Sharing
Some basic assumptions on how we’re organized about money
We have dialogue about money
We share a common understanding that what we do with the money that comes our way is a spiritual discipline, both as individuals and as a community, and one that takes working out together person-to-person and in our cells. As a community, we are committed to the counter-cultural act of talking about money.
Individuals and couples share financial resources in a Common Fund
Circle of Hope doesn’t “make money” in the typical ways people may expect – we share our money. We have been well-supplied by doing that and expect to continue to be well-supplied. Primarily, we make money by making disciples who share financially in our mission. By making disciples, we grow our congregations. How we as individuals choose to use our money is a core spiritual discipline: our proverb says “All our money belongs to God: the percentage we share in our Common Fund reflects our mutual commitment to be an authentic church.” This is somewhat unusual, so we often need to help each other remember our ways so we can operate with mutuality, consistency and integrity in Christ.
We are generally conservative about spending
It is God’s money and someone worked hard to share it. We don’t take any money lightly. Even though we are growing as a network and have actually reached the point where we have some assets (a few buildings, a bit of a savings), the basic building block of the network is the individual congregation, which by definition is small and scrappy. We try not to spend money before we have it in hand, and we like to store up a large proportion in our reserves (savings), designated for specific future purposes we have in mind, since we are always planning for the next church plant, renovation project, or compassionate venture.
We share our money beyond our basic common needs
We have built into our systems the assumption and the practice of sharing beyond our own needs as a body. Our “external tithe” of 10% works globally through the initiatives of the Mennonite Central Committee, the Brethren in Christ World Hunger Fund, and other BIC initiatives. Our “internal tithe” to our Compassion Fund replenishes our ability to assist people who are a part of our extended community with specific financial needs. Our proverb says, “As a part of our obligation to mutually share resources with the poor and lost, we invest at least 20% of our Common Fund income in causes beyond our basic common needs.” The money our businesses and compassion teams share makes that total higher!