If you download and save the PDF forms to your computer, they will open as fillable forms that will allow you to type your responses and select your choices.
If you have a question or need assistance, e-mail: TFI@wesleyan.org
Project Summary: Each year, your Thrive Team engages the “Thrive Cycle.” In the initial steps of the cycle, you will discover, discuss, and decide on a well-being development plan to deploy for the year. You will find personal reflection guides, a partner guide, and well-being development plan template for each year of participation on this site. You may use those materials to guide your self-reflection and team collaboration. You also find links to purchase or access each year’s required educational resources. Generally, you will build your well-being plan early in the conference year and execute it throughout the year. Near the end of the year, you will gather your team to debrief, which includes completing your final report of investments and activities, determine their impact, and begin the Thrive Cycle for the next year. You will complete your year-end report form on this site each year.
Are you ready to thrive?
- Discover-Thrive Team members use the clergy and laity personal guides to reflect on potential financial and other well-being areas for focus. Ideal time to complete = May to June
- Discuss—Thrive Team members use the partner guides to facilitate conversations on the possible challenges to address in the coming year and potential strategies to use. Ideal time to complete = July
- Decide—Thrive Team decides what financial investment they will make and what one other well-being area investment they will make. Resources on www.wesleyan.org/thrivingclergy may be helpful. Use the WDP form to record your plan. Ideal time for complete = August
- Deploy—Thrive Team executes its plan by making the investments in the financial and other well-being areas. The team also completes the two required financial management education materials. Ideal time to complete = September to March
- Debrief—Thrive Team collaborates on final report (WDR) that indicates exactly what was completed (e.g., financial investment, other well-being investment, education), how much was invested, and impact of the project. Also begin to think about plan for the coming year. Ideal time to complete = April (final report due by April 30 each year)
Welcome to your Year 1 Thrive Cycle!
Step 1 – DISCOVER:
The Thrive Team uses the clergy and laity personal guides to reflect on potential financial and other well-being areas to enhance for the pastor. Ideal time to complete – May to June.
Step 2 – DISCUSS:
The Thrive Team uses the partner guide to facilitate conversations about possible changes to address in the coming year and the potential strategies to adopt. Start with the personal guides (Discover). Then, use the partner guide to help your team Discuss important issues. Ideal time to complete – July.
Step 3 – DECIDE:
The Thrive Team uses the well-being development plan form to record the financial and other well-being investments they will make and the education they will complete. After you have Discovered and Discussed, make Decisions about your plan for the coming year. Document those decisions in your Well-being Development Plan (WDP). Ideal time to complete – August.
Step 4 – DEPLOY:
The Thrive Team implements their plan throughout the conference year by making their investments in the financial and other well-being areas and completing the education. You’ve Discovered, Discussed, and Decided. Now, Deploy – put the plan into action. Ideal time to complete – September to March
Note – Links below are to the required financial management education that each member of a Thrive Team in its first year of TFI participation must complete.
Step 5 – DEBRIEF:
The Thrive Team collaborates and submits a final Well-Being Development Report (WDR) about what was completed, how much was invested, and the impact it created. The Team should now continue the Thrive Cycle by moving to the Year 2 tab and starting to Discover again. Ideal time to complete – April (the WDR is due 30 days prior to District Conference). Note. The WDR form will ask you to affirm that the Thrive Team collaborated to produce the final report.
Welcome to your Year 2 Thrive Cycle!
Step 1 – DISCOVER:
The Thrive Team uses the clergy and laity personal guides to reflect on potential financial and other well-being areas to enhance for the pastor. Ideal time to complete – May to June.
Step 2 – DISCUSS:
The Thrive Team uses the partner guide to facilitate conversations about possible changes to address in the coming year and the potential strategies to adopt. Start with the personal guides (Discover). Then, use the partner guide to help your team Discuss important issues. Ideal time to complete – July.
Step 3 – DECIDE:
The Thrive Team uses the well-being development plan form to record the financial and other well-being investments they will make and the education they will complete. After you have Discovered and Discussed, make Decisions about your plan for the coming year. Document those decisions in your Well-being Development Plan (WDP). Ideal time to complete – August.
Step 4 – DEPLOY:
The Thrive Team implements their plan throughout the conference year by making their investments in the financial and other well-being areas and completing the education. You’ve Discovered, Discussed, and Decided. Now, Deploy – put the plan into action. Ideal time to complete – September to March.
