Acts 1:8
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
As a Christian church, we are a part of the great witness for Jesus in this world. We may not be the ones to set foot in different corners of the world, but we resource and pray for those that do. This is the Great Commission from Jesus in Matthew 28. We are to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything Jesus has commanded us. Missions in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and all over the world start within our own faith community. It starts at home. It starts with our vision for missions here Poplar Springs. It starts with what we could be and should be.
In our new budget, I have made a request of the church to move with me in a specific way towards a new vision for missions here at Poplar Springs. I’m asking the church to consider reallocating resources within our budget. This does not represent an increase in the budget, but aligning our resources in such a way that better represents who we are as a church. This will be a shift in how we give to missions, but it is a shift that I believe will propel us forward in our mission giving.
Each year, our financial committee prepares the operational budget for our church. Once that work is completed, the committee figures 10% of the operational budget and stacks it on top of the operational budget to get our full budget picture. In simple math terms, if our operational budget is $100, we add $10 (10% of $100) to the $100 to get a full budget of $110. This allows our church to “tithe” 10% to missions each year.
The 10% is currently divided up amongst our denominational connections on local and state levels:
4% to the Cooperative Program of the Baptist State Convention of NC,
4% to CBFNC, and
2% to the Greater Cleveland County Baptist Association (GCCBA).
For 2024-2025, I have requested our church consider reducing the budgeted amount:
2% to the Cooperative Program of the Baptist State Convention of NC (BSCNC),
2% to Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of NC (CBFNC), and
2% to the Greater Cleveland County Baptist Association (GCCBA).
I want to be clear, this request is not a slight on the work of the state conventions. Poplar Springs has supported these ministries and the wonderful things they are doing for many years. This request, however, would allow Poplar Springs to better align its giving with who we are. We would still be giving to missions, but missions that we have felt called to as this particular body of believers.
This reduction leaves us with 4% for a new missions budget. 4%… What can we as a church do with that 4% that demonstrates who we are as a church? We can better resource missionaries we support like Mark Wakefield. We can partner with Michael Nhonya and his church in Tanzania to help grow their church and build water projects. We can better fund Camp HoriSon—a camp that helps 115 kids hear the Gospel and experience the love of Jesus each summer. This reduces the burden on Nicole to find grants in an ever-shrinking pool of prospect foundations. We will only be limited by our budget and imagination. I’m happy to answer any questions you might have about this request as you prayerfully consider our new proposed budget.
The calling to be on mission together is Biblical and as strong today as it was in the book of Acts. We start right where we are, in our community, in our own Jerusalem, and then we help carry the good news of Jesus across the world.
Prayer: God, lead us, guide us, and direct us to be on mission together as only you can. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
Grace and peace,
Aaron
pastoraaronhinton@gmail.com
(704) 300-0081