FAQS
STRATEGY QUESTIONS
We call our giving strategy Relentless Pursuit because we believe that God is a God who is in relentless pursuit of people and we want to be on His mission. It is His desire that every person in every neighborhood would discover and pursue His design for their lives. He pursues us, we pursue Him; He pursues others, we pursue others with Him. It is all a part of His plan to change the world one life, one marriage, one family, one neighborhood and one community at a time.
For 13 years, we have been intentionally pursuing gospel conversations with every resident in South Florida. Thirteen years is a long time, but not when compared to eternity. This name reminds us that our pursuit is not limited by time or geography.
This strategy is not about projects and buildings – it is about people. It is about aligning our hearts with the heart of God for people who remain far from Him and disconnected from His church. It is about every member and regular attender investing in God’s relentless pursuit of every person in every neighborhood in South Florida. Our faith is so often tied in with our finances (Matthew 6). From the person who has never given to our church to the person who could write a check for all of these needs, faith will be stretched. We should see significant heart change.
We are inviting every Family Church member and attender to carefully and prayerfully set a 2022 generosity commitment. Pray about these questions. Discuss them with
your family, friends, and/or financial advisors to make your commitment:
• What is your ability to give?
• How much would you like to give?
• What does God want you to give?
We are a one-fund church which means that all of our giving goes into one fund out of which we resource our operating budget, operating reserves, and any ministry expansion. It includes all the ministry we are doing at our current churches – 15 churches in 4 languages in 3 counties. It also allows us to improve our current facilities, look for permanent locations for some of our churches, and be prepared for future church plants and strategic partnerships.
This is a commitment tool. Your commitment will help Family Church make effective financial plans. It is an aspirational commitment that reflects a goal made with sincere intent.
We encourage electronic giving through your bank because it is safe, secure and consistent. How you give is up to you. Appreciated assets (stocks, mutual funds, real estate, etc…) are beneficial to the donor because he/she receives the same deduction and can save capital gains taxes.
The funds will all go to expand the mission and vision of Family Church. The full budget details are always available to church members by appointment with our Finance Office at finance@gofamilychurch.org.
GIVING QUESTIONS
Regularly over the next year – based on your weekly or biweekly giving. You may also feel compelled to give a one-time gift.
Yes. You can give online here.
It is a one-year plan. We want people to pray and consider increasing their regular giving (tithe giving) by a certain percentage. We are also asking people to forecast their additional giving, e.g. giving to specific ministries, missions, benevolence, church planting, and year-end giving to set a giving goal.
Absolutely. We are trusting God to provide the resources through His people. If you need to make changes, contact our Finance Department at finance@gofamilychurch.org.
If you call Family Church home, you should participate in Relentless Pursuit. Trust God through the process.
If you are not able to pay normal bills, our Hurting Families Fund is for you. We do not expect anyone to give who is not financially able. However, if you have assets, you may want to consider giving from those. We are only asking people to give according to their ability. We are not looking for equal gifts but equal responsibility.
We believe everyone can afford to give something, even if it is $5 per week. Remember that giving is a spiritual decision. It is not about equal gifts but equal responsibility.
Let us help you by providing you with a budget coach. As for giving while you are in debt, the short answer is “yes.” Do not rob yourself of the joy of giving. Giving to God always requires you to trust him even more. Who better to trust to get you out of debt than God?
We counsel people against taking on consumer debt. Most people will have a mortgage and a car payment. We do not want the borrower to become a slave to the lender. We want to teach people to trust God who will meet all of their needs (Matthew 6:25-33). As a church, our goal is to be debt free. From time to time we will take on some short-term debt (usually when we are waiting to sell a piece of property that we know will be closing in the near future).
We do not believe we talk about it enough. One in every fourteen verses in the Bible talk about money and possessions. Traditionally, we have talked about money for three weeks in January, but we have discussed it from a heart perspective. The Bible says that where our treasure is there our hearts will be also (Matthew 6:21). People’s hearts follow their finances. We want people to experience the fullness of life that God has for them as they give.
We have several guardrails. 1) We are committee advised. We have a Finance Committee of lay people that rotate, and they give input and hold us accountable for wise financial decisions. 2) We take a conservative posture in terms of spending, debt and cash reserves. One example is that for years we have used auxiliary income (school, ministry partnership with PBAU, etc.) as a part of our operating budget. Over the last 4 years, we have moved to operate out of church giving which allows us to use auxiliary income (can be hundreds of thousands of dollars) for external missions projects and capital improvements. This is a small step, but an important one. 3) We have invested in and acquired through partnerships a significant and valuable real estate portfolio, which allows us excellent and strategic places to have neighborhood churches, but it also gives us the opportunity to borrow if needed. We see church real estate the same way an individual or family or business sees it – it is a storehouse and an investment if you need it in the future. 4) The best and most important way we guard ourselves from overextension is to have significant capital and operating reserves. Although we have more now than ever before, it is only a fraction of what we really need. This is a huge part of why we need to give to Relentless Pursuit.
We have multiple safeguards in place over our finances. We have a Finance Committee that reviews our budget and spending on a monthly basis. We submit to an external audit and an audit of our audit. We are certified by the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA).