Monday, November 25, 2013

Get a Leg Up on Your Legacy

Some months ago, I had an aged uncle pass away. Quite frankly, my uncle had been a curmudgeon.  He was a product of his society:  racist, sexist and opinionated.  There were just so many topics from which we had to steer clear.   My aunt died before him and sadly she had been the one to keep him grounded.

He died leaving a good-sized estate.  His will included a specific amount that their congregation would receive.  My aunt and uncle had been members of that congregation for their 70 years of marriage.  They attended worship every Sunday even when my aunt’s dementia was well advanced. They had many friends from that congregation. I was saddened and offended that they set aside a paltry 0.4% of their estate for their congregation.  I am sure the congregation will receive their bequest with gratitude and thanks.  It is a congregation of kind and gracious people.  But as an outsider looking in, I was hurt by his stinginess at his life’s end with a 0.4% bequest.  I now am suspicious that in life, his annual contributions were seen as a crass tax deduction more than an offering of gratitude to God. I am hurt that the man who I thought was thoughtful and benevolent left his memory to be tight-fisted and manipulative.

This is not my idea of healthy stewardship.  So let me shift to something a bit more positive and up-building.

Estate planners and professional stewardship consultants speak about leaving a “legacy.”  My first thought was that “legacy” sounds presumptuous and snooty.  I thought of statues and monuments, bronze plaques and lead inlays in stained-glass windows.  But, I was wrong.  A legacy simply is an inheritance and a remembrance.  A legacy is a thought-filled end of life gift intended to do good for individuals and institutions.

My first word to those who are superstitious and creeped out by discussions of wills and estate planning is this:  Suck it up, Buttercup! Let’s be adults and deal with the realities of life.  Put it in writing! You’ve got some dough stashed away under the mattress or in a cookie jar so, put it to work.  Find a trusted consultant who will make those moth-infested dollars grow.  Next, deal with the fact that you are not immortal.  Determine how your estate is going to be distributed at the time of your death.

Let me make a personal announcement:  Oh, Emily and Jonathan, you ain’t getting the whole enchilada!  As Peggy and I have attempted to be tithers in this earthly life, so, too, in death we intend to set aside 10% of our estate to be divided between our congregation and Wartburg Theological Seminary.  (If I pre-decease Peggy she may also bequeath a percentage to the Chippendale Dancers Training Facility.)  In other words, we want a percentage of our legacy to be used for goodwill. We may need to tweak things so that it is used for programmatic causes rather than utility bills

When the time comes, there may not be a whole lot left.  Regardless, we will have made a statement of faith.  We will have impressed upon our children and (if there be) grandchildren what has been important for us.

Imagine the impact if every household in a congregation had a will with 10% set aside for the work of the congregation.  Think of the leadership that the youth could follow.  Imagine the teaching tools that could be purchased for Sunday schools. Consider the possibilities of nursing care coming from the church to the community.


In life and in death there is no reason to be a tightwad.  I’ve never seen a U-haul trailer behind a hearse.

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