Workshops offered by Brethren Benefit Trust

BBT staff members are eager to provide workshops and seminars to groups of members, clients, employees, or congregations. Our list focuses on a number of topics that are geared toward helping people be good stewards of their financial resources. For more information or to schedule a seminar, contact Loyce Swartz Borgmann at 847-622-3364 or at lborgmann@cobbt.org.

Click here to view and print a PDF of BBT's 2017 workshop topics.

Watch a clip from an insight session for church treasurers sponsored by BBT at Church of the Brethren Annual Conference in July 2012.

personal finance

Count well the cost: The benefits of long-term care insurance
Long-term care is expensive! How much will it cost when you need it? Long-term care insurance can help pay for custodial services related to a prolonged illness or degenerative disease. This question-driven workshop will help you understand how long-term care insurance can help secure finances for you or a parent.

+Investing: Time is money
Learn important concepts like “asset class,” “risk,” “returns,” “benchmarks,” and “time horizon.” Explore how these concepts work together to determine investment options and choices.

+Payment for life — not your typical retirement plan
Learn about Brethren Pension Plan’s payment for life, the most important and least understood feature of the Plan. See how it works, how it is managed, and how it serves to maximize your retirement income.

Help! There’s too much month at the end of my money!
Do you have trouble making ends meet at the end of a pay period? Look at cash management and budgeting from a Christian perspective, with an eye toward stewardship and simple living. Get to know the difference between financial planning and budgeting, and find out how to do both.

A caretakers guide to budgeting (This is a half-day session)
This session will include biblical principles about money and financial responsibility. We will look at reasons why we don’t budget and will look at strategies to reduce debt, live debt-free, and build savings. We will also learn how to balance a generous spirit with financial responsibility. We will cover helpful resources and use case studies as practice.

church business practices

+Finding the balance sheet
Church budgets are a necessary tool for congregations. As a church treasurer, how can you help build and track your church budget to make sure good accounting practices are being implemented and followed? Learn how to stay on top of your budget and explain it effectively to your congregation.

+Don’t let pastoral taxes tax you!
Complying with tax policies for your church’s pastors and lay employees can be difficult — especially when ministers are treated so differently under the tax code than other employees. This session is designed to help church treasurers prepare documents and policies for pastors and other church employees. Get the information you need regarding compensation, deductions, expenses, clergy taxes, church payroll, and more.

Are you an invited guest?
Using Matthew 25:1-13 as its biblical context, this session examines the merits of planning for the financial and general vitality of the congregation. The concept of church endowment is introduced. Find out what birdseed, bridesmaids, and Heinz 57 have to do with stewardship. This session is suitable for those who have no interest in stewardship workshops.

Church endowments — a primer
Explore a model for establishing a congregational endowment program, including sample documents. This workshop provides information for congregations that have already decided to implement an endowment program but need assistance in getting started.
*Effectively board
Is your church board doing what it should be doing? Are your church board meetings effective? This session will talk about the roles, responsibilities, and expectations of church boards, and will offer you eight items that you can take back to your congregation related to board functionality.

Retirement planning

Your ticket to retirement
All of us would like to retire at some point, but we worry about having enough money to do so. This informative session will explore methods for determining retirement income, desired retirement date, and life expectancy. The impact of taxes and inflation on retirement finances will also be discussed, as well as methods for developing a model to project a savings strategy to help reach a secure financial future. 

planned giving and stewardship

Everyone has one … what will you do with yours?
If you’re not sure, attend this session. You’ll get a very basic review of things to think about as you consider what to do with everything you have accumulated during your lifetime. This session is only for the mortal.

Living and leaving your legacy
Come and explore the different ways that you can give a gift to your local congregation, district, or other Church of the Brethren-related organization — now or in the future. We will discuss charitable gift funds and deferred gifts, along with other gifting options.

“Wolde you bothe eate your cake and have your cake?”
This presentation introduces the charitable gift annuity.

Brethren Values Investing: What is it? Where did it come from? How do we use it?
This session will discuss BBT’s socially responsible investing activities and place them into a historical and social context. You will learn how you can incorporate socially responsible practices into your personal activities.

+Sessions are geared for district events or employee groups.