Northern Alumni

Debt Relief Opportunities

Debt Relief Program:  In Support of Excellence 2021

A description of the program and a link to the application are available at https://abhms.org/ministries/developing-leaders/in-support-of-excellence/.

In Support of Excellence (ISOE) is an invitation for pastors to bring the personal, the pastoral, and the prophetic dimensions of money together in one place, learning and reflecting with seasoned leaders and a trusted cohort of colleagues.

American Baptist Home Mission Societies has provided financial education and debt-relief grants to pastors since 2016*, supporting clergy as they take steps toward financial well-being and assist members of their congregations in the same.

In 2021, we have chosen to partner with pastors of excellence in populations identified in research as being structurally disadvantaged in financial matters from compensation to saving for retirement or other life goals:

  • Women pastors,
  • Pastors of diverse cultural and ethnic identities and
  • Pastors whose roles have been decreased from full-time to less than full-time.

Priority consideration will be given to these applicants

In addition, ISOE pastors may:

  • access financial planning services from MMBB (for members) or another planning/coaching entity (for those who are not MMBB members).
  • apply for a debt-relief grant to alleviate the burden of student loans, medical debt or other forms of consumer debt; and
  • apply for a financial-education grant to support the congregation’s continued learning about faith and finance.

For additional information, contact:

Jennifer Sanborn
ISOE Director
jennifer.sanborn@abhms.org
610.768.2416

Financial empowerment for laity

ABHMS’ Financial Empowerment Ministries makes resources available to American Baptist laity who are interested in improving and increasing their knowledge and skills in financial management knowledge and skills, including budgeting, credit management, debt reduction and cash-flow planning. Two financial-empowerment resources are available:

  • ABHMS’ ministrElife online platform allows registered users to access financial empowerment Webinars and group chats as well as special tools and resources.
  • ABHMS participates in the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s “Your Money, Your Goals” financial empowerment program.

For more information, contact Jennifer Sanborn, ISOE’s program director, at Jennifer.sanborn@abhms.org.

Broom Tree Fellows Program

The Broom Tree Fellows Program Loan Forgiveness Grant assists ministry workers, primarily from the DC metro area,  with education-related debt.  The program is especially interested in religious leaders who exhibit the highest levels of faith, commitment, and service to God. It is our hope that with lightening the load of their education-related debts, ministry workers are able to flourish in their ministry.

Learn More:  https://broomtreefellows.org/about-us

Contact:  https://broomtreefellows.org/contact-us

Application:  https://broomtreefellows.org/broom-tree-applications