Answers to recently asked questions about Cooperative Ministries

Cooperative Ministries (CM) has been a fixture within the Brethren in Christ Church for almost 20 years, yet questions about the purpose and practicality of this method for funding our shared ministry programs persist, including the following recent e-mail queries:

Question: Where are we with regard to the 2006 goal for CM?

Answer: At the end of August (the last month for which numbers are available), we are running almost $65,000 ahead of last year at this time, but about $20,000 behind our spending plan. In the words of Gene Blessing, our chief financial officer, we don’t need to run up the worry flag quite yet, but it is important that we spread the word to congregations that the General Church is depending on a strong end to the giving year. We’ve moved ahead with our shared ministry plans at a good clip throughout the year, and it’s crucial that giving keeps pace with vision.

Question: What does the General Church do with all the money received through CM from congregations ?

Answer: Two versions of the General Church’s 2007 ministry spending plan (a short form and a more detailed account) are available on our website for review by congregational leaders. A quick look at either version shows that the bulk of CM dollars goes toward salaries, including for our seven bishops and their staffs, for the people working here in the General Church offices, and for mission personnel around the world. To bring it closer home, the proportion of personnel to program within the General Church budget is similar to that of most congregations.

Question: Can you name the ministry programs and/or organizations that receive funding through Cooperative Ministries?

Answer: The lion’s share of CM dollars is split between two priorities—world missions and starting and sustaining healthy congregations. Each of the eight regional conferences receives funds for church planting, and our healthy church initiative is also funded through CM.

The list of ministry organizations receiving a direct CM contribution is not as long as it once was, as we’ve worked to bring the General Church’s spending plan into line with contributions by the churches. The current list includes Lifeline Ministries in California, the International Brethren in Christ Fellowship, and the BIC Archives at Messiah College. (Thanks to the generous response by congregations in 2005, we were also able to make a contribution to Messiah Village, and we hope to be able to do so again in 2006.) We contribute to Mennonite Central Committee through CM’s World Hunger Fund. CM also provides a modest amount of support to Bible quizzing and YouthQuest, and funds scholarships for seminary students.

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