By Ken Sloane
A few years ago, I received a phone call from a pastor I had never met. His voice carried both excitement and uncertainty.
“I just got off the phone with a lawyer,” he said. “He told me our church has received a $14 million bequest from someone in our community. I’m not sure what I need to do next.” It was one of those moments when a leader realizes that how he responds over the next few days could shape a congregation’s life for years to come. I had not guided a church through a gift of that size, but I could immediately affirm something important: he was asking exactly the right question.
The issue was not whether the church should receive the gift. The issue was how to receive it in a way that strengthens the church’s mission and protects the culture of generosity that has sustained the congregation for years.
Large gifts and unexpected bequests can be tremendous blessings. They can also create anxiety, unrealistic expectations, or unintended consequences if handled without thoughtful discernment. When a church receives a significant undesignated gift or bequest, here are six questions leaders should ask. You can probably think of more on your own.
1. What ministry would our community miss most if our church disappeared?
If membership and giving declined in the future, what ministry would the surrounding community notice most? A major gift offers an opportunity to strengthen the ministries that most clearly express the church’s mission. It invites leaders to focus not simply on maintaining programs but on deepening the church’s impact.
2. How can this gift strengthen the church’s future rather than simply solve today’s problems?
There may be needs such as deferred maintenance, aging equipment, or pressure in the current budget, but wise leaders should ask, “How can this gift create lasting impact? What decisions today could help sustain ministry for the next generation?
3. How will we communicate about this gift so that it encourages continued generosity?
Congregations sometimes respond to major gifts in surprising ways. Some members may quietly think, “The church does not need my giving anymore.” The way leaders share the news matters. Framing the gift as a foundation for future ministry rather than a replacement for faithful giving helps maintain a culture of stewardship.
4. What might the donor have hoped this gift would make possible?
Even when a gift is undesignated, it is wise to reflect on the spirit in which it was given. What ministries did the donors care about? What impact might they have hoped their gift would support? Asking these questions helps the church receive gifts with humility and gratitude.
5. Who should help us discern how this gift is used?
No pastor or finance chair should feel responsible for making these decisions alone. Inviting trusted leaders, finance committee members, stewardship leaders, and individuals with financial or legal expertise helps ensure thoughtful discernment. In many churches, this is also the moment when leaders recognize the value of establishing a local church endowment committee to guide long-term stewardship and legacy gifts.
6. How might this gift inspire us to dream about God’s future?
Perhaps the most exciting question is also the most important one: “What new ministries might God be calling this congregation to imagine?” What opportunities for mission, outreach, or discipleship could grow from this gift? Large gifts can give churches permission to dream—not about comfort, but about calling.
Major gifts should not replace faithful stewardship. They should inspire the church to dream bigger about its mission.
Looking Ahead
Many congregations will never receive a $14 million bequest, but many churches do receive unexpected gifts, estate bequests, or property donations that raise similar questions.
Having a thoughtful process in place before those moments arrive can make all the difference. Some churches find it helpful to establish an endowment committee that helps guide conversations about legacy gifts, bequests, and long-term ministry sustainability. In fact, the very act of establishing an endowment program can inspire generosity, helping donors see that the church is serious about sustaining ministry for the future, not simply using large gifts to ease current pressures.
Discipleship Ministries released an updated resource designed to help churches in this work: Achieving Dreams Beyond the Budget: A Guide for Local Church Endowment Teams. Originally published in 1999, the manual has been revised to help congregations think faithfully and strategically about endowments and legacy giving. A webinar introducing this new resource was offered in March. If you missed it, you can find the recording here.
Resources alone will not answer every question, but they can help churches move from managing gifts to dreaming about what God might do through them.
And sometimes that dreaming begins with a simple phone call and a wise question: “What should we do next?”
Basic Church Administration 