A Letter from the President

Our vision:
“A world experiencing the difference God’s grace and love in Christ make for all people and creation.”

We share this vision with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and it is our beacon, guiding us into the future. With a long and successful history as a financial institution of the ELCA, the Mission Investment Fund looks to the future with confidence and determination.

Through the loans and financial services that MIF provides, congregations, ministries and individuals have multiple pathways to invest in the life and work of the church. MIF puts these investments to work by collaborating with individuals and ministries across the church in support of their goals and mission. Through these partnerships, new opportunities are realized, and capacity for ministry is enhanced.

The impact MIF can make is limitless. Congregations and new worship communities can grow in both size and reach, becoming financially strong and remaining rooted in mission. Social ministries can expand services in their communities and engage more people in the work of the church. Individuals and ministries can achieve their financial goals and support the growth of the church using socially responsible investments.

MIF has been energized and inspired by so many congregations and ministries over the years that have boldly embraced the future in innovative ways. Three of these ministries are lifted up in this Annual Report, as we examine what is possible in partnership.

Zumbro Lutheran Church in Rochester, Minnesota, has a deep commitment to working with ministry partners “to build bridges of understanding and peace,” as the pastor of the congregation reflects. To better accommodate these partners, Zumbro sought a loan from MIF to reshape its sanctuary into a flexible space that can adapt to a wide variety of uses, such as meetings, performances and special events. In the congregation’s renovated office wing, youth who are experiencing homelessness are finding comfort and care in a respite center in partnership with Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota. And as part of special programming by Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, students and faculty meet at Zumbro to study and learn.

Tabitha, Inc., a provider of senior care and living communities based in the urban center of Lincoln, Nebraska, discerned the need to serve the growing elderly population in rural areas west of the city. The organization’s new facility, Prairie Commons, built in part with an MIF loan, now offers a continuum of care in the heart of Nebraska.

Since its inception almost seven years ago, the ELCA Federal Credit Union has expanded its offerings and imagined effective solutions to improve the financial well-being of its members, ministry partners and their employees. In partnership with MIF, the ELCA churchwide organization, synod offices and ministries across the ELCA, the Credit Union has differentiated itself by providing unparalleled value, timely and unique products, and extraordinary service. I am pleased to share that MIF’s partnership with the Credit Union will deepen and expand over the next several years, as we aim to become a full-service financial institution in alliance together.

We are grateful for these organizations and for the many others like them that serve their members and communities in vital and forward-thinking ways. Similarly, we deeply value our individual investors, whose confidence in MIF and commitment to our shared values help to make our mission possible. When participants look to the Mission Investment Fund for their financial needs, they are making an investment in the future of our church. Our pledge to you is to continually build capacity for future growth to enhance the financial well-being of the church in all its lived expressions.

Thank you for the trust you place in us.

With gratitude,

Eva M. Roby
President and CEO
May 2023