New initiative to support our next generation of ministers 

The Baptist Union now has a partnership with Stewardship to enable individual Baptist ministers-in-training to receive financial support from friends, church members and churches during their period of ministerial formation

Those wishing to support Baptist ministers-in-training can make one-off or regular gifts, which can be gift aided if you are a UK taxpayer. For a small percentage fee, Stewardship enables this to happen at the moment of donation, meaning that for every £10 given, the minister-in-training will receive £12.06 after deduction of Stewardship’s fees. Alternatively, you can also remain anonymous if you so wish.
 
A page on the Baptists Together website now profiles those ministers-in-training who are partnered with Stewardship.
 
Tim Fergusson, Ministries Team Co-leader says, 'We are really pleased to be able to promote this opportunity for ministers-in-training to partner with Stewardship.

'Training for ministry can be a significant financial challenge.

'This arrangement helps ministers-in-training to be supported in a tax efficient ways by those they know, or possibly by those they do not know but who wish to support our next generation of ministers.'  
 
Here is a story from Jade, a minister in training until fairly recently. She speaks about her experience of using Stewardship.
 
Hello, I am Jade, until recently I was a Minister-in-Training. Throughout the process I was supported through Stewardship as a way to help fund my training. 
 
I signed up with Stewardship as I became the sole minister of a small church. The church was able to pay me the part-time stipend and accommodation but not able to help with the college fees. I was able to say to the church I have this covered through Stewardship. 
 
Stewardship allows people who would like to support ministers-in-training to do so. I found people/friends from a variety of churches I had previously been a part of were keen to support me in my training costs.
 
Alongside Stewardship, I sent supporters regular prayer letters to keep them updated with life, training and ministry. I found people supported in a variety of ways through the three years. Some supported me with a consistent amount throughout the training; others joined for short periods; some one-off; some changed the amount they were able to give at various points.

Stewardship made all of this simple and straightforward. When I finished my training, some of my supporters continued supporting me in my ministry. So, I found it to be a fantastic service that journeyed with me as a minister-in-training as I developed in my ministry. 
 

Find out more about supporting individual Baptist ministers-in-training here: baptist.org.uk/Groups/381206/Supporting_Ministers_in.aspx

This new initiative was part of a series of proposals agreed by Baptist Union Council aimed at supporting training for women and men into Baptist ministry. Read more here.