New Resources for Congregations

May 15, 2019

Introducing the New Director of Development for the
Wisconsin Conference United Church of Christ

Dear friends and colleagues united in Christ,

In identifying key priorities for resourcing our congregations, the Wisconsin Conference Board of Directors decided to create a Director of Development position to guide congregations to better position themselves for financial sustainability. We are thrilled to welcome the Rev. Andrew Warner to serve in this newly established position.

Andrew comes to us from Plymouth UCC in Milwaukee, where he served for 22 years, initially as Associate Pastor and as Senior Pastor since 2006. Through his leadership Plymouth UCC worked collaboratively with other agencies, such as Pathfinders, Voces de la Frontera and Citizen Action, in pursuit of shared justice and service initiatives. He also cultivated a significant skillset in Philanthropic Development work, and became credentialed as a Certified Fund Raising Executive by CFRE International. Here is a brief bio for Andrew.

These are the focus points for Andrew’s Fund Development efforts:

• Launch a Legacy Initiative – offer program resources and staff guidance to congregations that desire to cultivate end-of-life bequests (legacy gifts) for the ongoing strengthening and sustaining of your local church ministry.
• Cultivate Stewardship Strategies – help congregations to understand the essential concepts and to utilize best practices for faithful and successful year-round fundraising.
• Expand the Capacity of Our Church’s Wider Mission – guide us in sharing the story of OCWM and in creating compelling new streams of revenue for funding our shared mission.
• Serve as President of the United Church of Christ Foundation of Wisconsin – this Foundation will be an attractive investment option for your congregation’s current and future funds, exceptionally managed by the United Church of Christ Pension Boards and offering all of the accounting work for your investment transactions and reporting.

Andrew joined the Conference Staff on Monday, May 13 in a half-time position. He was also called to a half-time position for the national setting of the United Church of Christ, where he will create resources for conferences in their funding of Our Church’s Wider Mission (OCWM). We anticipate Andrew will primarily work out of his home in Whitefish Bay, though he will be on the road often and will spend a fair amount of time at the Trost Center in DeForest.

Please expect more information in the coming months.

With excitement and great hope,

Franz

Rev. Franz Rigert
Conference Minister