Jump Start
The Covenant Financial Leadership Initiative Provides Opportunities for Personal Financial Development
Jump Start
Personal Financial Retreat
One of the primary facets of the Covenant Financial Leadership Initiative is a personal finance retreat, titled Jump Start, for ministerial couples or singles. This interactive retreat takes a formational, devotional, and practical look at personal finances and identifies tools to help build spending plans that invite impact. Participants will:
- Assess their current financial health
- Identify personal money beliefs and how they impact financial choices
- Develop a financial planning action list
This personal finance retreat is a prerequisite for receiving personal financial coaching.
This interaction is in a Monday/Thursday/Monday retreat format. It is for singles and married couples. The schedule will be adjusted to account for the contextual needs of specific locations but in general, it will flow as noted below:
- Monday: 7:00 – 9:00 pm (Central)
- Thursday: 7:00 – 9:00 pm (Central)
- Monday: 7:00 – 9:00 pm (Central)
Eligibility
- Currently active in full-time pastoral, chaplaincy, or mission ministry through the Evangelical Covenant Church, with at least two years’ ministry experience. (Those serving in non-Covenant settings must have received Board approval for service location.)
- Hold a current ECC credential and be in good standing as defined by the Board of the Ordered Ministry for the credential that is held.*
- Ministerial association dues must be current. (Those who have not paid dues may pay any outstanding dues owed and have their Conference Ministerial Association Treasurer contact the CFLI office to report good standing.)
*Those who are serving with a bi-vocational credential may be eligible if they have completed vocational excellence and serve in ministry as their primary vocation (paid). Contact us to determine eligibility.
For more information contact Karen.Ingebretson@covchurch.org or call 773-442-6588.
Testimonials
What people say after participating in the retreat
“I deeply appreciated how the discussions on finances were not just strategy but Scripture-focused and emotionally healthy.”
“This was not just another workshop. We realized our spending habits were not reflecting our values.”
“The Consumer Aid Grant was the greatest help. Ours is a low-income issue, so that remains. I think seeing our net worth is eye-opening. I think realizing the main issue is income, takes some guilt away and allows for future steps to try and better that.”
Ministry Excellence Fund
Consumer Aid Grants provide aid to help alleviate some types of financial distress for ministers
The Lilly Endowment has given us a unique opportunity to address the economic challenges that face our ministerial community. Although we are unable to address everything, a consumer aid grant that targets consumer debt and burdensome student loans (with high interest rates) is being made available through the Ministry Excellence Fund. An award of up to $10,000 is available for approved applicants. Ministers who receive this grant commit to an interaction that may be up to nine months long. To participate, contact us below.
Financial Coaches
Gary McKinney
Gary’s interest in serving as a financial coach comes from the several years he spent working as a financial planner for a major brokerage firm, working with clients on college savings plans, retirement, and estate planning. He also worked as a financial advisor, assisting corporate executives with wealth management and leading seminars for employees on the basics of financial planning.
He received a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Oklahoma, currently serving as a clinical pharmacist for Omnicare and consulting with hospitals, long-term care and senior living facilities in four states. He has been married for 28 years to Denise, a Covenant pastor and church planter, and is helping plant a dinner church in Tulsa called The Well. The couple has two children, Lanie and Garrison.
Solomon Evangelista
Solomon is principal partner in Kainos Asset Management, a financial services firm he founded nearly three decades ago that focuses on educating consumers on the fundamentals of financial management, working through large corporations, universities, public schools, churches, and governmental agencies. Certifications include CFE (Certified Financial Educator), CRE (Certified Retirement Educator), and Certified College Planner. He received his Bachelors in Aerospace Engineering and a Masters in Mechanical Engineering degree, working for NASA Goddard Space Center before founding Kainos.
On the advisory boards of several civic and nonprofit groups, Solomon graduated in 2021 from the Opened Bible Academy at Dallas Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Maileen, also work with Burmese refugees in the Houston area and as short-term missionaries in predominately Muslim areas.
Missy Rhen
Missy is a pastor’s wife, a mom of four, and a bookkeeper for private clients. She brings to the table her past experience in business, as an income tax preparer, and as the manager of her own family finances. She’s currently living the challenges of planning for college, weddings, and retirement, while at the same time trying to live into a budget. Missy is passionate about coaching people on implementing financial tools, finding freedom from debt, and entering into the joy of being a steward of their own resources.
Don Meyer
Don served as editor and publisher of The Post-Journal in Jamestown, New York, for more than 20 years, where he managed significant budgets. While in Jamestown he also served as president of the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation. In 1997 he was called as the executive minister for the Department of Communication for the Evangelical Covenant Church, where he served until his retirement in 2013. Don has a special appreciation for smaller congregations and the pastoral staff who lead them.
