Madalyn Metzger (left), Everence Vice President of Marketing, facilitates a workshop on supporting racially and ethnically diverse pastors and faith communities at the Lilly Endowment's November 2022 Leadership Gathering for their National Initiative to Address Economic Challenges Facing Pastoral Leaders.
For the first time since the pandemic, grantee leaders from the Lilly Endowment Inc.'s National Initiative to Address Economic Challenges Facing Pastoral Leaders gathered together in-person – including Everence® leaders responsible for the Everence Pastoral Financial Wellness Program. The Everence leadership in attendance at the November 2022 Lilly Endowment gathering included (from left to right) Madalyn Metzger, Vice President of Marketing and Pastoral Financial Wellness Program Director; Beryl Jantzi, Director of Stewardship Education and Pastoral Financial Wellness Program Manager; and Leonard Dow, Vice President of Community and Church Development and Pastoral Financial Wellness Program Manager.
Held Nov. 7–9, 2022 in Indianapolis, the conference brought leadership teams from the 40-some regional and national denominational agencies and organizations with projects funded through the Lilly Endowment initiative. Together, these ecumenical leaders discussed how their programs were impacted by COVID, new steps they are taking to help under-represented and underserved pastors facing dire financial circumstances, and how they are planning for future program sustainability.
During the conference, Madalyn Metzger, Vice President of Marketing and Director of the Everence Pastoral Financial Wellness Program, facilitated a workshop discussion on how programs are supporting racially and ethnically diverse pastors and faith communities.
Attendees also heard from Dr. Scott Thumma, Professor of Sociology of Religion and Director of the Hartford Institute for Religion Research at Hartford International University. Thumma presented results of his result research related to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on churches in the United States.
Several Everence partners also working on this initiative attended the November 2022 event, including leaders from LSS Financial Counseling, the Reformed Church in America’s Board of Benefits Services, the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability, and the Lake Institute on Faith and Giving.
The Everence Pastoral Financial Wellness Program is funded, in part, by three generous grants from the Lilly Endowment Inc. Everence was one of the first 37 organizations awarded grants as part of the initiative’s first phase in 2015 and 2016. More information about the program is available at everence.com/pastoral-financial-wellness or through your local Everence stewardship consultant.
About Lilly Endowment Inc.
Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based private philanthropic foundation created in 1937 by three members of the Lilly family – J.K. Lilly Sr. and sons J.K. Jr. and Eli – through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly & Company. The Endowment exists to support the causes of religion, education and community development. Lilly Endowment’s religion grantmaking is designed to deepen and enrich the religious lives of American Christians. It does this largely through initiatives to enhance and sustain the quality of ministry in American congregations and parishes. For more information, visit lillyendowment.org.
About Everence
Everence helps individuals, organizations and congregations integrate finances with faith through a national team of professionals. Everence offers banking, insurance and financial services with community benefits and stewardship education. To learn more, visit everence.com or call 800-348-7468.