Living Out the Connectional Church
How IPC Memphis Supports the Relief Fund
Sean Lucas has served as the Senior Pastor of Independent Presbyterian Church (IPC) in Memphis, Tennessee since 2017. But an experience from earlier in his calling continues to shape his ministry today.
While serving at First Presbyterian Church in Hattiesburg, MS, Lucas watched as a minister in their presbytery passed away from dementia, leaving his wife and children in a difficult financial situation.
“When he passed away, his wife and children were really left bereft … The Relief Fund came alongside this family, as well as First Pres and our presbytery, to try to help bridge the gap so that they could land on their feet without their main income provider.”
That experience became a catalyst for action. Lucas recognized that while his own church had been able to be remarkably generous with their staff, not every minister had been so fortunate. “Not everybody has had that opportunity,” he explains. “To be able to take some of the generosity that God has given us and share that with others through the Relief Fund, that became essential.”
First Presbyterian, Hattiesburg began to dedicate their Christmas Eve offering to the Relief Fund and has been a generous partner ever since. After Sean joined IPC Memphis as Senior Pastor, he was catalytic in bringing the Relief Fund before the church. Since 2023, IPC has included the Relief Fund as a recipient of a special offering for their Christmas Eve service. The congregation’s response has been overwhelmingly positive.
“We tie it to the fact that he who is rich beyond all measure became poor for our sake so that we might become rich in him,” Lucas explains. “That’s the perfect time to tie in the Ministerial Relief Fund.”
At IPC Memphis, the preparation for this offering is an intentional process. Lucas shares videos in the weeks leading up to Christmas Eve, utilizes the church toolkit provided by Geneva, and repeatedly reminds the congregation about the upcoming offering during Sunday morning services.
Pastoral staff also help to identify and share stories of how the Relief Fund has made a difference in their own presbytery and the broader connectional church.
“We want to make sure our folks understand why this is important,” Lucas says. The Relief Fund Christmas Eve Offering has been particularly effective at IPC because it connects with another longstanding ministry. Each year, the church distributes approximately 700 Christmas boxes filled with enough food for a few days of holiday meals to families in Memphis.
“The Christmas Eve offering is a wonderful way to bookend that,” Lucas notes. “We care for our city, but we also care for our church and those who serve the church.” The church sets a specific monetary goal each year and, if needed, supplements from their missions fund, though they’ve consistently met their target through congregational giving alone. “Through the years, that [target] number has grown over time because our folks recognize the importance, and we try to tell stories that encourage that participation,” he shares.
When asked what he would say to other pastors considering involvement with the Relief Fund, Lucas draws on the same principles he uses to encourage giving in his own congregation.
“We don’t give out of guilt, and we don’t give in order to earn God’s favor,” he explains. “We give in response to the grace of God that’s been shown to us in Jesus Christ, that Christ has lavished his grace upon us—not only in spiritual ways, but also in areas of material prosperity.”
Lucas argues that supporting the Relief Fund goes beyond ordinary stewardship. It’s about living out the implications of membership in a connectional church.
“As Presbyterians, we believe in the connectional nature of the church,” he says. “The men and women, the widows and widowers, those who are needing additional care and help—we’re connected to them. We may not know them by name, but we are still connected to them by virtue of our common union to Jesus Christ. And so, we have a responsibility to care for them.”
Lucas often reminds his congregation that despite their church’s name, there is no such thing as an independent Presbyterian. “Though we live that way at times, the reality is actually we are interdependent,” he shares. “The Relief Fund gives us a way to live out of that reality.”
Through the collective generosity of Christ’s body, the Relief Fund has given over $13 million to PCA pastors, widows, and ministry workers in need. This year, nearly 300 PCA churches will support the Relief Fund through a special offering like the one Independent Presbyterian Church takes up each Christmas Eve.
How Your Church Can Support the Relief Fund
It’s never been easier for your church to support this vitally important ministry. Here’s how to take up a special offering to benefit the Relief Fund:
- Choose a Sunday or a season to collect a special offering.
- Order one of our free Church Toolkits, which includes:
- Bulletin Inserts
- Slides
- Video
- Digital Materials
- Announce a special offering in advance and invite the church to pray for pastors, widows, and ministry workers in need.
- Collect a special offering using our church toolkit and share materials with the congregation.
Geneva Benefits Group serves those who serve others, providing practical support for the financial, physical, and mental wellbeing of people who work in full-time ministry.
