Ways to Give

Honor and Memorial Gifts

Metro Ministries wishes to recognize those who have touched your life and the lives of those around you through their service.

Your gifts in honor and memory will go directly to fund Metro Ministries’ grants programs, in support of local church programs, youth ministry programs and community programs across Central Indiana.

In 2019, Metro Ministries awarded grants to 14 ministry programs and an additional 8 grants to churches for their collaboration with schools in their local communities.

Consider making an Honor or Memorial Gift to Metro Ministries now.

Designated Endowment

Metro Ministries launched a new Designated Endowment fund in November 2018. The purpose of this new fund is to have a plan in place to invest principal gifts made by Metro’s donors, with the principal continuing in perpetuity and with the income generated from these investments used to fulfill the ministry designations of the donors.

Gifts made to the Designated Endowment can be designated to fund future work in one of four areas:

  • Children and youth programming
  • Discipleship and education
  • Local missions
  • Undesignated: for future grants without restriction

Non-Cash Gifts and Estate Planning

Metro Ministries accepts non-cash gifts such as securities, charitable gift annuities or being named as a beneficiary in life insurance policies or charitable trusts. Prior to making such a gift to Metro Ministries, advice from a legal and/or tax expert should be sought. Metro Ministries consults with United Methodist Foundation of Indiana to administer these types of gifts.

Gifts of real property are also accepted by Metro Ministries, with the understanding that the property will be liquidated and funds invested per donor designation.

Proceeds from non-cash gifts will be invested, at the donor’s designation, in Metro’s Designated Endowment, General Operations Fund and/or Metro’s Current Grant Programs. Contact Tina McAninch if you are interested in making a non-cash gift to Metro Ministries, Inc.

Central District Advance Specials Giving

The Central District Advance Specials Giving program is being discontinued in 2021.

Some Central District churches continue to give to ministries and organizations that were once designated as Central District Advance Specials, by sending checks with Advance Giving Forms to Metro Ministries. Metro Ministries then deposits and records these receipts and issues checks to the receiving organizations.

This Central District program was an extension of the Indiana Conference’s Advance Specials program. The Conference discontinued this program a few years ago, around 2017. Organizations are no longer vetted to be designated as Advance Specials, and special reporting back to the churches of these donations is not maintained.

The District Advance Giving Form has been removed from Metro’s website. For now, Metro Ministries will continue to process these Advance Special donations, also known as pass-throughs. We will continue to process pass-throughs until we have ensured that churches are prepared to shift to donating directly to the organizations they support. Metro Ministries does not want to see current giving to these ministries stop. Rather, we hope to see churches directly connect with these ministries and organizations.

Metro Ministries has notified all churches that made pass-through donations in 2020. Be assured that any donations for these ministries and organizations will continue to be processed until such time we are comfortable that church support of these ministries will continue in a more direct manner.