Help Central create a culture of financial flourishing image

Help Central create a culture of financial flourishing

A culture of financial flourishing will help our students have thriving ministries (see story below)

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Central Strives to Create a Culture of Financial Flourishing



"I am a student at Central and have participated in the economic challenges program, which has been both enlightening and empowering. It helped me see my part in habits which contributed to our family debt and to speak out about a way forward financially. It is easy to be blind when it comes to money. Now credit cards have been shredded, a savings account is growing, and we have set goals for debt reduction. This program has given me confidence to find my voice and the knowledge needed to move forward, even in the midst of new
challenges. It has been freeing and I am grateful!"
—Marilee White, Central MDiv student (pictured above in a zoom session with financial coach, the Rev. Dr. Angie Jackson)

Whether we acknowledge it or not, our relationship with money informs and influences our ministries. While we proclaim our faith as a driving force behind our financial decisions, many of us in church leadership and membership prefer to limit the frequency and depth of our conversations about money. And yet, Jesus spoke freely and often about money.

Marilee White is a master of divinity student in Central’s Women in Leadership Initiative in Tennessee. She elected to participate in Central’s Money & Ministry program, a Lilly Endowment Economic Challenges Facing Future Ministers (ECFFM) initiative.The initiative’s goal is to normalize conversation and reflection about personal and organizational finances. Financial coaching has been available for seminarians in all programs and any location.Rev. Dr. Angela Barker Jackson, Central’s grant officer, provides this confidential service as a part of her responsibilities.

5 Things Religious Leaders Should Know

  • Educational debt keeps mounting.
  • It’s difficult to shake the burden of debt.
  • The consequences of debt follow students well into their careers.
  • The ECFFM initiative is having a positive impact.
  • Schools that partner with denominations are more apt to succeed in lowering debt.

What We Know About Central Students

  • They are financially literate based on national standards.
  • They worry about their finances in spite of having financial knowledge.
  • They are more likely to address financial challenges and stress through changes in beliefs and behavior by working with a coach or in a formation group.

One way the seminary contributes to our students’ financial flourishing is by keeping tuition and other fees as economically feasible as possible. The Money & Ministry initiative has enabled Central students to take that flourishing to the next level. A grant from the Lilly Endowment helped get this program started, but to continue the good work, we need help from generous friends like you.Your monthly gift of $20 or more or a one-time gift of $100 will help us continue to create a culture of financial flourishing for our students, which will help their ministries thrive.


Central Baptist Theological Seminary
6601 Monticello Road
Shawnee, KS 66226-3513
(913) 667-5700