Resources

Financial Wellness, Investment, and Legacy Giving: How the American Baptist Foundation Can Help

Use these materials to plan your Legacy Sunday event. See the document Promoting Legacy Sunday for tips on how to use these resources.

Other Planned Giving Brochures

Resources for Churches and Leaders on topics of worship, pastoral ministry, and stewardship.

American Baptist Foundation (ABF) is devoted to partnering with our American Baptist Ministries and individuals to develop and promote planned giving for the long-term sustainability of ministry and mission through the Foundation’s Strengthening Your Financial Future (SYFF) Program. Through our SYFF program, ABF is helping churches, regions, and ministry organizations increase support in three stages: vision, communication, and celebration.

Support Churches Helping Churches 

Church Insurance
Brotherhood Mutual: innovative insurance coverage and risk management resources specifically designed for ministries.
Church Mutual: To protect those who serve, bringing specialized insurance expertise and innovative solutions to purpose-driven organizations of all kinds.
These and other similar church insurance companies have vast resources for church safety, background checks, short-term trips, camp safety, preventative building maintenance, and other aids.

Pastoral Resources

MinistrElife
MinistrELife is the primary place for American Baptist pastors and churches to network with one another. It is a little like “Linked In”. It has resources for churches and pastors. It is a social platform where pastors can interact with one another, seek mentoring, and find helpful resources.

Prairie Pastors Conference: This annual conference, held in March in partnership with ABC Central Region, ABC Dakotas, ABC Nebraska, and ABC Mid-America, offers a balance of conference, retreat, and fellowship with pastors from across the Great Plains. A grant from the American Baptist Foundation subsidizes this event.
Fall Pastor Retreat: This is an annual retreat held in October at Moses Merrill Camp and Conference Center for ABC Nebraska pastors, staff, and lay leaders. It offers a time for reflection, rest, and rejuvenation.  

Education, Continuing Education, and Scholarships
Carpenter Fund
The “Isaac W. and Carrie M. Carpenter Scholarship Foundation” was created by the legacy giving of Melinda C. Lockwood, sister to Isaac Carpenter. Her Will established the perpetual scholarship resource for Nebraska Baptists to pursue educational opportunities in college, university, seminary, and similar places of higher learning to prepare for vocational Christian ministry. This includes candidates seeking to become doctors, nurses, teachers, and ministers. It also provides support for qualified Nebraska Baptists serving in a missionary or ministerial capacity by offering scholarships to pursue lifelong continuing education opportunities.  Fill out this form to apply for the Carpenter Fund Scholarship

American Baptist Men of Nebraska (ABMen) provides an annual scholarship for Nebraska Baptists to pursue ministry degrees, seminaries, and continuing education. Men and women candidates are eligible to apply. Email President Brad Pope or download this scholarship application to learn more.

American Baptist Home Mission Societies (ABHMS): is committed to providing and supporting educational opportunities that enable and empower American Baptist students and ministerial leaders to grow personally and professionally. ABHMS’ Scholarship Program offers tuition scholarships to American Baptist students enrolled in undergraduate, graduate, and seminary programs. Funding is provided by investment income from endowments donated by generous individuals, churches, and organizations committed to educational opportunities. You can access the online application here.

American Baptist Colleges: There are 16 colleges and universities that are affiliated with American Baptist Churches USA
American Baptist Seminaries: There are 10 seminaries that are affiliated with American Baptist Churches USA
Kairos University: Kairos University is a global system of theological education that provides opportunities for students to build entirely customized educational journeys that are affordable, accessible, relevant, and faithful. 
Northwind Institute: Northwind’s teaching philosophy is called Guided Education, which is based on Competency-Based Theological Education. Faculty mentors vet resources, organize learning, and guide students through Video-Lecture Courses, Tutorial Courses, and Oxford-Style Courses, allowing students to learn in a way that works best for them. Northwind Seminary is a Contextualization Partner with Kairos University.
Seminary Now: A subscription-based, streaming video platform that delivers exclusive biblical, theological, and practical ministry training from a diverse group of leading educators and thought leaders. On Seminary Now you can receive certificates in three areas of concentration to aid you in your ministry.
Center for Continuous Learning: American Baptist online library for continuing education.

Supporting Baptist Women in Ministry
American Baptist Women in Ministry
Baptist Women in Ministry-An affirmation of Baptist Women Clergy across denominational lines United States. 
Women in Ministry, Biblical, Theological, and Practical Reflections-Truett Seminary PDF 
The Bible and Women 2023 edition by Merideth Stone of Baptist Women in Ministry

Baptist Publications
Word and Way
The Christian Citizen

Churches Helping Churches ABC NE has developed vital ministry partners locally, regionally, and nationally in addition to our historic American Baptist relationships to provide an even deeper level of resourcing for the local church and pastors.

Bible and Discipleship
The Bible Project: We believe that the story of Jesus has the power to transform people and entire communities.
Bible Gateway: An online collection of Bibles and Bible translations
RightNow Media Churches Helping Churches ABC NE has a special membership we can share with your local church. Contact the ABCNE office for information on how to get free access to this streaming library of 20,000 videos.
Institute for Bible Reading: Through their Immerse Bible Reading platform IFBR seeks to make the Bible more assessable to people. Also check out their “Bible Reset” podcast for conversations on scripture.

Mission and Ministry
Fresh Expressions
Holy Post Podcast
Mission in 5 podcast

Youth Ministry
Fuller Youth Institute
Tenx10 rallying the church to reimagine how we form the faith of young people — together.

Other Resources
Center for Church and Community Impact (C3i)-Initially called The Center for Family and Community Ministries, C³I is entering its second decade of providing research and hands-on training to congregations, denominational agencies and religiously affiliated organizations that bridge the divide between church and community. A resource from Baylor University.
Christian Reflection: A Series in Faith and Ethics was a quarterly publishing project of The Institute for Faith and Learning at Baylor University. Running from 2000 to 2016, the series consists of sixty-one titles and their accompanying study guides, all produced under the careful editorial guidance of Bob Kruschwitz.
Safe Church Awareness–A Ministry of the Cooperative Baptist Convention (not American Baptist or ABC NE), this resource provides training and documents on being aware of possible clergy abuse.
Safter Sanctuaries-Nurturing Trust Within Faith Communities by The Upper Room–is a new and comprehensive resource that continues the tradition of Safe Sanctuaries ministry by building on the trusted policies and procedures that have guided churches over the past twenty-five years. This resource contains theological grounding for the work of abuse prevention, psychological insights about abuse and abuse prevention, basic guidelines for risk reduction, age-level specific guidance, and step-by-step instructions on how to develop, revise, update, and implement an abuse prevention plan in your church or organization.