Southern Baptist and evangelical church members can now invest with GuideStone Funds.
Since its 2001 inception, GuideStone Funds has limited participation to pastors, missionaries and employees of Southern Baptist and evangelical churches and ministries, as well as their immediate family members. The Southern Baptist Convention’s 2013 amendment of GuideStone’s ministry statement to allow the entity to offer its investments, insurance and services to like-minded individuals helped make the change possible.
GuideStone described the change, which went into effect May 5, as an important next step in supporting the company’s long-term growth and fulfilling its mission.
“So often, people wonder whether they have to choose the performance they hope to achieve for their investments or the values they strive to live out today,” Rodric E. Cummins, senior vice president and chief investment officer of GuideStone Capital Management, said. “We believe that the many industry recognitions GuideStone Funds has received help give evidence that investors don’t have to compromise their values to obtain industry-leading performance.”
Ron Dugan, chief strategic investment officer for GuideStone, said, “We believe that the time is right to make these funds available to a wider Christian audience.
“Having successfully weathered financial storms after September 2001, as well as the economic downturn of 2008-2009, we believe our funds are battle-tested and offer a good approach for values-based investors who want to invest in accordance with their values.
“Our commitment to our investors, whether they are the pastors we were founded to serve over nine decades ago, church members or financial advisors, is the same: to help them achieve their long-term goals,” Dugan said. “On each desk at GuideStone is a little sign that reminds us of our guiding vision as we seek to be a lifelong partner in enhancing the financial security of our participants. We will not waver from that as we seek to work each day with integrity and skill on behalf of our investors.”
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SOURCE: Baptist Press
Roy Hayhurst
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