Blog


Mar 1

Counting Down and Digging In to Plant Churches

2013 | by Clint | Category: Church Planting

This past Sunday morning Pastor Ron Giese gave an extended update on our Sunrise North Africa Partnership, also known as SNAP. With the launch of our first global church planting couple in January 2014 fast approaching, we are calling the new monthly update our “Countdown to Sunrise.” This is a time to focus our prayer, effort, and giving in a unique way toward the end of planting churches among the unreached of North Africa.

A Bit of History

Sunrise North Africa Partnership (SNAP) is DSC’s top global missions priority. It began back in 2006 when the Elders decided to expand the global missions focus by adopting an unreached people group (less than 2% evangelical Christian). Seven years later we are on the brink of sending out our first home grown family to North Africa. They are slated to leave January 1, 2014. (For a running countdown till their departure, visit the SNAP home page). We are also seeking to partner with Redemption Church (our first local church plant) to send out our second church planting family to North Africa in 2015.

Ever wonder why we call it Sunrise? Look here, or here: Isaiah 9:2; 42:6; 49:6; 58:8; John 1:5; 2 Corinthians 4:6, 1 John 2:8, Revelation 21:23.

Financing the Mission

God has already moved in amazing ways among us to support these efforts financially. The overall church budget has basically been frozen (no growth) over the past few years, leaving all the financial growth of the body to shore up this commitment to church planting. Since late in 2010, DSC folks have given over $150,000.00. Across two fiscal years, this represents a 50% increase in the missions budget, and about a 5% increase in the overall church budget (all of which is going to planting new churches). What a wonderful gift from God to grow our church in this commitment to His mission of making disciples and planting churches locally and globally.

Much of these funds have been used to get Redemption Church on their feet. From the very beginning of Redemption Church, the goal has been to help them a lot up front, then wean them off of DSC financial support. However, because church planting giving is a bit behind this fiscal year (see the bulletin), we are already cutting back from Redemption faster than originally planned. This is not ideal as Redemption Church is eager to stand on their own two feet, yet still in need of our support some this and next year. Any extra giving to church planting this fiscal year will help us slow this drop off.

Supporting the personal income, travel, training, and ministry budget of one family on the ground in North Africa can average $1,500 weekly. For two families, we will need to double that to $3,000. As a church we are currently at just over $1,500 given per week to church planting. Our goal is to continue increasing that as God provides so that in 2014 we will be able to store up funds for the second family coming from Redemption, and continue to support our first family.

Do you know if your church planting giving is being counted?

Some folks at DSC seem to have increased their giving each month, even by the expected $1 per day or $2 per day since 2012. However, if it is not clearly designated to “church planting,” any giving to DSC is counted toward the general church budget.

When it comes to giving toward church planting, you can use United Way, online giving at DSC, or you can write a check on Sunday mornings and place it in an offering box. Just be sure to designate it using the online fields or your check memo line to make sure it gets counted correctly.

Stay tuned for the next Countdown to Sunrise in March, and stop by this blog and the missions blog for upcoming efforts this spring to help the DSC body think outside the box when it comes to serving and supporting SNAP.

For more details on the finances, check the SNAP home page.

To keep up with the latest on SNAP, be sure to subscribe to the Missions Blog.