Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Back to Basics

By: Barry G. Allen- President & CEO

September is the beginning of the fiscal year of the KBF. It’s also the beginning of the church year for many churches and the beginning of the school year for many schools. So, it’s a normal time to get back to the basics and start a new process with a new focus and with renewed energy and enthusiasm.

The first basics upon which the KBF board and staff has focused in this new fiscal year are the Great Commission found in Matthew 28:18-20 and the Acts 1:8 challenge. A few days after our Lord gave His disciples the Great Commission, and as He was about to depart from them and to return to the Father, He left to His disciples then, and to us His disciples today, the challenge to be His witnesses not only at home but also to the ends of the earth.

I like how GuideStone Financial Resources president O.S. Hawkins summed up the Lord’s explicit commission to us His disciples. We are “to make” new disciples by leading people to Jesus Christ; we are “to mark” these new disciples through baptism; and we are “to mature” them by “teaching them to observe” all those things Christ commanded.

Inherent in the mission of the KBF is discipleship, and specifically, “to mature” Jesus’ disciples. And, at the heart of discipleship is financial stewardship. And, that aspect of financial stewardship to which the KBF is committed to facilitate the maturation process is estate stewardship. Since we believe for most Christians estate planning is the single most important act of stewardship one will ever perform, our mission is “to mature” Kentucky Baptists, who are disciples of Jesus Christ, in the Christian discipline of estate stewardship.

The most effective way to mature Kentucky Baptists is to equip Kentucky Baptist churches in how to encourage, educate, enable and engage their adult members in estate stewardship. So, as we enter this new year together, let’s get back to the basics of discipleship, which includes stewarding from one’s estate a portion of that which the Lord has entrusted to us. And, please give your KBF the privilege of assisting you and your church.

For more information, please call us at (502) 489-3533 or toll free in KY at 1(866) 489-3533

The information in this article is provided as general information and is not intended as legal or tax advice. For advice and assistance in specific cases, you should seek the advice of an attorney or other professional adviser.

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