Don is a tennis player, lifelong boater, and more recently involved in RV travels. He also has a strong interest in World War II history and is involved in developing his extended family’s genealogy.
Ken Moore
Ken has extensive experience in ministry spanning nearly five decades with the Evangelical Covenant Church, serving in Minnesota, Illinois, Colorado, and Alaska. Currently, he serves as part-time retreat leader and counselor at SonScape Retreats in Colorado, a ministry to pastors and others in need of redirection and encouragement. His Grace Connect Coaching ministry focuses on career Christian professionals, while his work with Global focuses on unreached people groups in South Asia. Ken also owns and operates a real estate investment business.
Ken is ordained to Word and Sacrament with the Evangelical Covenant Church, has a Master of Divinity from Bethel Theological Seminary, and undergraduate degrees from the University of Minnesota and Oak Hills Christian College. Ken and his wife, Sandy, reside in Colorado Springs. They have two children and four grandchildren.
Joel Kruggel
Joel has served as a pastor, church planter, college chaplain, and most recently in a real estate partnership with his daughter. Throughout his career in ministry, Joel was active in investing in properties from New England to Aruba, including the Nathaniel Hosmer Inn in Camden, Maine, which he developed while serving as a church planter in the Boston area. Joel is particularly interested in helping pastors explore supplemental streams of income to support their families.
Joel and his wife, Victoria, now live in St. Joseph, Michigan. In addition to an active real estate business, Joel and Victoria enjoy traveling, reading aloud together, cross-country skiing, and biking in the early morning hours to catch Michigan sunrises.
Gretchen De Neui
Gretchen works as the Finance Manager for the Serve Globally priority of the Evangelical Covenant Church. She has always been interested in finances and how to best steward what God has given her and her family. In addition, she enjoys learning more about the intersection between faith and money and culture. After graduating with a BS in Business with a specialty in Accounting she worked in business before serving and living in Thailand. She has lived in many different places in the world, the longest being in Thailand for 18 years as a Covenant Missionary. There she and her husband were involved in ministry while raising their four children. Upon returning to the USA they moved to Chicago, IL, and enjoy living in one of the more diverse zip codes in the US.
For relaxation Gretchen enjoys a good book, going for a walk in the park, playing board games, and spending time with family and friends. She attends Grace Covenant Church in Chicago where she has served as church treasurer, small group co-leader, mission team leader, as well as loving on the babies in the nursery.
Chris Breuninger
Chris Breuninger, an ordained minister with the Evangelical Covenant Church, has 30 years of pastoral experience as a lead pastor, having served four churches ranging in size from 12 to 1,200 individuals. Chris loves to learn and has two master degrees and a doctorate. He has studied personal finance for 20 years and chaired the ECC Stewardship Commission. He currently serves as a volunteer financial coach.
Married to Amy for 39 years, they enjoy being with their grown children, hiking, cooking, reading, writing, and living on beautiful Whidbey Island in the State of Washington.
Mark Hill
Capt. Mark Hill is assigned as the Unit Chaplain in the Air Force Special Operations Command-Geographically Separated Unit, situated at Fort Benning, Georgia. He is responsible for facilitating the free exercise of religion for civilian and military personnel, as well as managing Special Tactics-Family Connections resiliency funding.
Hailing from Soldotna, Alaska, Mark received his bachelor’s degree in outdoor studies from Alaska Pacific University; a Master of Divinity degree from North Park Theological Seminary; and a Master of Business Administration degree from North Park University. He was licensed in the Evangelical Covenant Church in 1996 and ordained in 2008. Prior to his current assignment, he was with the 703rd Munitions Support Squadron at Volkel Air Base in the Netherlands.
Joel Scott
Joel has been in ministry for 20 years, serving with churches and nonprofits in Illinois, New Hampshire, and Arizona, where he is lead pastor at The Bridge in Gilbert. While he has served in a variety of roles – sports pastor, missionary coach, lead pastor – he says none of those positions measure up to his most challenging job: an 18-month stint as stay-at-home to his 3 kids when they were all under age 5.
His passion for seeing people experience financial freedom is what prompted Joel to join the financial coaching team, based in large measure on his own personal experience. Through a combination of the generosity of others and making many uncomfortable choices, Joel and his wife Kim achieved debt-free status early in their married life. He enjoys hiking the mountains around Phoenix, “sabbathing” with his family on Saturdays, as well as rooting for the Ohio State University Buckeyes football team.
