We can, though, ask general questions that might cause our donor friends to see the need to do some deliberate and structured thinking with someone who is skilled in this area.

Ron made keen observations about the difference between wealth transfer and estate planning. In general, wealth transfer focuses on the needs of the beneficiary whereas estate planning is focused on my needs to minimize taxes. Also, wealth transfer can begin now, whereas estate planning only comes into play after we're gone.

There are only three destinations for our wealth:

1. Heirs
2. Charity
3. Taxes / Expenses

There are three principles to keep in mind as we enter into these personal discussions:

1. Treasure Principle - You can't take it with you, but you can send it on ahead (Matt. 6:19-21).
2. Unity Principle - Your spouse completes you, they don't compete with you (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12).
3. Wisdom Principle - You transfer wisdom before your transfer wealth. Wealth never results in wisdom; but wisdom can result in wealth (Proverbs).

Having some of these "exploratory" questions in our mind may help the donor consider larger Kingdom ideas than they have before.

When the Donor Thanks the Fundraiser

We had a need come up this week in connection with our annual Day of Service, which you can read more about here . One of the sixteen organizations that we are serving is a community kitchen where we provide the food and prepare a meal for one hundred and fifty people who cannot get a warm meal. Last year, a local church sponsored the $300 expense.

This church has since dissolved and we were left "fund-less" with only ten days before the event. I am not normally given to panic, so I said "OK, Lord. This is a blessing in the making, right?"

I reviewed the list of the students going to this particular location and thought about what I knew about the parents and their love for the school. One parent came to my mind and I presented the situation to her. She thanked me for thinking of her and said she would get back to me by the next day after discussing with her husband.

Twenty minutes after our first conversation she contacts me and says that they would be thrilled to cover the whole amount. She thanked me profusely for the opportunity to be involved this way.

Learnings:

1. There are no "chance" occurrences - everything is for a reason
2. The Lord wants to bless donors with the joy of participating in Kingdom work
3. We fundraisers are merely messengers or presenters of these opportunities
4. Someone in your stewardship sphere is ready to be blessed by giving - pray for that awareness

Asking the Next Question

In our work to both bless others and enlarge the network of friends we must be somewhat inquisitive in asking questions. My general framework is the "3 P's of the Stewardship Conversation".

1. What has God given you a Passion for? What Kingdom work excites and fulfills you?
2. What gifts (Provisions) of time, talent and treasure has God given you that you can make available for Kingdom work?
3. To what destination (or Purpose) could the combination of your passions and provisions be applied? In other words, what ministry task or work would be a good intersection of the first two?

One month ago, I volunteered to host a meeting of the local green ways leaders. They are managing farmland adjacent to the school so we want to be in on the plans for Community Sustainable Agriculture (the co-op idea).

In the meeting I met Mike who asked me questions about the school and we got to talking about his interests. In addition to agriculture, he is also a Gideon. After a little more conversation we put together a plan for him to come and present Bibles to our fifth graders and to share the mission of the Gideons. It was a wonderful convergence of Mike's Passions and Provisions.

When the presentation was made, two other men joined for the presentation. One of the two told me that his son graduated from the school where our school is now located. Further, that son now has a newborn son who the grandfather wants to introduce to the school!

While we cannot predict how and where these situations go, we can be confident that our Father has gone before us and is bringing wonderful resources and solutions to bear. We just need to be available and trusting the Lord to lead in the direction He wants.

The "Books" on Stewardship

God has given me a the opportunity to talk to many people about Christian schooling in general and classical Christian schooling in particular. Most people have some general idea that classical schools major in classical music, literature, and rhetoric. All of this is generally true and there are other dimensions as well.

Because Tall Oaks and other classical Christian schools are strong in the humanities, a church friend offered us the books he was cleaning out of his mother's house after she passed away last year.

We like books, but we are not in an acquisition mode. However, Tom was willing to deliver them in nice boxes. After it was all said and done, we "received" thirty boxes of books, probably three hundred or more. "Great", I say as these are now lining the wall of my office. "I have more to sort through!" I'm feeling a little inconvenienced, and a little sweaty moving these boxes around.

Then, as the Lord always does, He brings to mind some important truths and new information:

1. Tom was happy to now be connected to the school - part of the team
2. Many of the books are wonderful references and "classic" works
3. One of our school moms saw the boxes and asked if she could coordinate the sorting - wow!
4. This is often how new relationships are begun; someone knows of a need that they can meet

So, yes, I almost missed a golden opportunity. As we go into this Easter weekend, let us not miss the significance of Easter and remember that our Lord Jesus spared nothing; He poured himself out for us and for our salvation.