Is your church consumed with debt? Are you working through some challenges from the past?
Is there hope for your church to make a missional turn around?
I just received this encouraging mail from the Minister of Missions at Hoffmantown Church in Albuquerque, NM.
Take hope from Curtis’ email printed below with permission.
Hey there Mark – just check’in in to see how you’re doing and wanted to give you a H-Town missions update:
I was crunching some numbers the other day and…
Hoffmantown Church:
* 2001 – less than half of one percent towards MISSIONS. Virtually no missions giving or program.
* 2002 – Wayne Barber called to Hoffmantown bringing a vision of 50% of budget to missions. Church was carrying $9 plus million in debt. His strategy to get out of debt was to “preach the Word” and “to give ourselves out of debt”. Implemented a 10 year plan to pay off debt.
* 2002-03 – Average weekly missions gift per person = $2.44 (not a bad beginning!)
* 2007 – Debt paid off in 5 years! Missions giving approaching 20% of budget!! Average weekly missions gift per person = $13.99!!! Made the IMB’s top 200 missions giving churches. Mobilized 850 people for local weeklong outreach with SBC Disaster Relief training exercise; cooperation with City Government; more than 50 local businesses and multiple churches.
* Mark – and God did all of this with significantly less people in the congregation!!! Clearly God doesn’t need numbers, noses or nickels, He is still looking for obedient servants whose hearts are completely His.
* Strategic focus and partnership with Silver Palaung and Burmese of Myanmar
Following you guys on your site – keep up the good work!
Curtis Brickley
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