Karen Stein
Karen has always been a “numbers person,” and her career in systems engineering and computer systems sales enhanced her ability to balance financial costs and benefits. After that career, she went to law school and earned a degree as well as a real estate broker’s license. She opened her own law practice in estate planning and elder law to help people plan for their future and navigate the complexities of long-term care for elder relatives.
Karen has a long Covenant history. She has a great-grandfather who was a Covenant pastor and a daughter who is a Covenant pastor. Karen is a visual artist who loves photography, watercolor, and mixed-media painting. She especially enjoys her four grandchildren.
Steve Allison
Steve worked in the life insurance industry for 12 years, during which he received his CLU (Chartered Life Underwriter) and ChFC (Chartered Financial Consultant) designations from The American College. For the past five years he has served the Northwest Conference as a financial services representative with Covenant Trust Company.
Steve attends Lakeview Covenant Church in Duluth, Minnesota, where he currently serves on the finance and local outreach teams. He is the parent of two boys (ages 12 and 10), and he and his wife enjoy participating in outdoor sports and activities with their sons.
Bill Hickman
Bill spent 34 years in various management positions in the pharmaceutical industry before being hired as a Financial Service Representative for Covenant Trust Company (CTC). During his 8 years with CTC he helped families with wills, trusts, and powers of attorney and assisting them in financial planning and managing their financial resources.
A long-time Covenanter, he has served on church maintenance, stewardship and Men’s Ministry teams. Since retirement, he has volunteered three days a week at the local food bank. He and his wife travel extensively and garden when they are home. He also has been a car guy all his life and has owned Corvettes, GTO’s and SuperSport Chevys.
Lavern Holdeman
Lavern has 18 years of experience in the practice of law, as well as extensive training and experience in financial counseling and consulting. While serving as a financial services representative for Covenant Trust Company, he obtained certification as a Certified Financial Planner™. As a consultant with Living Stones Associates from 2002 to 2006, he provided consulting in all areas of church life, including strategies for church growth and financial health. Lavern is an ordained Covenant minister, and he has a passion for the health and growth of pastors.
He enjoys writing and directing skits and dramatic presentations for Community Covenant Church in Omaha, Nebraska, where he lives with his wife, Karen.
Elliott Johnson
Elliott served the Covenant for nearly 20 years as controller and assistant director of pensions and benefits. During that time, he was responsible for the Bethany Benefit Service and the operations of the Covenant Pension Plan. He also served as treasurer for the Paul Carlson Partnership, Covenant World Relief, and the Oasis Training Center.
Elliott holds degrees in math and accounting and an executive MBA from the University of Chicago. He also has served for more than 34 years as treasurer for India Rural Evangelical Fellowship, an Indian ministry serving the rural poor in South India in evangelism, education, and community development. Since he retired from the ECC in 2016, his company, Johnson Financial Consulting, cares primarily for individuals who have dedicated their lives to God’s call. He has been blessed by the opportunities that the Lord has given him.
Elliott and his wife enjoy spending time with their two grown sons and their families, including six grandchildren. Golf with family and friends, along with anything “Vikings,” are some of Elliott’s favorite pastimes.
Alan Kruse
Alan is a retired international corporate lawyer, having worked for 32 years in the oil industry, mainly with Amoco and BP. He has lived and worked in Houston, Calgary, London, Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Jakarta and provided legal services in the Middle East, Russia, Western Europe, New Zealand, and South America. In retirement he served one year as the executive dean of a Christian business school in Medan, Indonesia. In each place he has lived, he and his family participated in a Bible-believing fellowship and became part of a life group. He has navigated living in foreign countries and the challenge of managing household finances and income taxes in foreign locations. Upon retiring in 2012, he moved to the Seattle area from Jakarta, after 12 years living outside the U.S.
Alan and his wife attend Pine Lake Covenant Church in Sammamish, Washington, where he leads a men’s life group and is team leader of the Vision Action Team, which manages expenditure of capital campaign funds for mortgage reduction and facilities renovation. Alan has served as a mentor and coach to colleagues and individuals in his life groups. He and his wife travel extensively, garden during the growing season, and enjoy time with their four adult children, their spouses, and seven active grandchildren.
Ben Moore
Ben earned a BS in 2005 from Kansas State University, graduating summa cum laude with a dual major in finance and accounting. He earned a JD in 2009 from the University of Nebraska College of Law, graduating with the highest distinction. After law school, Ben joined the law firm of Rembolt Ludtke, LLP. He is now a partner with the firm, and his primary areas of practice include business transactions, real estate, estate planning, banking, bankruptcy, and tax.
Ben enjoys hiking and backpacking in Minnesota, woodworking, and spending time with his wife Jodi, and their two daughters.
