Wilshire seeks to raise $2.5 million to $3 million over the next two years to establish an endowment especially for our Pathways to Ministry program, which includes the pastoral residency.

Currently, the pastoral residency program supports four residents through funding provided by a generous grant from the Lilly Endowment. In order to assure continuance of the program beyond the time when  Lilly funding may cease, Wilshire intends this new Pathways to the Future Endowment to generate enough income to replace at least half the funding provided by Lily by 2009 and all of the Lilly funding by 2014. By raising $2.5 million to $3 million within the next two years, Wilshire can achieve the first phase of this goal.

You can be a part of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to strengthen the Christian church at Wilshire and beyond Wilshire.

To make a pledge to the endowment campaign online, click here.

To request a copy of the new Pathways to the Future DVD, click here.

         
    

The following questions and answers offer more insight into the Pathways campaign:

Q. What is Pathways to Ministry?

Pathways to Ministry is a uniquely Wilshire program, although it addresses a need of the larger church. Pathways is Wilshire's attempt to encourage and nurture those called by God to vocational ministry. It is a comprehensive program that begins with high school students and moves through to post-seminary residencies for pastors.

Pathways is based on our conviction that the ministry is a worthy vocational calling and that the brightest and best should be encouraged to seriously consider ministry as a life calling. To help accomplish this, Wilshire has identified itself as a teaching congregation.

Q. What is a teaching congregation?

Wilshire has opened itself to be a laboratory of sorts. We not only are a church, we've become a training ground for those who will lead other churches. The best way to understand this is to compare it to a teaching hospital, such as Baylor Medical Center or UT Southwestern.

In such hospitals, doctors in training work alongside other medical personnel to gain firsthand experience as the final component of their education. We fulfill a similar role in our pastoral residency. Recent seminary graduates come to Wilshire for two-year terms of hands-on ministry in a safe and loving environment that prepares them to have more successful careers afterward.

But our teaching model begins even earlier. Through YourCall, high school students are engaged in four years of guided vocational discernment, with emphasis on learning to listen to the voice of God and learn the major values of the church. We also nurture ministry through scholarships for seminary students and through online learning groups for those preparing to answer God's call to ministry.

Q. Why is endowment necessary to fund these programs?

What we're doing in Pathways to Ministry is over and above the regular budget of the church. So far, we've been able to implement the teaching congregation model without negatively impacting other vital ministries of the church, such as missions, discipleship and worship.

This has been possible because of generous funding from the Lilly Endowment. Wilshire has now received two grants, totaling more than $1.6 million, to fund the first 10 years of the pastoral residency. We've also received partial funding through grants for the YourCall program for high school students.

What we're doing now is preparing to sustain these creative programs after the grants have completed. By 2009, we hope to have raised nearly half our long-term endowment goal of $7.5 million. This will ensure seamless operation of the Pathways to Ministry program in the years ahead without limiting the remaining work of the church.

Q. Will all endowment gifts be used for Pathways to Ministry?

A new Pathway Endowment fund has been established to receive donations exclusively for the Pathways program. The church also has  a  General Endowment fund to which gifts may be given, and the income from this fund also currently benefits the Pathways program. Questions regarding the differences between the funds may be addressed to Senior Pastor George Mason, Associate Pastor Mark Wingfield or Minister of Business Administration Paul Johnson.

Q. How are these funds managed?

Both the General Endowment and the Pathways Endowment are held in trust by the Baptist Foundation of Texas and are managed according to the high standards of this respected institution. The principal of all endowment funds may not be spent; only a portion of the annual earnings may be used by the church.

Q. May I designate how my gifts will be spent?

There are several designated giving opportunities, as well as opportunities for named endowment gifts. For example, we already have a pastoral residency position named in memory of Bruce McIver, our former pastor. There are three other pastoral residency positions and one music ministry residency position that could be named in honor or in memory of someone. It's also possible for a designated gift to create a named endowment for the entire pastoral residency component, for the YourCall component or other individual components of Pathways to Ministry.

Q. I'm not able to make a significant cash contribution. How can I participate in this endowment effort?

In addition to cash contributions, a major component of creating the desired endowment will be planned giving, including estate gifts, life insurance policies, memorial gifts and other common forms of planned giving.

Planned giving allows even a person of average means to make a lasting contribution to God's work beyond their own lifetime. Let's say you've been a tither all your adult life, faithfully giving to support God's work through the church. With careful attention to your estate planning, it is possible to extend that generosity into the years beyond your life as well.

For example, a charitable gift annuity allows you to make a gift to Wilshire and receive a flow of income from it for a designated period of time. Or a charitable lead trust allows you to make a contribution to Wilshire and provide an inheritance for your children. A pooled income fund allows you to make a gift to Wilshire, receive an income for the rest of your life and get a current income tax deduction. Or consider a charitable remainder trust, which in some circumstances can increase your income, reduce your taxes, unlock appreciated investments, rid you of investment worries and ultimately provide important support for Wilshire's endowment.

You can learn more about planned giving options here.