Note – Links below are to the required financial management education for year two TFI participants. All Thrive Team members must complete the pastor compensation course (All 3 modules must be completed). Only the pastor needs to complete the Thrivent Financial Activity.
Step 5 – DEBRIEF:
The Thrive Team collaborates and submits a final Well-Being Development Report (WDR) about what was completed, how much was invested, and the impact it created. The Team should now continue the Thrive Cycle by moving to the Year 2 tab and starting to Discover again. Ideal time to complete – April (the WDR is due 30 days prior to District Conference). Note. The WDR form will ask you to affirm that the Thrive Team collaborated to produce the final report.
Welcome to your Year 3 Thrive Cycle!
Step 1 – DISCOVER:
The Thrive Team uses the clergy and laity personal guides to reflect on potential financial and other well-being areas to enhance for the pastor. Ideal time to complete – May to June.
Step 2 – DISCUSS:
The Thrive Team uses the partner guide to facilitate conversations about possible changes to address in the coming year and the potential strategies to adopt. Start with the personal guides (Discover). Then, use the partner guide to help your team Discuss important issues. Ideal time to complete – July.
Step 3 – DECIDE:
The Thrive Team uses the well-being development plan form to record the financial and other well-being investments they will make and the education they will complete. After you have Discovered and Discussed, make Decisions about your plan for the coming year. Document those decisions in your Well-being Development Plan (WDP). Ideal time to complete – August.
Step 4 – DEPLOY:
The Thrive Team implements their plan throughout the conference year by making their investments in the financial and other well-being areas and completing the education. You’ve Discovered, Discussed, and Decided. Now, Deploy – put the plan into action. Ideal time to complete – September to March.Note – Links below are to the required financial management education that each member of a Thrive Team in its third year of TFI participation must complete.Education Requirement # 110 Essentials of Church Accounting and Financial Reporting Course (at least 1 member of your Thrive Team will need to sign up for a username and password to access the free course)Educational Requirement # 2
Step 5 – DEBRIEF:
The Thrive Team collaborates and submits a final Well-Being Development Report (WDR) about what was completed, how much was invested, and the impact it created. The Team should now continue the Thrive Cycle by moving to the Year 2 tab and starting to Discover again. Ideal time to complete – April (the WDR is due 30 days prior to District Conference). Note. The WDR form will ask you to affirm that the Thrive Team collaborated to produce the final report.
Congratulations!
We are so glad that you have partnered with us over these past years in TFI. We trust the financial support and financial management learning you have received have both been helpful. Now that you have graduated to our “After Care” level (i.e., have completed at least the three compulsory years of TFI), we want you to be self-directed and take greater control of your financial management learning needs both personally and professionally. Our goal is to create a long-term environment available for you to continue learning and to receive some modest financial support from TFI.
For the next year of grants, we will match up to $1000 of support for After Care participants but likely will reserve bonus amounts that you have received in the past for those who are in the first three years of the program. However, if your district continues to support your involvement, we will match those dollars as well!
So, what do you have to do to participate in TFI After Care?
(1) Collaboration – continue to work with your Thrive Team and key laity in your church. Long term, collaboration is a key to success in most church initiatives. Let TFI help you build and sustain the collaborative environment.
(2) Financial Component – essentially the same as what you’ve done in the past. As your church provides additional financial support for you for financial well-being (and the other well-being categories), keep track of those amounts. They are the basis for your matching grant.
(3) Financial Learning Journeys – After Care gives you greater control than in the past. Below, you will find links to some resources (many of them free) from some of our premier partners in TFI.
(a) Review the available resources and select at least one that seems most applicable to you and your church context (it might be a book, webinar, training, video, etc.).
(b) If you continue your coaching relationship with the Thrivent counselor, you only need to select one other resource from those available.
(c) If you have chosen not to continue with your Thrivent counselor, then you will need to select two resources to complete during the year.
(d) If you locate another resource that is not “on the list,” that you are interested in completing, contact us at tfi@wesleyan.org We will review that resource and can approve it for you to do for TFI credit.
(e) Here are links to possible resources from our Premier Partners (in some cases you may need to generate a user-name and password to access the sites).
iii. RBI Pastor Resources
iv. NAE Financial Health for All
v. The COVID Crisis and Your Personal Finances
(4) Report – the WDR is due 30 days prior to District Conference April 30 of each year, come back here and complete your Well-Being Development Report (WDR), just like in the past.
(5) Prepare – to do it again the next year!