The Rev. Dr. Glen Bell had been a pastor for 32 years when a friend asked him if he’d ever considered working for the Presbyterian Foundation.

“I had heard great things about the work of the Foundation and all the ways they were able to help congregations,” he said.

Not long after that, the Foundation posted the position of Senior Vice President of Development. With experience leading larger congregations through capital campaigns and significant stewardship efforts, he hoped to bring that knowledge to the position. He started work in 2020, and will retire March 20, 2026.

Building relationships

Bell has a long history of pastoral work that has taken him through several states. A native of North Carolina, he served at Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church in Laurinburg, North Carolina, moving next to Indiana to serve at Faith Presbyterian Church in Indianapolis, where, “by God’s grace,” worship attendance grew from about 140 to over 300. From there he moved to Second Presbyterian Church in Indianapolis and First Presbyterian Church in Sarasota, Florida.

When the Foundation opportunity opened, Bell and his wife, Anne, had already moved to Louisville to be closer to family. He began his work with the Foundation in August 2020, only months into the COVID-19 pandemic, when the role’s usual in-person meetings, events and travel could not happen. Bell instead read about 20 books about stewardship, generosity and philanthropy, and had lots of conversations with colleagues and pastors to begin the work of engagement across the PC(USA).

As normal activities resumed, the challenge was to get the word out about what the Foundation does. “We help churches, presbyteries and other ministries raise funds for what they think they need, for their vision,” Bell said. “The best thing about the Foundation is this is truly and thoroughly a ministry that wants to do what is best for churches and wants to partner up with churches.”

Bell said the Rev. Dr. Tom Taylor, the Foundation’s President and Chief Executive Officer, has long prioritized building relationships and creating trust. “That is a key part of who we are and a key part of our culture,” Bell said.

A big PCUSA picture

In his work with the Foundation, Bell has come to appreciate the depth and breadth of the PC(USA): the big churches, the tiny churches and the young and not-so-young people in them. It’s taken him across the nation many times.

At a time of declining numbers and energy, “sometimes I think it’s easy for us to throw up our hands,” Bell said. However, seeing the vitality and vision of people in a variety of churches across the country has been “just an incredible grace to me.”

As part of his work, he helped create a program for Young Pastors that gathered cohorts together in locations all over the U.S., with two cohorts meeting each year. The Young Pastors were loosely defined as “Generation X and Millennial,” and the goal of the program was to provide a place for them to engage with each other and to learn more about financial sustainability for their own churches and ministries. Training on financial issues can be light or even non-existent in seminary, and the Foundation’s goal was to help pastors connect with resources that can help them lead congregations.

Bell has also been responsible for the Foundation’s Ambassador Program for ministers of large churches. Leading a very large congregation holds multilayered challenges, as Bell knows firsthand, and he has loved being an encouragement to large-church pastors and has helped them find resources.

Another part of the job has been to lead the development team, which included four senior staff members who reported directly to Bell. “This was a tremendously talented team, and I enjoyed working with them as colleagues,” Bell said. “I know we are leaving this team in good hands, but I’ll miss working with them.”

Starting the journey

What’s next for Bell?

“I’m not sure how I’m going to do as a retired person,” Bell admitted, “but I don’t think there’s any way to figure out what the pilgrimage is all about without starting the journey. I’m waiting to see what the Holy Spirit might bring. It might not be much, and that’ll be OK.”

He’s already decided to say yes to more social invitations. He’ll also spend more time with his wife, who is retired; along with their four adult children and three grandchildren, some of whom live out of state.

Other than that? “I have a lot of no plans.”