Every spring, the Lake Institute on Faith & Giving, together with the Indianapolis Center for Congregations, convenes a diverse group of clergy from the Indianapolis area for a series of four day-long seminars to discuss the relationship between faith, money and giving. Using a selected set of readings, the group discusses a wide range of issues, including current trends in religious giving, the history of financing religion in America, rituals of giving within various faith traditions, the relationship between a congregation's theology of money and their giving behaviors, and strategies for how to make money-talk a redemptive conversation within each of their communities.
In the fall of each year, lay people from these same congregations participate in a shorter series of conversations in order to gain a better understanding of how their perspectives on faith and giving as laity. In the final session, clergy and laity are brought together for conversation.

Now in its fourth year, the program has worked with the following greater Indianapolis congregations:

2004 – Congregation Shaarey Tefilla, St. Bernadette Catholic Church, Whitelick Presbyterian Church, Friedens United Church of Christ, First Baptist Church of North Indianapolis, Community Church of Greenwood, St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, Northside New Era Missionary Baptist, St. Mary Catholic, Church, Allisonville Christian Church, and New Joy Westfield (ELCA)

2005 – Roberts Park United Methodist Church, Southport Presbyterian Church, Speedway Christian Church, New Hope Presbyterian Church, Morgantown United Methodist Church, Second Baptist Church, Chinese Community Church of Indianapolis, Bethel AME Church, First Baptist Church of Indianapolis

2006 – First Friends Meeting, Park Chapel Christian Church, St. Barnabas Catholic Church, Southminster Presbyterian Church, John Knox Presbyterian Church, Central Christian Church, Zionsville Christian Church, Morresville Friends Church

If you are a clergy member or you would like to have a clergy member from your congregation participate, please contact lfi@iupui.edu or 317-278-8998.