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Planned Giving

Planned Giving

Leaving a Legacy

Planned giving

Provide Lasting Support

Consider a planned gift to Columbia as part of your legacy that will support Christ’s ministry through the church. Endowments support the church’s mission in three ways.

Endowment for Student Support

Supporting our students financially has always been a priority at Columbia. The ministry of Christ’s church requires strong, faithful, and formed leaders. Columbia’s resources for student support allow it to attract the finest possible students with the greatest potential for leadership in the church. As we seek to encourage new forms of ministry, endowed scholarships give us the resources and flexibility to support these emerging leaders. Endowed funds lead directly to strong, faithful leadership in Christ’s church. 

Endowment for Faculty Support

Columbia’s faculty has always been Columbia’s most important asset. Our faculty is made up of scholars who are committed to the pursuit of their individual disciplines and are equally passionate about the ministry of the church. They encourage the development of sharp, theological minds and skills for the practice of ministry. Endowed funds provide resources for their teaching, scholarship, and research as faculty are faithful to God’s call on their lives. 

Endowment for Programs

One of the ways Columbia continues to be a vital part of the church’s emerging ministry is the development of innovative programs that are part of the education of our enrolled students but can also be a resource for pastors and ministry leaders and for anyone who benefits from Lifelong Learning. Endowed funds can help the church of the future be faithful to Christ’s call.  

Endowed Funds Help Columbia

  • Strengthen the church for generations to come
  • Attract students with the greatest potential for leadership in the church
  • Provide resources for our world-class faculty
  • Create innovative programs for students and lifelong learners
  • Be faithful to God's call

Ways to Give

What You Can Do

There are many instruments for a planned gift – cash, stocks, bonds, real estate, life insurance, etc. Contact your financial advisor or lawyer for guidance.

Outside of probate, the easiest way to support Columbia’s future work is to name it as a beneficiary or contingent beneficiary in an insurance policy or retirement plan. All it takes to add beneficiary designations is to contact your agent or plan provider to update your beneficiary form. Columbia’s tax ID number is XX-XXXXXXX. 

An often overlooked opportunity to support future charitable work is naming Columbia as a “payable-on-death” recipient. Any banking officer can help you complete a new recipient card. For brokerage accounts, the term is “transfer-on-death.” Both typically avoid probate.

Your will is a chance to make a statement about what you value in life. People who support Columbia’s mission naturally value its continuation beyond their lifetimes. To make a sustaining gift to Columbia through a will or codicil, all it takes is to ask your attorney to include simple language such as: “I hereby give, devise, and bequeath to Columbia Theological Seminary, 701 S. Columbia Dr., Decatur, GA 30030, for its general purposes (or state a specific purpose), all (or state a percentage or specific dollar amount) of the rest, residue and remainder of my estate, both real and personal.”  

If you are a Presbyterian, the Presbyterian Foundation can be a wonderful resource for you to leave a legacy (https://www.presbyterianfoundation.org/ or 800-858-6127). 

In the summer of 1932, James McDowell Richards accepted an offer from the Board of Directors of Columbia Theological Seminary to become its president, a position he initially did not plan on keeping for more than five years. Guiding the seminary through the Great Depression and for the next four decades, Richards put in place many of the policies and practices that, today, make CTS a leader in Christian seminary education. The Richards Society is named in honor of Columbia Seminary’s longest serving president. It recognizes Columbia Seminary supporters who have made provisions in the course of their estate planning. 

If you have already included Columbia in your estate plans, please notify us so that your generosity can be recognized through the Richards Society and to ensure your intent is forever honored. 

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