The Perpetual Feast

The Perpetual Feast is the Church’s doctrine of intergenerational stewardship. Wealth entrusted to the Church may be spent on present religious and charitable work, maintained as prudent reserves, or invested for future ministry. The purpose of accumulation is continuity of mission, not the enrichment of private persons.

The Church regards invested capital as stored capacity for future hospitality. Money is neither sacred nor corrupt by itself. Its moral character depends on ownership, purpose, method, governance, and use.

Donations to the Church become Church property subject to any lawful donor restrictions accepted by the Church. A donor does not retain an investment account, redemption right, profit share, ownership interest, or entitlement to future appreciation merely because donated assets are invested.

The Perpetual Feast requires governance. Significant investments should be documented, reviewed, diversified as appropriate to institutional circumstances, and separated from personal accounts. Transactions involving insiders require independent scrutiny. The Church should neither gamble with sacred resources nor become so risk-averse that inflation and neglect consume them.

A healthy Perpetual Feast eventually supports worship, clergy formation, charitable programs, facilities, publication, festivals, emergency reserves, and new congregational work. The endowment is successful when it makes future mission more possible—not merely when a brokerage statement becomes larger.

The Endowment Verse

The seed we keep is not the seed we own,

But trust we hold for harvests yet unknown.

Let wealth become a servant, not a throne,

And future guests find tables of their own.