CHICAGO (Nov. 1, 2021) – The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Foundation today announced the relaunch of its Endowment Fund Pooled Trust — also known as Fund A — under a new name, the Ministry Growth Fund, which better represents the foundation’s goals for the future.
“As we look toward future growth for our church and its ministries, we must ask ourselves how we can invite even more people to take part in the work we are called to do as one body in Christ,” said Kathy Freeman Summers, president and CEO of the ELCA Foundation.
For years, the Endowment Fund Pooled Trust has been a significant way for ELCA congregations, synods and seminaries, and affiliates to carry out this work. The investment vehicle Fund A has grown exponentially since its inception, providing participants with stable distributions to grow the ministries they care about most.
“This renaming of the fund is an important and exciting step in engaging even more members and supports of the ELCA in the life — and future — of the church and its partner organizations,” Summers said. “We hope that, through this change, we will more effectively communicate the purpose of the fund: to support and grow the ELCA’s ministries for generations to come.”
The Ministry Growth Fund will provide the same opportunities as the Endowment Fund Pooled Trust, allowing participants to invest in an endowment fund that generates quarterly distributions for ministry.
The ELCA Foundation partners with individuals, congregations, synods and other ELCA-related organizations to offer a variety of charitable and planned giving options to ensure the continuation of God’s work in the world for years to come. The foundation provides expertise — as well as resources, financial education and investment and endowment management services — to help ELCA members and organizations answer the call to love and serve their neighbors.
- - -
About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with nearly 3.3 million members in more than 8,900 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands.," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.