The caution, at first, sounds unnecessary.

"If I've seen one church demoralized by excessive reliance on an endowment fund, I've seen at least twenty," declared one denominational executive. "It's a guaranteed way to pauperize a congregation."

Many churches are tempted to dismiss this caution. Who wouldn't want the "problem" of a large endowment?

A growing number of churches have been actively encouraging members to remember the congregation in their wills. So many have been so successful that it's time to ask, "What if you encourage members to leave a tithe or more of their estate to your church, and they do it?"

A large bequest sounds wonderful. But horror stories abound of congregations that became dependent on the dead to pay the bills incurred by the living, thus draining the church's vitality.

Who controls the endowment fund?

One congregation, for example, decided to construct a new sanctuary. They raised one-fourth of the cost in cash, received pledges over three years to pay for another ...