Following eight years of successful service, Rev. Dr. David Loleng was promoted to Vice President of Church Financial Literacy and Leadership and Stewardship Education at the Presbyterian Foundation in early April.

David joined the Presbyterian Foundation in 2016 in a new role established after the Foundation was awarded a $1 million grant as part of Lilly Endowment Inc.’s National Initiative to Address Economic Challenges Facing Pastoral Leaders. Since that time, the Foundation received another $1.5 million in grants to continue and expand programs to address the many financial challenges that diminish the effective ministry of pastoral leaders in their professional sphere.

“David’s leadership has enabled the Foundation to serve thousands of pastors and congregational leaders with the most cutting-edge materials on stewardship, generosity, financial best practices, and other critical topics,” says Tom Taylor J.D., Ph.D., President and CEO of the Presbyterian Foundation. “Today’s church leaders need this kind of knowledge, and David’s extensive ministry experience has been one of the keys to creating this program that serves the church so well. I’m excited to see how he is expanding this program to propel pastors and others into the future equipped with the best tools for financial literacy and skillful leadership.”

David’s work so far has led to creating a body of educational materials and tools for effective financial church leadership and administration and make them available to both pastors and lay leaders; developing a comprehensive overhaul of the PC(USA) congregational stewardship system (i.e., how Presbyterians view and raise funds for ministry and mission); and building on existing and creates new technological means to deliver training, tools, and resources for pastoral and congregational leaders.

“With the changing landscape of the church, financial literacy for pastors and congregational leaders is becoming increasingly essential,” David says. “While I’m honored and humbled to receive this promotion, it’s really about the work at hand and the calling to improve the financial acumen of pastors and thus, the financial footing of congregations. I’m excited to see what we’re able to do together in the years to come.”

Prior to joining the Foundation, David served as Associate for Evangelism in the Presbyterian Mission Agency. He has more than 20 years of ministry experience in Presbyterian churches in California and has served as a speaker about evangelism, discipleship, missional life and culture at conferences, camps, synods, presbyteries, retreats and churches. He holds a Bachelor of Arts (World Trade and Development) from the University of California, Davis, a Master of Divinity from Fuller Theological Seminary, and a Doctorate from Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Ky.