Previous Offerings
From the 2021-25 Archives
How to Find and Apply for Grants
Have you considered looking for grants to help fund your ministry? Grants can be a great way to get new ministry projects off the ground, but they come with their own benefits and drawbacks. Join Grace Pomroy for an interview with expert grant writer and reviewer, Kristal Frazier, as we consider when grants are most helpful, where to look for grants, and how to write them.
- Watch the video recording or listen to the audio recording NOTE: Presenter was having internet issues so her video is blurred.
Salary and Benefits Negotiation Series – Part 1: The Basics
How do you discuss salary and benefits when you have a job offer? The goal of this offering is to provide two things.
- An overview of salary and benefits negotiation for Christian Public Leaders
- Tools to respectfully discuss and negotiate salary and benefits.
- Video recording of Salary and Benefits Negotiation – Part 1: The Basics
Salary and Benefits Negotiation Series – Part 2: Specifics for ELCA Rostered Leaders
Part 2 of the Salary & Benefit Negotiation webinar series is specifically designed for students in the ELCA candidacy process. We’ll provide an overview of compensation guidelines, the first call process, and Portico Benefits, then host a conversation with a panel of ELCA Rostered leaders to touch on challenges specific to the ELCA.
Clergy Taxes Crash Course
Are clergy employees or self-employed? Do they pay taxes quarterly or annually? How does housing allowance work? Join Grace Pomroy and Rev. Dr. David Cleaver-Bartholomew for a brief introduction to clergy taxes, time for Q&A with a clergy tax professional, and an overview of the free resources available to Luther seminary students and recent grads to help them get on the right track tax-wise for first call.
Curious to learn more? See the 4-Part Series below.
Where Did All the Money Go? The Art of Mindful Spending
Have you ever looked at your bank account and wondered where on earth all the money went? Join us for a conversation with Grace Pomroy, Director of the Stewardship Leaders Program and Kim Miller, Certified Financial Counselor at Lutheran Social Service as together we explore mindful spending and budgeting basics that help!
(NOTE: Grace’s favorite budgeting app, Mint, is going away at the end of 2023. If you’re still interested in finding the right budgeting app, here are some alternatives you may want to try: www.nerdwallet.com/article/finance/best-budget-apps Want some help finding the right app for you? Sign up to meet with Grace.)
Stewardship Campaign Tips and Tricks with Chick Lane and Grace Pomroy
Many congregations have annual stewardship campaigns. Join a seasoned pastor and national stewardship leader to learn more about how to set up a successful stewardship campaign. You’ll learn tips and tricks that will help you be successful in your ministry context.
Couples and Money
Arguments about money are continually cited as the leading cause of divorce and separation. What you might now know, however, is that couples who talk about money report being happier than those that don’t. The message? Communicating about money in a healthy way deepens couples’ connections and is another form of intimacy. In this hour-long workshop, you’ll learn why talking about money as a couple is so hard, ways to view your partner’s relationship with money with compassion, and a values-based way to plan out your finances together. Each participant will also get a digital worksheet to use and refer back to long after the workshop ends.
About the presenter: Lindsay Bryan-Podvin (she/her) is a biracial financial wellness expert, speaker, and author of the book “The Financial Anxiety Solution.” A practicing social worker since 2012, she uses a shame-free approach to help people get their minds and money in balance by focusing on the intersection of money and mental health using financial therapy.
- Video Recording of the Webinar
- PowerPoint Presentation
- Values-Based Spending and Saving Worksheet
- Workshop Feedback Form – what you tell us makes a huge difference in how we structure future offerings! Your honest feedback is welcome.
Clergy Tax 4-Part Series
Dig into the nitty-gritty details of clergy taxes together.
- PPT 1 – First Call Basics
- What is Clergy Status?
- Self-Employed or Employee?
- Top questions you should ask about your compensation package
- Building your compensation package
- Compensation Package example
- PPT 2 – Housing 101
- Minister – Defined by the IRS
- Who Qualifies for Housing Allowance?
- Types of Housing
- Designating Housing/Parsonage Allowance
- Eligible Housing Expenses
- Non-qualifying Housing Expenses
- PPT 3 – Income and Deductions
- Taxable Income
- Non-taxable Income
- Accountable Reimbursement Plan
- Non-accountable Reimbursement Plan
- Qualified Ministry Expenses
- PPT 4 – Filing a Tax Return
- Filing Status and Requirements
- Review Clergy Status Definition
- Special Tax Treatments for Clergy
- Understanding your W2 form
- Religious Tax Exemption
- Estimated Payments
- Documentation and recordkeeping
Spend Less (and even save money) When Everything Costs More
The Stewardship Leaders Program is thrilled to welcome Kim Miller, Certified Financial Counselor for Lutheran Social Service (who has been featured on MPR!), to Luther Seminary for a Financial Wellness workshop. A deep breath, a measure of flexibility, and a commitment to approach the world of rapidly changing finances with a calm spirit will help you navigate the ever-changing world of finances in this post-pandemic world. You will learn strategies and practices to help you in this ever-changing time with Kim Miller, Lutheran Social Services, Certified Financial Counselor.
Christian Minimalism
The Stewardship Leaders Program is thrilled to welcome Becca Ehrlich, AKA the Christian Minimalist (also an author and an ELCA pastor), to Luther Seminary. As Christians, we are called to be counter-cultural and strive to be minimalists in a consumer society—because we know that our life’s meaning is not wrapped up in material things. Minimalism helps cut through the clutter and the busy-ness to refocus on God and the aspects of life that truly matter. Join us for a conversation with Becca Ehrlich to focus on what matters most and intentionally remove the rest.
Financial Anxiety?
How someone rates their financial situation, in most cases, has less to do with their financial situation and more with their emotional relationship with money. Financial anxiety is a part of this. The Stewardship Leaders Program will be exploring this topic with financial therapist Lindsay Bryan-Podvin who specializes in the area of financial anxiety.