In the Fall of 2024, the Northside Church’s leadership changed our giving structure. We shifted from 50-weeks of regular giving with two special mission contributions to a 52-week regular giving structure with all missions and ministries integrated into the same regular budget. We’re calling this new structure “One Fund.” All ministries and mission efforts will submit their annual need to Northside leadership, and we will prayerfully discern how much we can afford. Then, all ministries and mission efforts will be funded through our One Fund. We will no longer have two special missions contributions.

Integrating all ministries and missions into a single budget will simplify our finances. And this will make it easier to understand and communicate our financial health at any time. We pledge transparent disclosure of God’s work at Northside through authenticity. Updated financial totals will be posted every week on our Give webpage (nscoc.org/give), and quarterly updates will be provided in a Sunday worship gathering and re-shared through our Family Matters newsletter.

Where did this idea come from?

In the Fall of 2023, the Elders announced they would revisit our finances at the end of Q2 of 2024. We would then make any necessary adjustments. In July and August of 2024, the Executive Finance Team did that, and the shift to One Fund emerged as a needed change.

Why now?

One, we had unexpected cost increases in 2024, like a drastic increase in insurance and some building maintenance. These increasing costs were adding pressure to our reserves. Two, our previous giving structure created frequent fundraising for multiple purposes leading to a complicated financial picture. And complicated finances are difficult to communicate. Finally, our former giving structure was unsustainable. It was unsustainable because our complicated financial picture made it difficult for Northside leaders to discern what our church family can actually afford. And it was unsustainable because we had become overly dependent on a few wealthy households to help us keep our commitments. Our new structure will provide better communication, allowing our leaders to better discern our financial commitments. The sooner we can start building a more holistically healthy financial picture, the sooner we will attain it. Our leadership discerned it was the right time to get started.

Do other churches function in a similar way?

Yes. We are familiar with other churches whose finances operate in this same way.

What does “One Fund” actually mean?

One Fund means our church family will now fund all ministries through a single budget. All giving will go to One Fund, and all ministry needs will be provided through this same fund. Before this change, some ministries were funded through our weekly Sunday giving, but others were funded through occasional special contributions. One Fund is a simplified giving structure. It brings all funding needs into one holistic budget.

How does this shift affect directed giving?

Our shift to One Fund is a positive and needed change. One implication of this change is that we are shifting away from directed giving. Ministry Leaders are now instructed to request their full financial need on an annual basis. Then, our leadership prayerfully discerns what Northside can afford to commit to. Then, all ministries are funded through our giving to One Fund. From now on, we want everyone to give regularly and generously to One Fund so we can keep our commitments and cover all ministry needs.

If unexpected needs arise, Ministry Leaders are to communicate first with our Executive Minister.

What’s the ministry philosophy behind this change?

We believe a healthy church will invest funding so its people will (1) be transformed in order to also (2) be transformative in the world. A healthy church is the only local institution that cares as much for itself as it does for those who are not yet part of it. Youth Ministry is both for those who are here and those young people who do not yet know the love of Jesus. Our Northside preschool teachers love all their students, both members and non-members. In the summer of 2024, our VBS hosted more non-Northside children than members. Our missionary efforts in São Luís, Brazil are producing a young, vibrant church in that city. The amount of inner-office coordination to support that effort is staggering. There is no “inside” effort or “outside” effort. We must not apologize for investing in God’s work in this neighborhood, as if it were selfish. It’s all one effort. Our ministries all depend on each other. When one ministry goes unfunded, the others suffer. We must fund all our bold commitments, and our One Fund structure will help us do so.

Does this mean we’re not being “missional?”

No. We remain committed to all our foreign and local mission efforts. We are including all existing local and global mission efforts in our new One Fund. This will ensure they get full funding in our regular budget.

Will foreign mission efforts need to reduce their funding needs?

Not at all. We are adding their needs to our regular budget. We will fund them fully. We will now collect, as part of our regular contributions, the money from our Special Missions Contribution Sundays into the One Fund. Our One Fund approach will support all mission efforts.

Will we still do short-term mission trips?

Yes, we will still send teams on short-term mission trips.

Does this shift reduce financial support for short-term mission trips? 

No. We are incorporating their needs into our regular budget because we want to make sure they are fully funded. The money we previously collected on our Special Missions Contribution Sundays will now be collected as part of our regular contributions into the One Fund. All mission efforts will be supported through our One Fund approach.

So will we ever hear about local or global missions?

Yes! We will find ways to feature these missions in our worship and other communications. We want our church family to stay updated about their work, so we can rejoice in what God accomplishes!

Who’s making this decision?

The Elders made this decision with the Ministry Staff’s support, acting on the Executive Finance Team’s recommendations. The Executive Finance Team members are: Gary Hoyack, Sandy Applewhite, Jim Martin, Alan Cooper, David Sessions, and Ryan Porche. They are happy to answer your questions about this shift.

What is the leadership doing to cut expenses and handle our funds responsibly?

The Executive Finance Team (EFT) reviews our finances and recommends changes as needed. Northside does not have any debt. Our Executive Minister works closely with our Office Administrator and EFT to monitor and adjust spending. The EFT is developing and executing a multi-month action plan to improve our holistic financial health. This includes reducing spending, shoring up our reserves, improving financial communication, and exploring ways of increasing giving and providing donor care.

Can I still give to Northside ministries I am passionate about?

Of course, as long as we all understand what One Fund means. All ministries are now funded through One Fund instead of through directed giving. Ministry Leaders have submitted their full financial need each year, so giving to One Fund is how we will ensure all ministries are funded. This approach values all Northside’s commitments equally. It will assist our Shepherds’ desire for clear financial communication. We are all part of the family, and we ask everyone to take part in the needs of the family. We will adjust our commitments as our finances allow. We will also follow where God’s mission is leading us. Each ministry will submit an annual budget. The Executive Finance Committee and the Shepherds will then finalize each budget. This is the budget each Minister or Ministry Leader can expect for their ministry for the year. With some exceptions, no ministry funds will roll over from year to year (exceptions apply to ministries that receive funding from other churches, like our São Luís Mission and Loaves and Fishes). All funds received will go towards funding all Northside ministries.

Will I need to change my recurring contribution settings? 

It’s often prudent to update recurring contributions, so this shift is a great opportunity to do so. Our One Fund approach will fund all missions and ministries. So, some of our online options for donating to specific ministries will go away. We encourage everyone to give regularly and generously to One Fund.

Previously, we hosted special contribution Sundays for local and global missions. These important needs are now funded through One Fund. If you previously saved to give to missions on these special occasions, we need you to redirect these gifts to One Fund. Gifts to One Fund are accepted any time through our Give webpage (nscoc.org/give).

What happens if our giving falls short of our commitments?

First, our church family has an Emergency Fund. Though we hope this does not occur, we can use these funds to temporarily keep our commitments. Second, our leadership would assess which expenses need to be reduced in order to match our giving capabilities moving forward.