Why do we give to missionaries?
It is the responsibility of every Christian to spread the gospel. This is something we do with those around us, but we are not ourselves able to invest the time and money to do so around the globe. As a result, we have found that it is efficient and effective to send out professionally trained missionaries, trained and equipped to serve the Lord in a foreign land or culture. In addition, there are many good works which fall outside the scope of any individual congregation. For these works, we partner with other churches in supporting a wide variety of works which create, strengthen, and prepare believers in Christ.
We send this money throughout the globe knowing that we are doing the work of God. Supporting a missionary is as though we are personally helping with the work. Giving to missions is a good thing to do, and a necessary part of fulfilling our duty to evangelize the world.
How does the Christview missions program work?
We do not give a fixed percentage of our total giving or budget to missions work (as some other congregations do). Instead, funds must be specially designated for mission work. We operate a “faith promise” method of missions budgeting and giving. Each year we hold a Faith Promise Rally (usually in the fall). At that time we make pledges for our giving to missions for the coming year. The missions committee then uses those pledges to establish a budget for the missions program. There are a number of “budgeted” missions (see supported missions here), but sometimes special gifts will be made to other mission works.
How can I give to missions?
It’s rather simple. On your check (or offering envelope) simply write “$X for missions” (where X is the amount you wish to give). You can even designate your gift for a specific mission work- be sure to indicate that. If the work is one we have not supported in the past, then it would be helpful to include contact information for that mission. To give directly to our missions program you can use our online giving portal at Continue To Give and designate it for the missions program.
What is this “missions committee?”
The missions committee is a group of interested people who oversee the Christview missions program. They meet usually once every other month during our fellowship time between services. If you wish to join, you need to simply just begin attending the meetings. At these meetings the committee discusses events and news regarding supported missions. Decisions are also made regarding surplus funds (funds given in excess of promised or budgeted amounts). After the annual Faith Promise Rally, the committee is also responsible for tallying the promises and setting a budget for the coming year.
How are these missions funds used?
Every month, budgeted amounts are given to supported missions, along with any designated amounts. The missions committee also has two additional funds: the rally fund and the contingency fund. The rally fund serves to cover costs of the annual rally, and it is also used to pay the speaker for that rally (we have a guest speaker preach for our Faith Promise Rally). The contingency fund serves to cover any shortfall in giving for the month (so that we can be sure to meet the monthly budgeted amounts), and is also used for additional giving. The committee prefers to keep $500 in the contingency fund to cover possible giving shortfalls, but any funds in excess of that can be given to various missions.
It is important to note that the missions funds are completely separate from Christview’s General Fund. The General Fund is the main operating account for the congregation. The mission fund is a separate bank account entirely, overseen by a congregationally elected treasurer and the missions committee. All funds given to missions go DIRECTLY to the Christview missions program.