Gifts in Wills

 

A Lifeline for our Parishes

Each year around 4,000 people leave a gift in their wills to a Church of England parish. In total, parishes receive over £55 million each year – money to finance mission projects, maintain beautiful church buildings, or enable some other aspect of church life. These gifts make a real difference to the future work of the Church – as regular giving often concentrates on maintaining the existing mission and ministry.

For many people, leaving a gift in a will is a final opportunity to say thank you to God for God’s blessing to them and to help the development of their church family.

The National Church has produced a whole range of resources for churches to encourage Legacy Giving which you will find detailed and accessible online from links below.

Why every Christian should have a will

Jesus taught us that our life does not consist only of abundance of our possessions, and that we should be wise stewards. Ever since the first edition of the Book of Common Prayer, the Church of England has highlighted the importance of making wills and keeping them up to date. There are several good reasons why we should encourage people to make a will: pastoral care, good personal financial management, and teaching on Christian stewardship.

A6 booklet ‘Why every Christian should have a will’

A Lasting Difference

A short film has been produced explaining how gifts in wills can help transform the lives of our local churches and communities, and how your PCC can encourage and welcome gifts in wills in your parish. This film lasts 4:30 and can be shown at a PCC Meeting.

Watch our short legacy film ‘A Lasting Difference’

PCC action

1. Legacy Policy
   The single most important step a PCC can take in order to encourage gifts in wills is to make a legacy policy and communicate it to the congregation. Most people will only leave a gift in their will if they think their church will use it for worthwhile projects, not simply to fund operating costs. A legacy policy allows the PCC to prepare and discuss how they would wish to see a gift used. It can also help to reassure those interested that the PCC has a process to receive gifts in place.Click here to view an example legacy policy template
2. PCC Legacy Toolkit
   The PCC Legacy Toolkit provides everything your PCC needs to launch a successful legacy campaign. Helpful resources include a PCC guide to encouraging legacies, legacy leaflets, bookmarks, poster, bible passages and legacy prayers. Legacy resources can also be requested in bulk, free of charge.Click here to request a free PCC legacy toolkit and view parish legacy resources

Further Support

Church Legacy Website

Church Legacy is aimed at individuals and helps guide them through the process of making a will and how to leave a legacy to their local church. It also offers information and downloadable resources for solicitors.
www.churchlegacy.org.uk/

 

Parish Resources Website

Parish Resources has a wealth of guidance and resources to help your parish encourage and administer gifts in wills.
www.parishresources.org.uk/legacies/