General Principles
The Good Shepherd United Methodist Church Endowment Fund seeks to support the mission of Good Shepherd United Methodist Church by developing financial resources and receiving and holding financial assets. This Gift Acceptance Policy is designed to facilitate the acceptance of gifts and the fulfillment of Disciplinary Directives. The following principles guide the acceptance and administration of gifts to the Good
Shepherd Endowment Fund:

• To work to make all gifts possible, within the structures of tax and tax regulations;
• To make resources available over time for the mission of Good Shepherd United
  Methodist Church, while upholding the purposes of the GS Endowment Fund;
• To honor the intent of the donor;
• To protect the assets entrusted to the GS Endowment Fund; and
• To accept only property free of liens and encumbrances.
  

Vision Statement
Empowered by the Holy Spirit, we will joyously and passionately move to leave no place in the
city of Fort Wayne untouched by Jesus’ healing power, regardless of nationality, religion, culture
and economic status by the development of multiple worshiping sites, small and large,
throughout our community and world.

Mission Statement
Following the commands of our Savior, and through the guidance and power of the Holy Spirit,
we will carry out our vision by…

Attracting
Diligently striving to create safe, healing and loving sanctuaries to attract new, non-believers to
Jesus.

Building
Lovingly guiding, nurturing and supporting those individuals who are attracted to Jesus towards
their joyful discovery of being a disciple of Jesus Christ

Utilizing
Empowering disciples to identify and respond to their unique talents, spiritual gifts and callings
in reaching out and transforming our community, city and world to the glory of God.

Be an outstanding leader in organized philanthropy for Good Shepherd United Methodist
Church, and operate efficiently and effectively in all aspects of operations. We will:

• Be a “teacher of philanthropy” that educates people and organizations and
  connects them to philanthropic opportunities;
• Provide donors, grantees and other relevant organizations with quality services (research, development, and administration) that meet their expectations, expand their understanding of church needs and opportunities, and earn the GS Endowment Fund recognized reputation for excellence and credibility;
• Serve as a trusted steward of donor’s charitable intentions;
• Preserve, manage, and grow financial assets to provide a competitive return that
  benefits the church;
• Help to identify the church’s critical needs and shape initiatives to address them;
• Convene diverse individuals and groups to work together to address a range of
  church needs;
• Create and maintain a challenging, rewarding and high-performing organizational
  environment where staff, members, and volunteers are valued and share a deep sense of mission;
• Bring together and challenge committees, which reflects the core of the church, to
  use their resources to guide and contribute to the organization.

The endowment funds should be used to support the Statement of Purpose of the Good Shepherd
Endowment Fund. The Good Shepherd Endowment Fund has established the following areas of
ministries that will be supported by the Enduring Gifts Ministry Committee:

• Fine Arts and Worship: Examples of ministry supported by this area are Guest
  Artists, Summer Arts Series, Choir Resources, and Worship Media.
• Family Life Ministries: Examples of ministry supported by this area are
  Children, Youth, Young Adult, Student, Older Adult programming and ministry.
• Facilities and Equipment: Examples of ministry supported by this area are Property, Memorial Gardens, Vehicles, Web Site Development, Worship Equipment, and Computer Software and Support.
• Discipleship: Examples of ministry supported by this area are Staff Development, Leadership Training and Development, Camp Scholarships, Seminary Scholarships, and Lamb Ministry.
• Multi-Campus Ministries: Examples of ministry supported by this area would include any general or specific needs of each campus.
• Evangelism and Mission: Examples of ministry supported by this area are Outreach Programs, Mission Building Projects, Urban Missions, Home Missions, and Evangelism Training.