The News

The Northside Church’s leadership is changing our giving structure, effective immediately. We are moving to 52 weeks of regular contributions, with a year-end campaign. Instead of having two Missions Sundays, we will merge all missions and ministries into one budget (One Fund). This will make it easier to understand and discuss our financial health. We pledge transparent disclosure of God’s work at Northside through authenticity. Leadership sets specific financial allocations for each ministry and mission every year. We will use contributions for all church needs as they arise. We will adjust for any excess or shortages throughout the year. We will give equal attention to all ministry and mission efforts. They are all key parts of God’s mission that we must carry out.

Where did this idea come from?

In Fall 2023, the Elders announced they would revisit our finances at the end of Q2 this year and make any necessary adjustments. In July and August, the Executive Finance Team did that, and this shift to One Fund is a needed change. Currently, our general fund contributions are approximately $150,000 short of budget. However, we have fully funded many local and global missions efforts through 2025.

Why now?

We had unexpected cost increases in 2024, like a drastic increase in insurance and some building maintenance. The growing deficit drains funds, crippling regular ministries and mission efforts alike. This cannot go on.

When will this shift occur?

This shift is happening immediately. We will not have a Global Missions Sunday contribution this Fall. Instead, we will raise all Global Missions needs and other remaining commitments through a year-end campaign to fund both global missions and other needs as discussed above. If you were planning to give on Mission Sunday, please plan to make your gift during our end-of-year campaign. More details about the campaign will be available in the coming weeks.

Why not wait till 2025?

Two primary reasons. One, in the Fall of 2023, the Elders said we would revisit our financial situation at the end of the 2nd Quarter of 2024 so we could make needed adjustments. Many of our ministries that are not included in missions or other directed giving have had little or no increase in their ministry budgets for several years. After review, this move from directed giving to a One Fund approach is a needed adjustment for the reasons stated above and also due to inflationary increases in certain expenses. Second, we want to be great stewards of everything God has entrusted to us. Using separate funds for ministry and missions has made it increasingly difficult to assess our financial health and our church’s actual giving ability. As we make budgeting choices for 2025, we need a better sense of what we expect our church family to give.

What does “One Fund” actually mean?

We all have ministries we care about, but our church family is interconnected. A healthy church is the only local institution that cares as much for itself as it does for those 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. This summer, 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. They all depend on each other. When one goes unfunded, the others suffer. We must fund all our bold commitments.

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 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 have 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 regularly feature these missions in our worship service and other communications. We want our church family to stay updated about their work, so we can rejoice in what God accomplishes! Stay tuned for upcoming ways where we will specifically highlight what God did through Northsiders this summer.

Who is making this decision?

The Elders made this decision with the support of the Ministry Staff. They acted 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 reviews our finances and recommends changes as needed. It’s important to understand we used existing capital funds to complete the adult education classrooms, improve the worship area, and add a south side elevator. Our Staff has been asked to restrict spending, and our new Executive Minister is being educated in order to join the Executive Finance Team in making recommendations for 2025. They are developing a multi-month action plan to improve our holistic financial health.

How does this shift affect directed giving?

We are shifting away from directed giving to specific ministries. We want to engage every member in all aspects of God’s mission for Northside. We fulfill that mission with every minister, employee, and activity. It also applies to every dollar we spend in both direct and supporting roles. We all know the church is really the people, but the building still matters. The church is using the building every day to carry out God’s mission, not just Sunday and Wednesday. We are one family as children of God.

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

Of course, as long as we all understand what “One Fund” means. 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 & 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 specific ministries will go away. Additionally, for those who typically saved for our Missions Special Contributions, we need these funds to be redirected to our Regular Contributions. Our One Fund will receive all contributions for giving, and it will fund all ministry needs. We urge everyone at Northside to support our mission. Please give regularly to our One Fund.

What if we don’t reach our year-end goal?

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, in the event of a giving shortfall, our Leadership would assess which expenses need to be reduced in order to match our giving capabilities moving forward.