New Clergy Loan Program
The Clergy Loan Program was created out of the desire to help clergy and their families escape debt that can have a negative effect on the individual, their family, and relationships within the church. Our hope is that through participation in the program, clergy will find new and healthy opportunities to be stewards of the financial blessings God has provided. For more information, please visit the UMF Resources’ Clergy Loan Program page .
| Public Service Loan Forgiveness Webinar Recording and Presentation Slides Now Available |
Wespath recently held a webinar about the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. If you were unable to attend or would like to watch the presentation again, please visit the event page to access the video recording and presentation slides.
Clergy Benefits Webinar Series Recordings Available
Recordings are now available of this three-session series delivering the information clergy need for financial wellness throughout their ministry and as they make preparations for retirement. Visit our event webpage for the links and more details.
Clergy Financial Literacy:
Residence in Ministry Incentives
Starting ministry with financial stewardship skills leads to years of empowered leadership. One necessary step toward becoming a leader in stewardship is to increase skills in financial literacy. Boards of Ordained Ministry programs can partner with us to add clergy financial education and resources during the residency process for provisional members. View criteria and application information or contact Wespath now to apply.
The Excellence in Clergy Leadership Scholarship: $2,500 to $12,500
Scholarships are one of many ways Wespath can encourage and support debt avoidance for future United Methodist clergy. The application period for the Excellence in Clergy Leadership scholarship is January 3 to March 5. This scholarship program grew out of the early years of the Clergy Financial Well-Being Initiative as a way to support promising, future clergy avoid debt by encouraging increased giving by United Methodist entities toward scholarships, or debt avoidance.
The program is for full-time master of divinity students enrolled at one of the 13 United Methodist seminaries/schools of theology. Applicants must be pursuing certified candidacy or be a certified candidate for ministry (elder or deacon), with demonstrated merit, progress and commitment in the candidacy process. Applicants should show demonstrated financial need and how this scholarship will help avoid additional student loans. Applicants will receive and must work with a financial counselor from the EY Financial Planning Center. For a listing of participating funding partners, click here.
New Resiliency Resource from Wespath Benefit Plans Department
Resiliency is important, because unfortunately, life isn’t always easy. How we handle situations when they are not going as planned is important. The Resiliency Toolkit gives strategies for building resiliency based on the 5 dimensions of well-being. Everyone goes through challenging times. But additionally, everyone can strengthen their ability to recover and adjust to misfortune or change.